State | Arizona |
State Capital | Phoenix |
Largest City | Phoenix |
Coordinates | 34°N, 112°W |
Nickname(s) | The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State, The Valentine State |
Postal Abbreviation | AZ |
Area | 113,990 sq. mi (295,234 sq. km) |
Highest Point | Humphreys Peak, 12,637 ft (3,852 m) |
Neighboring States | New Mexico, Utah, California, Nevada |
Number of Counties | 15 |
Population | 7,171,646 (2,018) |
Date of Entering the Union | February 14, 1912 |
State Anthem | “The Arizona March Song” and “Arizona” |
Governor | Doug Ducey (Republican) |
Secretary of State | Katie Hobbs (Democratic Party) |
U.S. Senators | Kyrsten Sinema (Democratic Party), Martha McSally (Republican) |
U.S. House Delegation | 5 Democrats, 4 Republicans |
GDP (Millions of Dollars) | 348297 |
Demonym | Arizonan |
Time Zones | Most of state UTC-07:00 (Mountain), Navajo Nation UTC-07:00 (Mountain), Summer (DST) UTC-06:00 (MDT) |
Arizona, the 48th state of the United States of America, is located in the southwestern region of the US. This state is also a part of the Western and the Mountain states. It is one of the Four Corners states in the high Colorado Plateau of the US States: Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. The neighboring states of Arizona are Nevada and California (to the west), and two northwestern Mexico states such as Sonora (to the south) and Baja California (to the southwest).
Arizona is spread across a total area of 113,990 sq. mi (295,234 sq. km), out of which 113,594 sq. mi (294,207 sq. km) is land area and the rest 396 sq. mi (1,026 sq. km) is water area. In terms of total area, Arizona is the sixth largest state.
Desert Basin and Range region is the most prominent landform in the southern part of the state. Cactus and other xerophyte plants are mainly found in this landscape. The north-central part of the Colorado Plateau’s high country (especially in the Mountain forests in Arizona) is covered by pine.
Mountains and plateaus are the major landforms in this state, just like any other states in the southwest US. Though Arizona is mostly arid, the state has 27% of forest cover. The ponderosa pine trees, the largest pine trees of the world, are found in this state.
The central section of the state is cut by a 1,998 ft (609 m) escarpment called the Mogollon Rim, marking the Colorado Plateau’s southwestern edge. The colorful, deep, steep-sided gorge named Grand Canyon is situated in northern Arizona. The Colorado River forms it. Grand Canyon is one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World.
The Barringer Meteorite Crater (popularly known as the “Meteor Crater”), the gigantic hole in the Colorado Plateau’s high plains, created around 50,000 years back, is the world’s most well-preserved meteorite impact site. It is located approximately 25 mi (40 km) to the west of Winslow (570 ft or 170 m deep and one mi or 1.6 km wide).
It includes 3 national parks such as Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Saguaro. The celebrated national monuments such as Chiricahua and Casa Grande Ruins are located in Arizona. Check this Arizona National Parks Map locating all the national parks in the US.
Arizona has a considerable variation in localized climate because of the vast area it is spread across as well as the enormous variation in elevation. A primarily desert climate is found in the lower elevations. Extremely hot summers and mild winters characterize it.
The weather remains mild from late-fall to early-spring, when the average minimum temperature revolves around 16 °C (60 °F). November-February is the coldest period in Arizona when the average temperature revolves within 4-24 °C (40-75 °F). Occasional frosts also take place during this time.
The temperature starts rising from mid-February when the days remain warm and night stay cool and breezy. June-September is the summer season when the weather is characterized by dry heat along with a temperature hovering within 32-49 °C (90-120 °F). In the desert areas, sometimes the high temperature exceeds 52 °C (125 °F). In less-developed desert areas (especially above 2,500 ft or 760 m) large diurnal temperature variations are found, mainly due to dry climate. During the summer, the temperature can reach as high as 46 °C (83 °F).
The average annual rainfall in Arizona is around 323 mm (12.7 in). Most of the rain takes place during two rainy seasons: monsoon during summer and rainy season during winter (caused by cold fronts coming from the Pacific Ocean). Hurricanes or tornadoes are rare in this state. Flash floods take place during July or August as the air’s water vapour content increases dramatically.
An appreciably cooler climate is found in the plateau found in the northern third of Arizona, which is located at a significantly higher altitude than that of the deserts located far below. Cold winters and mild summers are found in this place. The temperature here becomes occasionally freezing when cold air systems flow into the state from the northern states as well as Canada. The temperature in the northern part of the state comes down to below 0 °F (−18 °C).
The Total Gross Domestic Product for Arizona in 2018 was US$ 348,297. One million, an increase from US$ 243,929 million in 2009. The per capita annual income was US$ 44,329 in 2018, an increase from US$ 33,418 in 2009.
The economy of Arizona is ranked among the best in the United States. The data of the US Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that this state had the 4th highest economic growth (4%) in 2018, lagging behind Washington (5.7%), Idaho (4.1%), and Utah (4.3%). The main economic drivers of this economy were construction, real estate and rental leasing, and manufacturing.
The US Census Bureau’s report shows that Arizona’s economy has been growing significantly over the last few years and picked up speed in 2018. Most of the economic activity is taking place in Maricopa County (consisting of the Phoenix metropolitan area and the city of Phoenix). Business-friendly policies, as well as lack of a personal income tax, has made Arizona a favorable destination for the corporate, especially the ones in the relocations business.
A new study by the personal finance website WalletHub ranks Arizona at 12th rank in terms of economic activity, 10th in terms of economic health, and 14th in terms of innovation potential. The study gave 11th overall rank to Arizona.
The unemployment rate in this state was 4.8% in October 2019 (much higher than the US average of 3.9%), a significant drop from 10.8% in October 2009. The job market increased at a rate of 2.9% over the last year. Around 300,000 jobs were added in the state since 2015.
The United States Census Bureau’s 2018 ACS (American Community Survey) 1-year Estimate shows that there were 983,499 people (14% of the total population) living below the poverty level.
Arizona has an extensive transportation system. I-17 and I-19 are the main interstate routes from north-to-south and I-8, I-10, and I-40 are the main interstate routes from east-to-west. Interstate route I-15 travels from northeast-southwest. Public bus transit systems are mainly concentrated in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas.
Valley Metro Rail, a light rail system, connecting Central Phoenix with Mesa and Tempe cities is a popular mode of transport. The Sun Link streetcar system in Tucson connects the leading University of Arizona campus with Mercado San Agustin. Sunset Limited, Southwest Chief, and Texas Eagle are the main passenger train routes in this state.
The main airports in Arizona are Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (in Phoenix), Tucson International Airport (in Tucson), Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (in Mesa), Grand Canyon National Park Airport (in Grand Canyon), Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport (in Bullhead City), Yuma International Airport (in Yuma), Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (in Flagstaff), and many more.
As most of the Grand Canyon is situated within Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, the state is nicknamed “The Grand Canyon State”.
Grand Canyon National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Saguaro National Park, Tonto National Forest, Prescott National Forest, Coconino National Forest, Sedona, Monument Valley, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Phoenix, Hoover Dam, Jerome, Havasu Falls, Canyon De Chelly National Monument, Bisbee, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Tombstone and etc.
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