23 national parks, national monuments and nature reserves, 67 lakes, 25 historical sites and recreation areas and last but not least the Grand Canyon. All of that and more is Arizona, the Grand Canyon State in the southwestern United States.
It is a state that is also great to explore by motorcycle. Because the world famous Route 66 runs through Arizona (Az). It is not entirely clear where the name Arizona comes from. It is believed that it comes from the O’odham language. But a Basque origin is also possible.
- Ask4beauty: Brief history and politics of state Nevada, covering latest population and geographical information of Nevada.
Arizona in numbers, data and facts
- Area: 295,254 km²
- Population: * 7,171,646 (estimated 2018)
- Member of the United States since: February 14, 1912
- Time zone: UTC − 7 (MST). There is no daylight saving time in Arizona with the exception of the Navajo Reservation)
- Highest point: 3851 m (Humphreys Peak)
- Lowest point: 21m (Colorado River)
- Average altitude: 1250 m
- Capital: Phoenix
- State motto: Ditat Deus (Latin: God enriches)
Geographical location and extent
Arizona is located in the southwestern United States. In the south lies the border with Mexico. All other borders are internal. In the southwest lies California, northwest lies Nevada. In the north, the state borders Utah and is located on the four-country corner of the USA, the Four Corners Point, where Arizona borders Colorado in the extreme northeast. Arizona shares the eastern border with New Mexico. The US state is divided into 15 counties.
Almost half of the state is made up of mountains and plateaus. Worth mentioning here are the San Francisco Mountains, the Colorado Plateau, the Mogollon Rim, the White Mountains and the Superstition Mountain.
Arizona – at the quadrangle of the USA
Arizona is one of the states where the borders of four states meet. It is the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah that make up the Four Corner States of the USA. The point at which the borders of the respective states meet is in the area of US 160 and is marked by simple signs. The monument is a popular photo opportunity. After all, here in this area at the four borders you have the opportunity to stand in the states of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado at the same time.
Weather and Climate in Arizona
Arizona has a dry desert or steppe climate. This makes the winters mild and the summers very hot. However, it can be very cold at night even in summer. The highest daytime temperatures are expected in July, sometimes over 40 degrees. The coldest month is January with around 19 degrees Celsius. Most precipitation falls in December, least with only 3 mm in May and June. June also has the most hours of sunshine, at 13.6 hours. The city of Yuma has around 4000 of these per year, which makes the community one of the sunniest places in the world. Snow is the exception in Arizona.
Population of Arizona
An estimated 7,171,646 people lived in Grand Canyon State in 2018. That is a few more than those counted in the official 2010 Census. At that time, a total of 6,392,288 people were determined, which corresponds to a population increase of 12.2 percent.
The majority (82.2 percent) are white, with 31.6 percent being Hispanic. Other populations make up only a small proportion of the US state’s population. Afro-Americans are represented with 5.1 percent, American or Alaskan natives with 5.3 percent, Asians with 3.7 percent and people with Hawaiian roots or an origin on other Pacific islands with 0.3 percent. At 50.3 percent, the female population is slightly larger than the male population (49.7 percent). The population is predominantly urban.
As for religious affiliation, most of Arizona’s residents are Christian (80 percent). The Catholics and Protestants are strongly represented here. In addition, a relatively large number of Mormons live in Arizona. Other religions are of little importance in Arizona. 18 percent of the population are considered non-religious.
With the Navajo Nation Reservation, Arizona is the largest Indian reservation in the United States. The Hopi Reservation is an enclave within the Navajo Nation Reservation.
The 10 largest cities of Arizona
There are quite a few big cities in Arizona. Phoenix is by far the most populous city and probably most US visitors are familiar with it.
List of major cities at a glance:
- Phoenix (1,617,917)
- Tucson (530,706)
- Mesa (484,587)
- Chandler (247,477)
- Scottsdale (246,645)
- Glendale (245,895)
- Gilbert (237,133)
- Tempe (182,498)
- Peoria (164,173)
- Surprise (132,677)
