25 Arizona facts

  1. Arizona is a state of the United States of America located in the southwestern region of the United States.
  2. Total Area: 6th among states, 295,254 sq km (113,998 sq mi).
  3. The capital and largest city is Phoenix.
  4. Arizona is roughly the size of Italy.
  5. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the eight Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe, Peoria, Surprise and then by Yuma in Yuma County.
  6. Navajo Community College in Tsaile, was the first college on an Indian reservation.
  7. Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912 - the 50th anniversary of Arizona's recognition as a territory of the United States.
  8. The original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.
  9. Arizona is one of the Four Corners states. It borders New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, touches Colorado, and has a 389-mile (626 km) international border with the states of Sonora and Baja California in Mexico.
  10. Arizona has more parks and national monuments than any other state, more mountains than Switzerland, and more golf courses than Scotland.
  11. It is the largest landlocked U.S. state by population.
  12. Camels were used at one time to transport goods across Arizona.
  13. In addition to the Grand Canyon, many other national forests, parks, monuments, and Indian reservations are located in the state.
  14. The sun shines in southern Arizona 85% of the time, which is considerably more sunshine than Florida or Hawaii.
  15. Despite the state's aridity, 27% of Arizona is forest, a percentage comparable to modern day France or Germany.
  16. Arizona has the largest percentage of its land set aside and designated as Indian lands.
  17. The saguaro cactus blossom is the official state flower. The white flower blooms on the tips of the saguaro cactus during May and June. The saguaro is the largest American cactus.
  18. Historically, Arizona’s strongest economic support came from the Four C’s – cotton, copper, cattle, and citrus. In recent years, a fifth – climate – has been added.
  19. Petrified wood is the official state fossil. Most petrified wood comes from the Petrified Forest in northeastern Arizona.
  20. The Navajo Reservation, the nation's largest reservation, lies primarily in Arizona and extends into Utah and New Mexico.
  21. Turquoise is the official state gemstone. The blue-green stone has a somewhat waxy surface and can be found throughout the state.
  22. The world’s largest solar telescope is located at Kitts Peak National Observatory in the city of Sells.
  23. The battleship USS Arizona was named in honor of the state. It was commissioned in 1913 and launched in 1915 from the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
  24. Arizona became the home of the first major irrigation project by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation when former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt dedicated a dam on the Salt River in 1911.
  25. In 1876 the Chiricahua Apache chief Geronimo began ten years of raids against white settlements when the U.S. government attempted to move his tribe from their traditional home in Arizona to a reservation in New Mexico.
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