ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Arizona The Grand Canyon State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
4 ARIZONA INTRODUCTION The Grand Canyon State was once considered to be little more than a barren desert but vast irrigation systems have transformed the dry desert soil into successful farmland The mild winters and dry summers have attracted so many people that Arizona is one of the country’s fastest-growing states Between 1950 and 2000 the population increased nearly sevenfold While most of the people live in the southern part of the state the northern half contains some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country The Grand Canyon is one of the natural wonders of the world and there are many other parks monuments and wildlife preserves to visit across this spectacular state Hikers of all ages explore the Grand Canyon The state gemstone is turquoise This stunning gemstone has been used to make jewelry in the state for centuries Phoenix is the manufacturing financial and retirement center of Arizona It is the largest urban area in the state with about 3 5 million people Arizona’s state motto is Ditat Deus which is Latin for God Enriches With an area of 114,006 square miles Arizona is slightly smaller than the neighboring state of New Mexico The government owns more than half of the state’s land
INTRODUCTION 5 Arizona is a large state located in the southwestern United States The Colorado River defines most of the western border but otherwise the boundary lines are straight Utah lies to the north New Mexico to the east and Nevada and California to the west Across an international boundary to the south is the Mexican state of Sonora Four Corners at the northeast tip of Arizona is the only place where four states come together at a point Along with Arizona the others are Utah Colorado and New Mexico Arizona has more than 55,000 miles of roads and highways There are six interstate highways within the state However parts of the north especially in the Grand Canyon region are somewhat more isolated than the south Most travelers who arrive in Arizona by air fly into either Phoenix or Tucson Phoenix’s airport Sky Harbor International carries more passengers than any other airport in the state and is one of the world’s busiest in numbers of takeoffs and landings It serves as a hub for flights to a number of other cities within Arizona Arizona Location Map Capital Phoenix Interstate highways 0 0 50 80 100 Mi 161 Km Scale Population 5,130,632 Size 114,006 square miles Highest peak Humphreys Peak 12,633 feet Monument Valley lies entirely within the Navajo reservation on the Utah Arizona border Railroads haul passengers and cargo in Arizona The first railroad line came into the state from the west in about 1878 Arizona has two state songs Arizona March Song written by Margaret Rowe Clifford and Maurice Blumenthal and Arizona written by Rex Allen Jr Tucson has been called the Astronomy Capital of the World because of the observatories in the area
