| Arizona is a U.S. state located in the
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| | world and is largely contained in the
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| Southwestern United States. It is best
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| | Grand Canyon National Park -- one of the
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| known for its desert landscape, which
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| | first national parks in the United
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| includes cacti. Arizona is also known for
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| | States. President Theodore Roosevelt was
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| its exceptionally hot summers and mild
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| | a major proponent of designating the
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| winters. Less well known is the
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| | Grand Canyon area, visiting on numerous
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| pine-covered high country in the
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| | occasions to hunt mountain lion and enjoy
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| north-central portion of the state, which
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| | the scenery.
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| contrasts with the lower deserts of the
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| | The Canyon was created by the Colorado
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| state.
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| | River cutting a channel over millions of
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| Arizona is one of the Four Corners
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| | years, and is about 277 miles (446 km)
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| states. It borders New Mexico, Utah,
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| | long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles
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| Nevada, California, touches Colorado, and
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| | (6 to 29 kilometers) and attains a depth
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| has a 389-mile (626 km) international
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| | of more than 1 mile (1.6 km). Nearly 2
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| border with the states of Sonora and Baja
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| | billion years of the Earth's history has
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| California in Mexico. Aside from the
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| | been exposed as the Colorado River and
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| Grand Canyon, many other National
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| | its tributaries cut through layer after
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| Forests, Parks, Monuments, and Indian
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| | layer of sediment as the Colorado
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| reservations are located in the state.
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| | Plateaus have uplifted.
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| Arizona was the 48th state admitted into
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| | Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving
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| the U.S. (1912), and the last of the
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| | Time, except in the Navajo Nation located
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| contiguous states admitted.
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| | in the northeastern region of the state.
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| Arizona is located in the Western United
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| | Due to its large area and variations in
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| States as one of the Four Corners states.
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| | elevation, the state has a wide variety
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| Arizona is the sixth largest state in
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| | of localized climate conditions. In the
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| area, after New Mexico and before Nevada.
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| | lower elevations, the climate is
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| Of the state's 118,000 square miles,
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| | primarily desert, with mild winters and
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| approximately 15% is privately owned. The
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| | hot summers. Typically, from late fall to
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| remaining area is government forest and
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| | early spring, the weather is mild,
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| park land, recreation areas and Native
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| | averaging a minimum of 60 degrees
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| American reservations.
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| | Fahrenheit (15°C). November through
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| Arizona is best known for its desert
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| | February are the coldest months with
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| landscape, which is rich in xerophyte
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| | temperatures typically ranging from 40-75
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| plants such as cactus. It is also known
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| | °F (4-24 °C), although occasional
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| for its climate, which presents
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| | frosts are not uncommon. About midway
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| exceptionally hot summers and mild
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| | through February, the temperatures start
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| winters. Less well known is the
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| | to rise again with warm days, and cool
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| pine-covered high country of the Colorado
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| | breezy nights. The summer months of May
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| Plateau in the north-central portion of
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| | through August bring a dry heat ranging
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| the state, which contrasts with the
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| | from 90-120 °F (32-48 °C), with
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| desertic Basin and Range region in the
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| | occasional high temperatures exceeding
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| southern portions of the state.
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| | 125 °F (52 °C) having been observed in
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| Like other states of the Southwest,
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| | the desert area. Due to the primarily dry
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| Arizona has an abundance of topographical
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| | climate, large temperature swings often
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| characteristics in addition to its desert
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| | occur between day and night, with some as
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| climate. More than half of the state
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| | large as 50 °F (28 °C) in the summer
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| features mountains and plateaus and
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| | months.
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| contains the largest stand of Ponderosa
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| | However, the northern third of Arizona is
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| pine in the United States. The Mogollon
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| | a plateau at significantly higher
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| Rim, a 2000-foot (600 m) escarpment, cuts
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| | altitudes than the lower desert, and has
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| across the central section of the state
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| | an appreciably cooler climate, with cold
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| and marks the southwestern edge of the
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| | winters and mild summers. Extreme cold
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| Colorado Plateau, where the state
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| | temperatures are not unknown; cold air
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| experienced its worst forest fire ever in
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| | systems from the northern states and
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| 2002. Arizona belongs firmly within the
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| | Canada occasionally push into the state,
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| Basin and Range region of North America.
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| | bringing temperatures below 0 °F (-18
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| The region was shaped by prehistoric
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| | °C) to the higher parts of the state.
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| volcanism, followed by a cooling-off and
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| | Arizona has an average annual rainfall of
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| related subsidence. The entire region is
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| | 12.7 inches (322 mm),[2] which comes
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| slowly sinking.
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| | during two rainy seasons, with cold
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| Arizona is home to one of the largest and
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| | fronts coming from the Pacific Ocean
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| most well-preserved meteorite impact
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| | during the winter and a monsoon in the
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| sites in the world. The Barringer
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| | summer.[3] The monsoon season occurs from
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| Meteorite Crater (better known simply as
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| | the middle of July through August and
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| "Meteor Crater") is a gigantic hole in
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| | brings lightning, thunderstorms, wind,
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| the middle of the high plains of the
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| | and torrential, if usually brief,
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| Colorado Plateau, about 25 miles west of
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| | downpours. It is rare for tornadoes and
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| Winslow. A rim of smashed and jumbled
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| | hurricanes to occur in Arizona, but there
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| boulders, some of them the size of small
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| | are records of both occurring.
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| houses, rises 150 feet above the level of
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| | Indicative of the variation in climate,
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| the surrounding plain. The crater itself
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| | Arizona is the state which has both the
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| is nearly a mile wide, and 570 feet deep.
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| | metropolitan area with the most days over
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| The Grand Canyon is a colorful,
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| | 100 °F (37.8 °C) (Phoenix), and the
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| steep-sided gorge, carved by the Colorado
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| | metropolitan area in the lower 48 states
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| River, in northern Arizona. The canyon is
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| | with the most days with a low temperature
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| one of the seven natural wonders of the
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| | below freezing
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