Explore the lands of Arizona


Arizona geography

Arizona is a U.S. state located in thecanyon is one of the seven natural
Southwestern United States. It is bestwonders of the world and is largely
known for its desert landscape, whichcontained in the Grand Canyon National
includes cacti. Arizona is also knownPark -- one of the first national parks
for its exceptionally hot summers andin the United States. President Theodore
mild winters. Less well known is theRoosevelt was a major proponent of
pine-covered high country in thedesignating the Grand Canyon area,
north-central portion of the state,visiting on numerous occasions to hunt
which contrasts with the lower desertsmountain lion and enjoy the scenery.
of the state.The Canyon was created by the Colorado
Arizona is one of the Four CornersRiver cutting a channel over millions of
states. It borders New Mexico, Utah,years, and is about 277 miles (446 km)
Nevada, California, touches Colorado,long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles
and has a 389-mile (626 km)(6 to 29 kilometers) and attains a depth
international border with the states ofof more than 1 mile (1.6 km). Nearly 2
Sonora and Baja California in Mexico.billion years of the Earth's history has
Aside from the Grand Canyon, many otherbeen exposed as the Colorado River and
National Forests, Parks, Monuments, andits tributaries cut through layer after
Indian reservations are located in thelayer of sediment as the Colorado
state. Arizona was the 48th statePlateaus have uplifted.
admitted into the U.S. (1912), and theArizona does not observe Daylight Saving
last of the contiguous states admitted.Time, except in the Navajo Nation
Arizona is located in the Western Unitedlocated in the northeastern region of
States as one of the Four Cornersthe state.
states. Arizona is the sixth largestDue to its large area and variations in
state in area, after New Mexico andelevation, the state has a wide variety
before Nevada. Of the state's 118,000of localized climate conditions. In the
square miles, approximately 15% islower elevations, the climate is
privately owned. The remaining area isprimarily desert, with mild winters and
government forest and park land,hot summers. Typically, from late fall
recreation areas and Native Americanto early spring, the weather is mild,
reservations.averaging a minimum of 60 degrees
Arizona is best known for its desertFahrenheit (15°C). November through
landscape, which is rich in xerophyteFebruary are the coldest months with
plants such as cactus. It is also knowntemperatures typically ranging from
for its climate, which presents40-75 °F (4-24 °C), although
exceptionally hot summers and mildoccasional frosts are not uncommon.
winters. Less well known is theAbout midway through February, the
pine-covered high country of thetemperatures start to rise again with
Colorado Plateau in the north-centralwarm days, and cool breezy nights. The
portion of the state, which contrastssummer months of May through August
with the desertic Basin and Range regionbring a dry heat ranging from 90-120 °F
in the southern portions of the state.(32-48 °C), with occasional high
Like other states of the Southwest,temperatures exceeding 125 °F (52 °C)
Arizona has an abundance ofhaving been observed in the desert area.
topographical characteristics inDue to the primarily dry climate, large
addition to its desert climate. Moretemperature swings often occur between
than half of the state featuresday and night, with some as large as 50
mountains and plateaus and contains the°F (28 °C) in the summer months.
largest stand of Ponderosa pine in theHowever, the northern third of Arizona
United States. The Mogollon Rim, ais a plateau at significantly higher
2000-foot (600 m) escarpment, cutsaltitudes than the lower desert, and has
across the central section of the statean appreciably cooler climate, with cold
and marks the southwestern edge of thewinters and mild summers. Extreme cold
Colorado Plateau, where the statetemperatures are not unknown; cold air
experienced its worst forest fire eversystems from the northern states and
in 2002. Arizona belongs firmly withinCanada occasionally push into the state,
the Basin and Range region of Northbringing temperatures below 0 °F (-18
America. The region was shaped by°C) to the higher parts of the state.
prehistoric volcanism, followed by aArizona has an average annual rainfall
cooling-off and related subsidence. Theof 12.7 inches (322 mm),[2] which comes
entire region is slowly sinking.during two rainy seasons, with cold
Arizona is home to one of the largestfronts coming from the Pacific Ocean
and most well-preserved meteorite impactduring the winter and a monsoon in the
sites in the world. The Barringersummer.[3] The monsoon season occurs
Meteorite Crater (better known simply asfrom the middle of July through August
"Meteor Crater") is a gigantic hole inand brings lightning, thunderstorms,
the middle of the high plains of thewind, and torrential, if usually brief,
Colorado Plateau, about 25 miles west ofdownpours. It is rare for tornadoes and
Winslow. A rim of smashed and jumbledhurricanes to occur in Arizona, but
boulders, some of them the size of smallthere are records of both occurring.
houses, rises 150 feet above the levelIndicative of the variation in climate,
of the surrounding plain. The craterArizona is the state which has both the
itself is nearly a mile wide, and 570metropolitan area with the most days
feet deep.over 100 °F (37.8 °C) (Phoenix), and
The Grand Canyon is a colorful,the metropolitan area in the lower 48
steep-sided gorge, carved by thestates with the most days with a low
Colorado River, in northern Arizona. Thetemperature below freezing



1 A B C D 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112