Arizona geography

Arizona is a U.S. state located in the SouthwesternNational Park -- one of the first national parks in the
United States. It is best known for its desert landscape,United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a
which includes cacti. Arizona is also known for itsmajor proponent of designating the Grand Canyon
exceptionally hot summers and mild winters. Less wellarea, visiting on numerous occasions to hunt mountain
known is the pine-covered high country in thelion and enjoy the scenery.
north-central portion of the state, which contrasts withThe Canyon was created by the Colorado River
the lower deserts of the state.cutting a channel over millions of years, and is about
Arizona is one of the Four Corners states. It borders277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18
New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, touchesmiles (6 to 29 kilometers) and attains a depth of more
Colorado, and has a 389-mile (626 km) internationalthan 1 mile (1.6 km). Nearly 2 billion years of the Earth's
border with the states of Sonora and Baja California inhistory has been exposed as the Colorado River and
Mexico. Aside from the Grand Canyon, many otherits tributaries cut through layer after layer of sediment
National Forests, Parks, Monuments, and Indianas the Colorado Plateaus have uplifted.
reservations are located in the state. Arizona was theArizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time,
48th state admitted into the U.S. (1912), and the last ofexcept in the Navajo Nation located in the
the contiguous states admitted.northeastern region of the state.
Arizona is located in the Western United States asDue to its large area and variations in elevation, the
one of the Four Corners states. Arizona is the sixthstate has a wide variety of localized climate conditions.
largest state in area, after New Mexico and beforeIn the lower elevations, the climate is primarily desert,
Nevada. Of the state's 118,000 square miles,with mild winters and hot summers. Typically, from late
approximately 15% is privately owned. The remainingfall to early spring, the weather is mild, averaging a
area is government forest and park land, recreationminimum of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15°C).
areas and Native American reservations.November through February are the coldest months
Arizona is best known for its desert landscape, whichwith temperatures typically ranging from 40-75 °F
is rich in xerophyte plants such as cactus. It is also(4-24 °C), although occasional frosts are not
known for its climate, which presents exceptionally hotuncommon. About midway through February, the
summers and mild winters. Less well known is thetemperatures start to rise again with warm days, and
pine-covered high country of the Colorado Plateau incool breezy nights. The summer months of May
the north-central portion of the state, which contraststhrough August bring a dry heat ranging from 90-120
with the desertic Basin and Range region in the°F (32-48 °C), with occasional high
southern portions of the state.temperatures exceeding 125 °F (52 °C)
Like other states of the Southwest, Arizona has anhaving been observed in the desert area. Due to the
abundance of topographical characteristics in additionprimarily dry climate, large temperature swings often
to its desert climate. More than half of the stateoccur between day and night, with some as large as
features mountains and plateaus and contains the50 °F (28 °C) in the summer months.
largest stand of Ponderosa pine in the United States.However, the northern third of Arizona is a plateau at
The Mogollon Rim, a 2000-foot (600 m) escarpment,significantly higher altitudes than the lower desert, and
cuts across the central section of the state and markshas an appreciably cooler climate, with cold winters
the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau,and mild summers. Extreme cold temperatures are not
where the state experienced its worst forest fire everunknown; cold air systems from the northern states
in 2002. Arizona belongs firmly within the Basin andand Canada occasionally push into the state, bringing
Range region of North America. The region wastemperatures below 0 °F (-18 °C) to the
shaped by prehistoric volcanism, followed by ahigher parts of the state.
cooling-off and related subsidence. The entire region isArizona has an average annual rainfall of 12.7 inches
slowly sinking.(322 mm),[2] which comes during two rainy seasons,
Arizona is home to one of the largest and mostwith cold fronts coming from the Pacific Ocean during
well-preserved meteorite impact sites in the world. Thethe winter and a monsoon in the summer.[3] The
Barringer Meteorite Crater (better known simply asmonsoon season occurs from the middle of July
"Meteor Crater") is a gigantic hole in the middle of thethrough August and brings lightning, thunderstorms,
high plains of the Colorado Plateau, about 25 mileswind, and torrential, if usually brief, downpours. It is rare
west of Winslow. A rim of smashed and jumbledfor tornadoes and hurricanes to occur in Arizona, but
boulders, some of them the size of small houses, risesthere are records of both occurring.
150 feet above the level of the surrounding plain. TheIndicative of the variation in climate, Arizona is the state
crater itself is nearly a mile wide, and 570 feet deep.which has both the metropolitan area with the most
The Grand Canyon is a colorful, steep-sided gorge,days over 100 °F (37.8 °C) (Phoenix), and the
carved by the Colorado River, in northern Arizona. Themetropolitan area in the lower 48 states with the most
canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of thedays with a low temperature below freezing
world and is largely contained in the Grand Canyon