- published: 02 Jan 2016
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Arizona (i/ɛrɪˈzoʊnə/; /ærɪˈzoʊnə/) (Navajo: Hoozdo Hahoodzo; O'odham: Alĭ ṣonak) is a state of the United States, located in the southwestern region of the country. Arizona is also part of the Western United States and of the Mountain West states. Arizona is the sixth most extensive and the 16th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in population by eight cities of the Phoenix metropolitan area: Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe, Peoria, and Surprise.
Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, and it achieved statehood on February 14, 1912. Arizona is noted for its desert climate in its southern half, where there are very hot summers and quite mild winters. The northern half of Arizona also features forests of pine, Douglas fir, and spruce trees, a very large, high plateau (the Colorado Plateau) and some mountain ranges—such as the San Francisco Mountains—as well as large, deep canyons, where there is much more moderate weather for three seasons of the year, plus significant snowfalls. There are ski resorts in the areas of Flagstaff and Alpine.
Northern Arizona is an unofficial, colloquially-defined region of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the southern border of which in Arizona is called the Mogollon Rim. In the West lies the Grand Canyon, which was cut by the flow of the Colorado River while the land slowly rose around it. In the central portion lies the Painted Desert, consisting of sedimentary rocks eroded by water and wind, exposing thick, brightly colored layers. In the East are the very large Hopi and Navajo reservations, parts of which overlap, leading to occasional territorial disputes. In this area travelers may tune their radios to hear native-language broadcasts. Flagstaff is the largest and main city of the Northern Arizona region. Kingman, located in the northwest of the state, in Mohave County, may or may not be considered part of Northern Arizona, depending on local opinions. Flagstaff is home to Northern Arizona University and the Lowell Observatory. Much of the territory is parkland, reservations, or other BLM-administered lands. Major attractions in addition to the Grand Canyon include the cliff dwellings of Canyon de Chelly, and Meteor Crater. Northern Arizona also goes by the name Alta Arizona, which means "Upper Arizona" in Spanish.