Arizona

Arizona (American pronunciation [æɹɪˈzoʊ̯nə]) is a state located in the southwestern United States; its abbreviation is AZ. Arizona is nicknamed the Grand Canyon State. Its capital is Phoenix.

The origin of the name is unclear. Since the beginning of the 20th century, historians have predominantly advocated the theory that the name comes from the term alĭ ṣonak ("small spring") of the O'odham language. It originally referred exclusively to an area around Planchas de Plata near Nogales (Sonora) in what is now the border region between Mexico and the United States. The Tohono O'Odham still refer to the region by this name, which sounds like Arissona when pronounced.

Since 1979, historians have also supported the thesis that Basque immigrants gave the name aritz ona (good oak) from their language.

A widespread folk etymological derivation from the Spanish word for arid zone is not tenable, since the name Zonarida would have to follow from the name zona árida.

Geography

Throughout the south, Arizona borders Mexico. Otherwise, the border is internal. To the southwest it borders California, to the northwest Nevada. To the north, the border with Utah runs toward Four Corners' Point, the only four-county point in the United States and one of the few in the world. There, Arizona meets Colorado in the far northeast and shares its eastern border entirely with New Mexico.

Arizona belongs to two natural areas. The northeastern part of the state lies on the Colorado Plateau, all other parts of Arizona belong to the Basin and Range region. The border is formed by the Mogollon Rim mountain range.

The Colorado River and the Grand Canyon it forms separate the Arizona Strip from the rest of the state in the northwest. It also forms almost all of Arizona's western border with Nevada and California. Other major rivers in Arizona include the Little Colorado River in the northeastern part of the state and the Gila River and its tributaries in central and southern Arizona.

Structure

The US state of Arizona is divided into 15 counties, which have an average area of 19,683.6 km².

Climate

Arizona has a dry desert and semi-desert climate, in the north rather steppe climate. This leads to relatively mild winters and hot summers, depending on the altitude. Because of the proximity to the Rocky Mountains, there are usually large temperature differences between day and night. Average rainfall ranges from about 100 to 500 mm per year, with most of the rain falling from July to November. Furthermore, the city of Yuma is one of the sunniest places in the world, with around 4000 hours of sunshine annually. On the other hand, the city of Flagstaff, located at around 2135 meters in the north of the state, is one of the most important winter sports resorts in the United States.

Monthly average temperatures (max/min) for selected locations in Arizona
Location	July (°C)	December (°C)
Phoenix	41/28	19/7
Tucson	38/23	18/4
Yuma	41/28	20/8
Flagstaff	27/11	5/−8
Prescott	31/15	11/−4
Kingman	36/19	13/0

flora and fauna

Because of the drought, Arizona grows many cacti, palm lilies and mesquite trees. The largest wildlife species include white-tailed and mule deer, as well as wapiti, pronghorn and bighorn sheep. Scattered bears still live in remote areas. Predators such as cougars, jaguars, badgers, and other marten-like animals live in the mountainous regions. In the Sonoran Desert there are many species of lizards, spiders and snakes.

Population

Population development
Census	Inhabitants		± in %
1900	122.931		- —
1910	204.354		66,2 %
1920	334.162		63,5 %
1930	435.573		30,3 %
1940	499.261		14,6 %
1950	749.587		50,1 %
1960	1.302.161		73,7 %
1970	1.770.900		36 %
1980	2.718.215		53,5 %
1990	3.665.228		34,8 %
2000	5.130.632		40 %
2010	6.413.158		25 %
Estimate 2011	6.482.505		1,1 %
Before 1900 1900–1990 2000

Arizona is home to 6,392,017 people (as of the 2010 Census), 76.9% of whom are White, 4.5% Native American, 3.4% Black or African American, and 2.3% Asian American. 29.2% identify themselves as Hispanics or Latinos regardless of "race".

Ancestry

The most common ancestries of Arizona's population in 2009 were Mexican (27.4%), German (16%), Irish (10.8%), English (10.1%), and Italian (4.6%). The southern and central counties in particular are primarily Mexican, while the northern counties are largely populated by descendants of British immigrants, and the northeast has the largest percentage of Native American residents.

Since 2003, the Hispanic (Latino) population has given birth to more children than the non-Hispanic population, and Latinos are expected to be the majority of the population by 2035.

Languages

In 2000, 74.1% of the population had English as their first language, 19.5% Spanish, 1.9% Navajo, 0.6% other Native American languages, and 0.5% German. English has been the official language of the state since 2006.

Worldviews

The religious denominations with the most members in 2000 were the Catholic Church with 974,883, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 251,974, and the Southern Baptist Convention with 138,516 adherents.

Four-fifths of Arizona's population describes itself as Christian, with Catholics and Protestants strongly represented, and Mormons also making up a non-negligible portion.

• Christians: 80
• all Protestant churches together: 42
• Catholics: 31 %
• Mormons: 6 %
• other Christian denominations: 1 %
• other religions: 2 %
• non-religious: 18 %

Largest cities

The cities of Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale, Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale, and Tempe merge almost seamlessly, so that the Phoenix-Mesa Metropolitan Area is often perceived as a single entity, even though they are administratively separate.

• List of cities in Arizona

Spanish language in Arizona


Population density