Arizona

Arizona is a state in the southwestern United States famed for the Grand Canyon and its dramatic desert landscapes. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix, one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country. Nicknamed the Grand Canyon State, it blends Native American heritage with Sun Belt growth.

Arizona ranges from the low Sonoran Desert, dotted with saguaro cacti, to high plateaus and pine forests around Flagstaff. The Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon across its northern reaches, and the Colorado Plateau holds spectacular red-rock country such as Sedona. Summers are extremely hot in the desert south.

Arizona has the largest Native American land base in the country, including the Navajo Nation, and a strong Hispanic and Mexican cultural influence. Its culture mixes Old West history, desert recreation, and a fast-growing modern economy centered on Phoenix and Tucson.

Long home to peoples such as the Hohokam, Navajo and Apache, the region passed from Spain and Mexico to the United States in the 19th century. A frontier of mining and ranching, Arizona became the 48th and last of the contiguous states in 1912.