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Arizona
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Arizona: flag The Great Seal of the State of Arizona features a mountain range with the sun rising behind it, a dam and reservoir, and a miner with a pick and shovel in the foreground. Green fields and a grazing cow appear in the middle distance. The Latin motto Ditat Deus is displayed above, with a beige border reading Great Seal of the State of Arizona 1912. Arizona's state bird is the cactus wren. The blossom of the saguaro cactus is Arizona's state flower. Political map of Arizona showing state and county boundaries, major cities and towns, and neighboring states of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, as well as the border with Mexico. The map highlights Phoenix as the state capital and includes a small locator map of the United States with Arizona shaded. Silhouettes of tall cacti and distant mountains beneath a vivid pink and orange sunset sky at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. Tucson, Arizona Map of Arizona highlighting major physical features, including mountain ranges, plateaus, deserts, lakes, and rivers. Notable landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, Mogollon Rim, and Yuma Desert are labeled, along with national parks, monuments, and dams. State boundaries with California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Mexico are clearly marked. An inset locator map shows Arizona's position in the southwestern United States. Map of the southwestern United States showing major physical features such as deserts, plateaus, mountain ranges, and rivers, along with key cities and state capitals in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. State boundaries and neighboring regions are labeled, and a small inset highlights the Southwest's location within the U.S.
Tour the butte escarpments and vegetative landscape of Arizona desert terrain
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Arizona summary
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Arizona: flag
Arizona: flag

Arizona

state, United States
Also known as: Grand Canyon State
Written by
Melvin E. Hecht
Professor of Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona, Tucson.
Melvin E. HechtAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Arizona, constituent state of the United States of America. Arizona is the sixth largest state in the country in terms of area. Its population has always been predominantly urban, particularly since the mid-20th century, when urban and suburban areas began growing rapidly at the expense of the countryside. Some scholars believe that the state’s name comes from a Basque phrase meaning “place of oaks,” while others attribute it to a Tohono O’odham (Papago) phrase meaning...

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