| Capital city | Phoenix |
| Population | 7.151.502 (2020) |
| Surface | 295.254 km² |
| Governor | Doug Ducey (R) |
| Member of the US since | 1912 |
A map of Arizona
Arizona is one of the 50 states of the United States. Arizona is located in the southwest of the country. It is bordered to the west by California and Nevada, to the north by Utah, to the east by New Mexico and to the south by neighboring Mexico. Arizona is also known as the Grand Canyon State as the world famous Grand Canyon is located in the state. The capital of Arizona is Pheonix, which is also the largest city in the state. Just over 7 million people live in the state. Arizona was originally inhabited by Native Americans, including the Navajo. Arizona still has many indigenous peoples, including the largest Native American reservation in the United States. Arizona was colonized by the Spanish. After independence, it became part of Mexico, but after the American-Mexican War, Arizona was handed over to the United States in 1848. Arizona then became a territory and only a state in 1912. This makes Arizona the youngest state in the country after Alaska and Hawaii. Arizona is known for its warm and dry climate. It is largely in the desert and Monument Valley is also located in Arizona. For a long time, Arizona was a red state, where the Republican Party had a large following. Today, Arizona is considered a swing state.
Geography
Landscape
Northeastern Arizona is a lot greener than the rest of the state.
Arizona is located southwest of the Four Corners (the four-state point). Here, Arizona borders New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Arizona is the only US state without daylight saving time. This means that the residents of the state do not have to change the clock twice a year. By the way, daylight saving time does apply in the Indian reservations in the northeast of the state. Most of the state consists of desert. Arizona is therefore a very dry state. In the deserts there are often only cacti, grasses and low shrubs. In some parts there is nothing at all except sand and stones. The northeast of the state consists largely of forest area. Here are the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. This area is called the Colorado Plateau. The main river in the state is the Colorado. The Colorado also flows through the Grand Canyon, which is a protected national park. Arizona also has a well preserved meteorite crater.
Largest Cities in Arizona
| Number | City | Residents | County |
| 1. | Phoenix | 1.660.272 | Maricopa County |
| 2. | Tucson | 545.975 | Pima County |
| 3. | Mesa | 508.958 | Maricopa County |
| 4. | Chandler | 257.165 | Maricopa County |
| 5. | Scottsdale | 255.310 | Maricopa County |
| 6. | Glendale | 250.702 | Maricopa County |
| 7. | Gilbert | 248.279 | Maricopa County |
| 8. | Tempe | 192.364 | Maricopa County |
| 9. | Peoria | 172.259 | Maricopa County |
| 10. | Surprise | 138.161 | Maricopa County |
Climate
Arizona generally has a desert climate. The winters are very mild and the summers very hot. Also, there is little rainfall in the state. Actually, Arizona only has two seasons; the rainy season in winter and the dry season in summer. In the summer there is hardly any rain. When it rains, a lot falls in a short time. Thunderstorms often occur. In some places there is a steppe climate or a savanna climate with slightly more rainfall and slightly lower temperatures in summer. There is also a Mediterranean climate in some places. The state experiences occasional droughts, mainly in the summer. This could increase in the future due to climate change.
De Grand Canyon
Sights
Monument Valley
Sights:
- Camp Verde
- Desert Botancial Garden
- Grand Canyon
- Hoover Dam
- Mesa Arts Museum
- Montezuma Castle National Monument
- Monument Valley
- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
- Pima Air & Space Museum
- Sedona
- Saguaro National Park
- Wildlife World Zoo
Population
General
Arizona has more than 7 million inhabitants. It is one of the fastest growing states in the country. This is due to people from California moving to Arizona. There is also a lot of immigration from Mexico. Arizona also has one of the highest numbers of illegal immigrants. 56% of residents are white Americans, 30% Latinos, 5.5% African Americans, 4.9% Native Americans, and 4.5% Asian Americans. Most residents have an English or German background.
A Navajo man on horseback
Many Navajo live in the northeast of the state. The Navajo are one of the largest indigenous peoples of the United States. Arizona is also home to the largest Indian reservation in the United States, which allows you to decide many things for yourself.
Taal
The official language of Arizona is English. English is used in politics, education and law. It is also used in everyday life. Most residents only speak English. The second language is Spanish, which is the mother tongue of 21% of the population. Mostly Latinos speak Spanish at home, but can usually speak English as well. In some cases they were raised bilingually. More Spanish is spoken in the south of the state than in the north. Spanish is also taught as a foreign language at school. 2% of the population speaks Navajo. After Alaska and Hawaii, Arizona has one of the highest numbers of native language speakers. Smaller languages include German, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
Religion
66% of Arizona’s population is Christian. Of these, 39% are Protestant, 21% Catholic, 5% Mormon and 1% Jehovah’s Witness. The main Protestant denominations are Baptism and Methodism. 27% of the population has no religion or is unbeliever. Lesser religions include Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism.
Politics
State politics
The Arizona State House
Arizona is run by a governor. The governor is elected every four years in direct elections by the residents of the state. Unlike many other states, Arizona does not have an official residence for the governor. The current governor of the state is Doug Ducey of the Republican Party. Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor, while other states do. A lieutenant governor replaces the governor and assists him. Instead, another member of the government captures the governor if he dies, resigns, or is impeached. The members of the government are also elected by popular vote. In addition, Arizona has a parliament called the Arizona Legislature. It consists of two rooms:
- The House of Representatives, consisting of 60 members who are elected every two years. A delegate can serve up to four terms (eight years).
- The Senate, consisting of 30 members who are elected every two years. Also, a senator can serve up to four terms (eight years).
The Republican Party has a small majority in Arizona. The Democratic Party takes the remaining seats.
Administrative division
A Map of the Counties of Arizona
How many counties in Arizona? Arizona is divided into 15 counties. These are:
- Apache County
- Cochise County
- Coconino County
- Gila County
- Graham County
- Greenlee County
- La Paz County
- Maricopa County
- Mohave County
- Navajo County
- Pima County
- Pinal County
- Santa Cruz County
- Yavapai County
- Yuma County
Federal Politics
Arizona has long been a “red state”. This means that the Republican Party had a large following in the state. Since the year 2000, Arizona has been a swing state as the number of Republicans decreases and the number of Democrats increases. This is because many people move to Arizona from nearby California. These people are often Democrats. In 1994, Democrat Bill Clinton won Arizona and in 2020, Joe Biden won the state. All other times, Arizona was won by the Republicans. Still, if more people move to Arizona, Arizona could be a “blue state” in the future. In the United States Congress, Arizona is represented by 9 representatives and two senators. Of the nine delegates, five are Democrat and four Republican. The senators on behalf of Arizona almost always came from the Republican Party, but today they are two Democrats (Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly). The moderate Republican John McCain was from Arizona. He ran in the 2008 presidential election, but lost to Barack Obama.
Tucson
Tucson’s skyline
Tucson is a major city in the United States with a population of 541,811 in the year 2008. Tucson is the second largest city in the state of Arizona after the metropolis of Phoenix. The metropolitan area of Tucson has approximately 1.02 million inhabitants. Not far from here is the US border with Mexico. About 300 years ago, Tucson was founded as a small Spanish settlement. For a long period Tucson has belonged to Mexico. There are many skyscrapers in the city. Tucson is a financial, industrial, political and cultural center.
Partner cities
- Almaty – Kazakhstan
- Mexico City – Mexico
- Liupanshui – China
- Nouakchott – Mauritania
- Pecs – Hungary
- Taichung – Taiwan
- Sulaymaniyah – Iran
Mesa
Naar navigatie springenNaar zoeken springen
Een kerk in Mesa
Mesa is een grote stad in de Verenigde Staten met 463.552 inwoners in het jaar 2008. Het ligt in het midden van de staat Arizona. Een groot deel van de bevolking hier is Latijns-Amerikaans. De bevolking van de stad groeit heel snel. Samen met Phoenix en Tucson is Mesa het financiële, industriële, politieke en culturele centrum van heel Arizona. Het klimaat in Mesa is lekker warm en zonnig. Mesa ligt niet aan zee, net zoals de andere steden in Arizona. In de omgeving zijn heel veel voorsteden van Mesa. Samen vormen ze met Mesa een grote agglomeratie van bijna 1 miljoen inwoners.
Partnersteden
- Kaiping – China
- Burnaby – Canada
- Guaymas – Mexico
Phoenix
Phoenix
Location of Phoenix
Phoenix is the capital and with 1,512,990 inhabitants the largest city of the American state of Arizona. In the city is a botanical garden with all kinds of plants from the desert, where Phoenix is located. In the summer it can be as high as 35° Celsius. Nearly 3 percent of all residents are unemployed. Phoenix also has a major airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This airport is not far from the center. Although this is a large and busy airport, it operates almost exclusively in the US and Canada.
Partner cities
- Calgary – Canada
- Chengdu – China
- Himeji – Japan
- Prague – Czech Republic
- Hermosillo – Mexico
- Catania – Italy
- Grenoble – France
- Ramat-Gan – Israel
- Taipei – Taiwan
