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Arizona State Facts
Year of Statehood: 1912 Population:
4,778,332 in 1999
State Capitol: Phoenix
State Motto: Ditat Deus (God Enriches)
Largest City: Phoenix
State Nickname: Grand Canyon State
State Size: 113,909 square miles
State Flag: The lower half of the flag
is a blue field, the upper half divided into thirteen equal segments,
six light yellow and seven red. In the center of the flag is a copper-colored
five-point star. The red and the blue are the same shades as the flag
of the United States of America, and it measures four feet high and six
feet wide. The flag was designed by Charles W. Harris and first sewn by
Nan D. Hayden. Blue and yellow are the Arizona colors, and red and yellow
the colors of the Spanish Conquistadores headed by Coronado who first
came to Arizona in 1540. The copper star represents Arizona as the largest
producer of copper in the nation.
State Seal: Arizona's main enterprises
and attractions are represented in the seal. In the background of the
seal is a range of mountains with the sun rising behind the peaks. At
the right side of the mountains is a water storage reservoir and a dam,
with irrigated fields and orchards. There are cattle grazing on the right,
and a quartz mill and a miner with a pick and shovel on the left. State
Songs: "Arizona March Song" and "Arizona"
State Flower: Blossom of the Saguaro cactus.
This pure white flower blooms on the tips of the saguaro cactus during
May and June
State Gem: Turquoise. It's a blue-green,
waxy-surfaced stone used for centuries in Southwest Indian Jewelry. It
can be found throughout the Southwest and is composed of hydrous oxide
of aluminum and copper.
Official Neckwear: Bola Tie. It originated
in Arizona and is usually made by silversmiths and leathermakers in almost
every size and shape, most often with silver and turquoise.
State Tree: Palo Verde. Its name means
"green stick." It blooms a brilliant yellow-gold in April or May.
State Bird: Cactus Wren. It measures 7
to 8 inches in length, and its back is brown with white spots, and its
throat is lighter colored with black spots. Its bill is curved down and
there's a white line over each eye. Cactus wrens eat insectes, seeds,
and fruit. They often build their nests inside a cactus to protect them
from predators.
State Fossil: Petrified Wood
State Mammal: Ringtail Squirrel
State Reptile: Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake
State Fish: Apache Trout
State Amphibian: Arizona Treefrog
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