A primer on Arizona state trivia including the highest elevation, state bird, population size and historical timeline.

Statehood

Admitted to the union in 1912 as the 48th state.

Size

6th largest state. 114,000 square miles; about 340 miles wide and 400 miles in length.

Population

Almost 5 million. The capital city of Phoenix is the 7th largest in the nation with about 1.2 million residents.

Highest Elevation

Humphreys Peak, 12,643 feet, located in the San Francisco Mountains north of Flagstaff.

Grand Canyon

Located in north central Arizona, the Canyon is 277 miles long, 600 feet to 18 miles wide, and over a mile deep.

State Tree

The palo verde tree, Spanish for "green stick", referring to the greenish bark and thin foliage.

State Flower

The saguaro cactus bloom, a large white flower which grows on the ends of the majestic saguaro, the largest cactus in the U.S. It grows to a height of 50 feet and lives up to 200 years.

State Bird

The cactus wren, a woody-brown colored bird with a spotted breast. It builds its well-protected nest in the thickest and thorniest sections of cacti.

State Gemstone

Turquoise, varying in color from sky blue to shades of green. The stone has been used for centuries in Native American jewelry.

Historic timeline