ARIZO'NA (ants), one of the territories of the United States, bounded n. by Utah, e. by the territory of New Mexico, s. by Mexico, w. by the states of California and Nevada, extending from 31' 37' to 37° n., and from 109' to 114° 25' w.; area about 114,000 sq. miles. This territory was taken in 1863 from that of New Mexico, including also the Gadsden purchase, and in 1870 had 9568 inhabitants, besides Indians. The latter number about 32,000, of whom 5000 are settled on reservations. Those on the reservations, and some of the roving tribes, are friendly with the whites, but many are hostile, and of these the Apaches are the most numerous and warlike, comprising several tribes scattered over the middle and eastern part of the territory. Of the friendly Indians the most impor tant are the Pima and Marieopa tribes on the Gila river. Near the Mexican border are the Papogos; on the Colorado are the Mohaves and Yumas, and the Utes are on the upper Colorado. The settled tribes are engaged in agriculture and stock-raising. In the northern part of the territory are a few Pueblo, or " town," Indians, called Moquis, who are, perhaps, the remnant of the once powerful Aztecs, though some suppose of a still earlier race. They are a quiet, inoffensive people, dwelling in stone houses, and enjoy many of the arts of civilization.
A. is a rough and elevated country of broad plateaus from 7000 to 7500 ft. above the sea in the n., but declining toward the s. to less than 100 feet. Mountain chains cross the plateaus, with summits and isolated peaks from 12,000 to 14,000 ft. high. The streams flowing.southward have worn enormous gullies or canyons, in their course, to a depth in some places of many thousands of feet. The great canyon of the Colorado is the largest in the iv so far as known, being 400 m. long, with walls for the most part perpendicular and from 1500 to 6000 ft. high; while at the bottom of this chasm the river plunges and roars down cataracts and whirlpools that make extended navigation impossible, and even exploration very difficult and dangerous. The mountains are chiefly spurs and branches of the Rocky mountains, and range generally from n.e. to s.w. The main groups or ranges are the Castle Dome, in the s. w. ; the Black and the Aquarius in the w. ;the North Side in the n.w. ; the Carizo and San Francisco in the n. ; the Cata nioza in the n.e.; the Mongolon and Zuni in the e.; and in the n.e. the St. Catherine, the Pinaleno, and the Piloncello. There are also buttes, or solitary peaks, which rise to a great height; and in the n. there is a large table-land more than 1000 ft. above the plateau, known as the table-land of cows. Some of the mountains were once active volcanoes, but not within historical record. The mountains consist of granite and kindred rocks. The grand canyon of the Colorado shows most of the geological forma tions from the underlying granite to the upper carboniferous limestone.
The principal river is the Colorado, over 1200 m. long, rising in Utah, draining 300, 000 sq.m., and fallino. into the northern end of the gulf of California. The Colorado forms the boundary between A. and the lower part of Nevada and the whole of Califor nia, entering. A. in the center of its northern line, miming s.w. about '70 m., then irregu
larly w. 1000 in. or more, and then nearly s. to its end. It receives 200 streams, chiefly small; runs 600 in. in deep canyons, and falls 3000 ft. from the northern to the southern line of the territory. The river is navigable from the mouth to the beginning of the Grand canyon. in Nevada, but the voyage is very difficult. The second river in point of size is the Gila, rising in New Mexico and flowing nearly w. across A., emptying into the Colorado not far above the mouth of the latter. The Gila has several tributaries, but none of much size, nor are any of them useful for navigation, though of great importance for irrigation and mining. Though much of the territory is occupied by mountains, high table-lands, and vast canyons, there is good soil, especially in the southern part around the Colorado and Gila, where the overflow fertilizes, and enormous crops are produced. The plateau in the e. and u.e. is well wooded, and the larger part of the territory is excellent for stock raising. The census of 1810 showed 14,585 acres of improved, and 7222 acres of unimproved land in farms, though settlement had scarcely begun, and the land cultivated by Indians was not reckoned. The climate is delightful in winter in the southern section, but cold in the northern, though frost and snow are unusual except on the mountains. The summer heat is intense in some places, particu larly near the junction of the Colorado and Gila, where 120° in the shade, and 160° in the sun, have frequently been noted. In the north, however, the summer heat is seldom continuous for a long period. The rainy season is in dune, July, Aug., and Sept., no rain falling in the other eight months; hence the importance of irrigation. There were, Jan. 1, 1879, 271 m. of railroad in the territory, starting from Yuma, and designed ulti mately to be a portion of the Southern Pacific route from the Mississippi to California. School age in A. is from 6 to' 21; whole number of children, 2955, of whom 1213 were enrolled; average attendance, 900; 180 school days in the year;, 20 teachers; income $31,449, raised by a levy of 15 cents on each $100 of taxable property in general, and 35 cents on each $100 for the several counties; Value of school property, $42,230.
ARK, a term in the Bible for three objects: Noah's A., the A. of bulrushes in which Moses was laid, and the A. of the Covenant (see ARK OF TILE COVENANT, ante). Noah's A. was not a ship, but more like a barge, intended not to sail, but only to float. Its shape was that of a parallelogram, 300 cubits long, 50 wide, and 30 high; but the length of the cubit is unknown, and it is impossible to ascertain the dimensions of the craft. Dr. Robinson concludes that it was' an oblong house of three stories, with a flat or slightly inclined roof, a door in the side, and one or more windows in the roof. Many nations have the common tradition of the preservation of their ancestors in an A., or some vessel which would float on the water. The A. of bulrushes was really of ptipyrus reed, of which Pliny says the Egyptians "weave boats;" such boats were light and noted for swiftness. The slime, with which the A. of B. was covered, was for the pur pose of keeping out the water.