ARIZONA, a State of the Western Division of the North American Union, bounded by Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, California and the Mexican State of So nora; gross area, 113,870 square miles; organized Feb. 14, 1863; pop., (1900) 122,931; (1910) 204,354; (1920) Capital, Phcenix.
Topography.—The surface in general is a series of plateaus, ranging in alti tude from 80 to 7,500 feet above sea level. It is traversed by the Northside, San Francisco, Black, Black Mesa, Gila, Dragon, Santa Ana, Zuni, Santa Cata rina, Mogollon and Penaleno Mountains, with peaks stretching to an extreme height of 12,572 feet (Humphrey Peak). The watercourses are the Colorado river and its tributaries, the Little Colorado, Gila, Zuni, San Juan, and several smaller streams. The principal rivers pass through cations that are among the greatest wonders of the world. Dot ting the plains are enormous mesas or tablelands, some with perpendicular sides more than 1,000 feet high. No part of the world has so rich a field of archxo logical and ethnological investigation as Arizona. Long-buried dwellings and cit ies, with other ruins of an exceedingly ancient people, are being continually dis closed.
Geology.—The weird canons are re markable in that they exhibit all the geo logical formations of North America. Geologists declare that the Colorado river, in its whole course, has cut through strata representing a thickness of 25,000 feet, and exposed the grada tions from the quarternary alluvial de posits through volcanic alterations to the primary azoic rocks. The Grand Canon of the Colorado alone shows upper car boniferous limestone, cross-stratified sandstone, red calcareous sandstone with gypsum, lower carboniferous limestone, shales, grits, Potsdam sandstone and granite and other formations.
Mineral Production.—Arizona is one of the most important of the mineral producing States. Its most important mineral products are copper, gold, sil ver, and lead. It also has valuable de posits of zinc, coal, nickel, graphite, tungsten, and other metals. The copper production has increased steadily in re cent years. The smelter output in 1918 was 769,522,729 pounds, compared with 719,034,514 pounds in 1917. In the pro
duction of copper, Arizona far exceeds any other State. The gold production in 1918 was 278,647 fine ounces, valued at the silver production was 6,771,490 fine ounces, valued at $6,771, 490. The zinc production exceeds in value $2,000,000 annually. The value of the lead produced is also in excess of $2,000,000. Gold production in 1919 was valued at $5,716,200. The total value of the mineral products of the State in 1917 was $212,615,978.
Sail.—Of the total area, embracing over 72,500,000 acres, only a comparatively small portion, approximating 5,000,000 acres, is arable land, and of this part about 500,000 acres are under irrigation and highly productive. The construction of irrigating canals and water storage reservoirs is daily adding largely to the agricultural area. The pine timber land covers an area of nearly 4,000,000 acres.
Agriculture.—The principal crops are wheat and hay. Within recent years much attention has been given to the cultivation of sugar beets, date palms, melons, cotton, tobacco, sugar-cane, and the canaigre plant, used in tanning. Al monds, peanuts, oranges, lemons, apri cots, potatoes, corn, barley, oats, and root products generally do well under irriga tion. The production and value of the principal crops in 1919 were as follows: Corn, 1,287,000 bushels, valued at $2, 574,0GO; oats, 533,000 bushels, valued at $533,000; barley, 1,102,000 bushels, val ued at $1,543,000; wheat, 1,204,000 bushels, valued at $2,709,000; hay, 676, 000 tons, valued at $13,520,000; cotton, 75,000 bales, valued at $19,125,000.
Manufactures. — Natural conditions have made Arizona more of a mining and agricultural region than a manufac turing one. The chief productions were flour, grist, and lumber in various forms. In 1914 there were in the State 322 manu facturing establishments, employing 6,898 wage earners. The capital invested was $40,300,000; wages paid amounted to $6,229,000; value of materials used was $39,283,000; and the value of the finished product was valued at $64,090,000.