www.50states.com/arizona.htm#.VUhmkEKzD8s
Origin of State Name:
Based on the Basque word aritz onak meaning "good oak" or the Spanish word Arizonac meaning "having a little spring"
Nickname: The Grand Canyon State
Population (2013): 6,626,624; Rank: 15 of 50 U.S. States
Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912.
It was previously part of the territory of Alta California in New Spain before being passed down to independent Mexico and later ceded to the United States after the Mexican–American War. The southernmost portion of the state was acquired in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase.
The Arizona Flag was adopted in 1917:
The 13 rays of red and gold on the top half of the flag represent both the 13 original colonies of the Union, and the rays of the Western setting sun. Red and gold were also the colors carried by Coronado's Spanish expedition in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540. The bottom half of the flag has the same Liberty blue as the United States flag. Since Arizona was the largest producer of copper in the nation, a copper star was placed in the flag's center.
State Flower: Saguaro cactus blossom (Carnegiea gigantea)
