The US state of Arizona is located within the southwestern region of the country. The state is part of the western United States and the mountain west. The state capital and the largest city is Phoenix. Tucson is the second largest city, followed in size by eight Phoenix metropolitan area cities: Glendale, Mesa, Scottsdale, Chandler, Tempe, Gilbert, Peoria, Surprise and then by Yuma within Yuma County.
The state of Arizona is the 48th state and last amongst the contiguous states admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on the 14th of February, the year 1912. The state of Arizona is noted for its exceptionally hot summer months, mild winter months and desert weather conditions, but it likewise features mountain ranges and pine forests within the northern high country, with much cooler conditions compared to the lower deserts.
Arizona is among the Four Corners states. It borders Utah, New Mexico, California and Nevada, touches Colorado State, and has a 389-mile or 626 km international border with the states of Sonora and Baja California in Mexico. It is the largest landlocked U.S. state by population. Together with the Grand Canyon, many other national monuments, forests and parks are situated in Arizona State, though more than a quarter of its territory is Federal Trust Land that serves as the home of the Hopi tribe, the Tohono O'odham, the Navajo Nation, Apache and Yaqui people and various Yuman tribes, such as the Yavapai, Quechan and Hualapai.
The 2006 total gross state product was $232 billion. If Arizona State were an independent country along with all existing nations, in 2005, it would have had the 61st biggest economy in the world, based on the CIA World Factbook. This figure gives Arizona State a bigger economy compared to countries as Finland, New Zealand and Ireland. Arizona State currently has the 21st biggest economy amongst states in the US. As a percentage of its overall budget, Arizona's projected $1.7 billion deficit for the year 2009 is among the biggest within the US, behind states like for example California, Texas, Florida and Michigan, to name some.
The per capita income of the state of Arizona ranks 39th within the US at approximately $41,000. The median household income of Arizona State ranks 22nd in the nation, at roughly $51,000, that is just shy of the U.S. national median. Early during its history, Arizona's economy depended on the "five C's": copper, cotton, cattle, citrus, and climate (tourism). At one point the state of Arizona was the largest producer of cotton in the US. Copper is still extensively mined from numerous expansive underground mines and expansive open-pit, accounting for around 66% of the nation's output.
With 17,343 employees during 2008, Walmart is the largest private employer in the state of Arizona, whilst the state government is the biggest employer in general.
Just about 70% of the land within Arizona State is owned by the U.S. government, which leases a part of the public domain to miners or ranchers.