Colorado

State of Colorado

Flag of Colorado Seal of Colorado Also called: The Centennial State Saying(s): Nil sine numine
Official language(s)	English
Capital	Denver
Largest city	Denver
Area	Ranked 8th
- Total	104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)
- Width	280 miles (451 km)
- Length	380 miles (612 km)
- % water	0.36
- Latitude	37°N to 41°N
- Longitude	102°W to 109°W
Number of people	Ranked 22nd
- Total (2010)	5,029,196
- Density	48.5/sq mi  18.7/km² (39th)
- Average income	$51,022 (10th)
Height above sea level
- Highest point	Mount Elbert 14,433 ft  (4,402 m)
- Average	6,800 ft  (2,100 m)
- Lowest point	Arikaree River 3,315 ft  (1,011 m)
Became part of the U.S.	August 1, 1876 (38th)
Governor	Bill Ritter (D)
U.S. Senators	Mark Udall (D) Michael Bennet (D)
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/DST-6
Abbreviations	CO US-CO
Web site	http://www.colorado.gov

Colorado is a state of the United States. Its capital and largest city is Denver. Other big cities are Colorado Springs and Aurora. It became a state in 1876.

Geography

A map of Colorado

The State of Colorado is shaped like a rectangle. The borders are latitude and longitude lines. The four borders are at 37°N, 41°N, 102°03'W, and 109°03'W. (The east and west borders are 25°W and 32°W from the Washington Meridian.) Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah are the only three U.S. states that have only lines of latitude and longitude for boundaries and that have no natural borders. When government surveyors made the border markers for the "Territory of Colorado", minor surveying mistakes made many small kinks along the borders, most seen along the border with the "Territory of Utah."

The tip of Mount Elbert at 14,440 feet (4,401 m) elevation in Lake County is the state's highest point and the highest point in the entire Rocky Mountains. Colorado has more than 100 mountain peaks that reach over 4,000 meters (13,123 ft) in height. Colorado is the only U.S. state that lies entirely above 1,000 meters (3,281 ft) in height.

Climate

The weather and temperatures in Colorado are quite different compared to most of the United States. In most other states, the part in the south is warmer than the part in the north, southern Colorado is not really warmer than northern Colorado. Mountains and surrounding valleys greatly affect local climate. As a normal rule, with an increase in height comes a decrease in temperature and an increase in rain. There exists a phenomenally severe change in climate in Colorado between the Rocky Mountains on the west and the plains on the east, both of which are separated by a lesser range known to Colorado citizens and primarily Boulderites as "the foothills".

Population

A population density map of Colorado

The state's most liked city, and capital, is Denver. The "Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area", is home to 2,927,911 people, it has more than two-thirds of the state's population.

As of 2005, Colorado has an estimated population of 4,665,177, which is an increase of 63,356, or 1.4%, from the past year and an increase of 363,162, or 8.4%, since the year 2000. This has a natural increase since the last census of 205,321 people (that is 353,091 births minus 147,770 deaths) and an increase because of migration of 159,957 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States makes a net increase of 112,217 people, and migration within the country made a net increase of 47,740 people.

Religion

The Chapel on the Rock at Camp Saint Malo near Allenspark.

The Cadet Chapel at the United States Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs.

Colorado's most common religion is Christianity, and its most common denomination is Catholicism. Colorado, and mostly the city of Colorado Springs, serves as the headquarters of many Christian groups, many of them Evangelical. "Focus on the Family" is a big conservative Christian organization headquartered in Colorado Springs.

Major religious affiliations of the people of Colorado are:

• Christian — 65%
• Protestant — 44%
• Unaffiliated — 25%
• Evangelical — 23%
• Mainline — 19%
• Roman Catholic — 19%
• Other Religions — 5%
• Jewish — 2%
• Latter Day Saint / Mormon— 2%
• Other Protestant — 2%
• Muslim — 1%
• Orthodox — 1%

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that the total state product in 2007 was $236 billion. Per capita personal income in 2007 was $41,192, ranking Colorado eleventh in the United States. Early companies were based on the extraction and getting minerals and agricultural things. Today's agricultural things are cattle, wheat, dairy products, corn, and hay.

Related pages

• List of counties in Colorado
• List of rivers of Colorado