Colorado - Political   Capital Denver Largest City Denver Major Cities Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Grand Junction, Fort Collins, Aurora Nicknames Centennial State Area 104,094 sq. miles Population 4,550,688

 

Colorado - Physical features   Physical Features Colorado Plateau, High Plains, Sangre De Christo Mts., San Juan Mts., San Lius Valley, Front Range, Park Range, Sawatch Range, Western Slope Peaks Mt. Elbert, Longs Peak, Pikes Peak, Mt. Evans, Grand Mesa Rivers Colorado, Gunnison, South Platte, North Platte, Arkansas, Rio Grande , Republican Highest Point Mt. Elbert Bordering States Utah (west), Arizona (southwest), New Mexico (south), Oklahoma (southeast), Kansas (east),Nebraska (northeast), Wyoming (north) National Parks Mesa Verde NP, Rocky Mountain NP Key Products Skiing, Tourism, Livestock (particularly cattle and sheep) Natural Resources Minerals (mostly Gold and Silver)

 

Colorado - History   1803 Eastern Colorado obtained by the US as part of the Lousiana Purchasee from France. 1806 Zebulon Pike explores much of the state, sighting the now famous Pikes Peak, which inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write "America the Beautiful". 1848 Western Colorado ceded to the US after the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo which formally ended the Mexican War. 1858 The Colorado Gold Rush brought thousands of settlers, when gold was discovered at Cherry Creek in Denver. 1876 Becomes 38th state to be admitted to the Union. Present Day Tourism, especially skiing opportunities on some of North America’s highest peaks, is the leading industry in the state.

 

Colorado - Facts   Mt. Elbert is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains, and the second highest peak in the continental United States. The area west of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado is known as the Western Slope. Grand Mesa, between the Colorado and Gunnison rivers just east of Grand Junction, is the largest mesa in the world. Pikes Peak was named after Zebulon Pike, an explorer who led an expedition to the southern Colorado area in 1806.The view from atop Pikes Peak inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write "America the Beautiful." Aspen, Vail and Telluride are popular ski resorts. Climax, high in the mountains at 11,360 feet in central Colorado, is the highest settlement in the United States. The Colorado Mineral Belt (CMB) is an area rich in minerals, spanning central Colorado and running from the San Juan Mountains in the south to the city of Boulder in the north. Grand Junction, located at the junction of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers, is the largest city on the Western Slope. The Colorado Gold Rush brought a new wave of settlers in 1859. Denver is located at an elevation of 5280 feet, thus known as the "Mile-High City" Colorado has some of the highest peaks in the world, with many of them exceeding 14000 feet, and thus nicknamed the "Fourteeners" Mesa Verde NP is home to prehistoric Anasazi cliff dwellings. Colorado Springs is home to various training and defense institutions, like the United States Air Force Academy and the North American Air Defense Command. Colorado has the record for the highest mean altitude of any state in the US.