This rapidly growing state has more than tripled its population since 1940. Its irrigated farms grow citrus fruits, cotton, vegetables, and grain on lush green lands that contrast sharply with the surrounding desert. It also produces 60 percent of the nation's copper.

In winter, the areas around Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma offer sunshine, relaxation, and informal Western living. Air-conditioning and swimming pools make year-round living pleasant. In summer, the northern mountains, cool forests, spectacular canyons, trout streams, and lakes offer a variety of vacation activities, including hunting and fishing camps, ghost and mining towns, meadows filled with wildflowers, intriguing ancient Native American villages, cliff dwellings, and dude ranches.

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado crossed the area in 1540 on his ill-fated search for the nonexistent gold of Cibola. Grizzled prospectors panned for gold in mountain streams and hit pay dirt. The missions built by Father Kino and his successors date back as far as 1692. Irrigation ditches, built by the Hohokam people hundreds of years earlier, have been incorporated into modern systems.

The state has 23 reservations and one of the largest Native American populations in the United States. More than half of that population is Navajo. Craft specialties include basketry, pottery, weaving, jewelry, and kachina dolls.

Arizona is a state of contrasts. It has modern and prehistoric civilizations, mountains, deserts, and modern agriculture. Arizona offers fascinating adventures for everyone.