Arizona, the 48th and last of the contiguous states admitted to the Union on February 14, 1912, is a landlocked state in the Southwestern United States. Its capital and largest city, Phoenix, is also the nation's fifth-most populous city. The state's diverse landscape ranges from southern deserts with extremely hot summers to northern forests, mountain ranges like the San Francisco Mountains, and deep canyons, famously home to Grand Canyon National Park, one of the world's seven natural wonders.
Historically part of New Spain and Mexico, Arizona's territory was largely ceded to the U.S. in 1848, with the southernmost portion acquired in 1853 via the Gadsden Purchase. About one-quarter of the state is comprised of Indian reservations, home to 27 federally recognized Native American tribes including the extensive Navajo Nation. Since the 1950s, Arizona has experienced dramatic population and economic growth, becoming a major Sun Belt hub, with cities like Phoenix and Tucson developing sprawling suburbs and hosting major universities and corporations.