Colorado (State)

State of Colorado
Coordinates 39°0’NB, 105°30’WL
General
Surface 269.837 km²
(0,4% water)
Residents 5.616.796
(20,8 inhabitants/km²)
Capital city Denver
Politics
Governor Jared Polis (D)
Other
Time zone Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7)
Joined 1 augustus 1876
Nickname Centennial State
ISO 3166-2 US-CO
Website colorado.gov

Colorado is one of the states of the United States. The capital is Denver. The state of Colorado is named after the Colorado, Spanish for “reddish colored”. Colorado’s nickname is The Centennial State. The standard abbreviation for the state is CO.

Geography

The boundaries of the state of Colorado are formed by a rectangle between 37°N and 41°N and between 102°3′ W and 109°3′ W. Due to the curvature of the Earth, the southern border is a mile longer than the northern border. Colorado, Wyoming and Utah are the only American states that have no natural borders but are bounded by meridians and parallel circles. When the surveyorsof the government established the border points of the Colorado Territory, minor measurement errors led to anomalies in the boundaries, most clearly visible along the Utah border. The studs placed by the surveyors formed the legal boundaries of the Colorado Territory, after all parties agreed. Colorado covers an area of ​​269,837 km².

The peak of Mount Elbert in Lake County is the highest peak in Colorado at 4401 meters and also the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains. There are more than 100 mountains in Colorado that are higher than 4,000 meters. Colorado is the only state in America that is all the way above 1000 meters. Colorado’s lowest point, at 1010 meters, is where the Arikaree River leaves Yuma County and enters Cheyenne County in Kansas.

Almost half of the state, especially the eastern part, is flat, in the west there are the Rocky Mountains. East of the southern Rocky Mountains are the Colorado Eastern Plains, a portion of the Great Plains within Colorado at elevations ranging from roughly 1020 to 1980 meters. East of Colorado are the states of Kansas and Nebraska. This region is sparsely populated with the highest concentration of inhabitants along the rivers; the South Platte and the Arkansas. The annual precipitation here is low with an average of 300 to 460 mm per year. Most agriculture is not irrigated and there is animal husbandry. winter wheatis the most cultivated and most settlements in the region have a water tower and a grain silo. Most of Colorado’s population lives along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, in the Front Range Urban Corridor. This region is partly protected from the prevailing showers by the mountains to the west.

The Continental Divide descends to 3655 m at the Loveland Pass.

The Continental Divide, which is the watershed between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, spans the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. West of this, the water flows into the Gulf of California, including by the Colorado. A number of rivers begin in Colorado. In the area of ​​the Rocky Mountains are many large parks and high wide basins. To the north, east of the Continental Divide, is the North Park. The water there flows into the North Platte River, which flows north. South of it, but still west of the Continental Divide, is Middle Park, where the water flows into the Colorado. The South Park is the area where the South Platte River begins. To the south is the San Luis Valley, where the Rio Grande begins, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Grand Junction is the largest city west of the watershed.

The Rocky Mountains in Colorado have more than 53 peaks above 14,000 feet (4,267 meters). These peaks are known as the fourteeners. The mountains range from 3700 m in the south to 3200 m in the north of Colorado. They are overgrown with conifers and poplars; above the tree line only alpine vegetation grows. The peaks of the Rocky Mountains are not continuously covered with snow in Colorado; most of the snow, with the exception of a few glaciers, has melted by the end of the summer. The Colorado Mineral Belt, which runs from the San Juan Mountains in the southwest to Boulder and Central City, contains most of Colorado’s historic gold and silver mining districts.

To the west are the eastern reaches of the Rocky Mountains with the main peaks being Longs Peak, Mount Evans, Pikes Peak and the Spanish Peaks at Walsenburg to the south. In the area, the water flows to the east. It is wooded and partly urbanized. Hinsdale County, with Lake City (approx. 300 inhabitants) as its capital, is considered the most remote county of the 48 Contiguous States.

Striking are the rugged San Juan Mountains to the south and the Colorado Plateau to the west, a high desert-like region on the border with Utah. Southeast of Grand Junction is the Grand Mesa, the world’s largest table mountain. Further east are the ski areas of Aspen, Vail, Crested Butte, and Steamboat Springs. The northwest corner of Colorado on the border with Utah and Wyoming consists mainly of a sparsely populated prairie landscape.

According to JIBIN123.COM, Colorado has a joint border point at Four Corners along with Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

National Parks

There are a number of parks in Colorado that are managed by the National Park Service.

  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
  • Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
  • Mesa Verde National Park
  • Rocky Mountain National Park

In addition, there are other natural areas, such as historical monuments, that have protected status.

Climate

Colorado is a dry state. The sun shines about 300 days a year and most precipitation falls as snow. There is much less rain . Thunderstorms, sometimes with hail, come suddenly. The fairly flat eastern part is the driest, there are no trees. The snow in the mountains in winter mainly falls as dry loose powder snow. This makes it an excellent ski area. In the Front Range there are more and more problems with the water supply.

Demography and Economics

Colorado had a population of 5,661,261 (20.8 per km²) in 2018, of which more than 80% were white. The main religion is Christianity, which is adhered to by three quarters of the population.

Cities

The capital and largest city of Colorado is Denver, with a population of 619,636. Other major cities in 2018 are:

  • Colorado Springs – 464.890 inwoners
  • Aurora – 366,393 inhabitants
  • Fort Collins – 165.652 inwoners
  • Lakewood – 154.126 inwoners

Maïsproductie in Colorado

Economy

Although mining was the main economic pillar in the 19th century, agriculture is now very important thanks to better irrigation methods. In the San Juan Valley, for example, this leads to salinization of the soil. Extensive livestock farming took place in the east.

The government is a major employer in Colorado and many federal installations are located there such as NORAD, the United States Geological Survey, the United States Air Force Academy, and the NOAA. The National Park Service is also prominently present. The state also does a relatively large amount of scientific research and development, and tourism is also an important source of income.

The gross product of the state in 2017 was 360 billion dollars.

Administrative division

According to COUNTRYAAH, Colorado is divided into 64 counties.

County Inhabitants
1 July, 2007
County Seat Inhabitants
1 July, 2007
Adams 422.495 Brighton 30.723
Alamosa 15.313 Alamosa 8562
Arapahoe 545.089 Littleton 40.646
Archuleta 12.572 Pagosa Springs 1718
Baca 3871 Springfield 1302
Bent 5844 Las Animas 2335
Boulder 290.262 Boulder 93.552
Broomfield 53.691 Broomfield 53.691
Chaffee 16.781 Salida 5343
Cheyenne 1763 Cheyenne Wells 792
Clear Creek 8956 Georgetown 1029
Conejos 8074 Conejos
Costilla 3309 San Luis 661
Crowley 6643 Ordway 1115
Custer 4025 Westcliffe 462
Delta 30.334 Delta 8612
Denver 588.349 Denver 588.349
Dolores 1914 Dove Creek 710
Douglas 272.117 Castle Rock 42.447
Eagle 51.359 Eagle 5532
El Paso 587.272 Colorado Springs 376.427
Elbert 22.720 Kiowa 578
Fremont 47.389 Cañon City 15.850
Garfield 53.631 Glenwood Springs 8942
Gilpin 5091 Central City 544
Grand 13.612 Hot Sulphur Springs 515
Gunnison 14.973 Gunnison 5406
Hinsdale 838 Lake City 387
Huerfano 7837 Walsenburg 3819
Jackson 1381 Walden 605
Jefferson 529.354 Golden 17.178
Kiowa 1332 Eads 610
Kit Carson 7928 Burlington 3912
La Plata 49.555 Durango 16.007
Lake 7913 Leadville 2729
Larimer 287.574 Fort Collins 133.899
Las Animas 16.010 Trinidad 9103
Lincoln 5326 Hugo 749
Logan 21.055 Sterling 12.917
Mesa 139.082 Grand Junction 48.425
Mineral 962 Creede 422
Moffat 13.648 Craig 9161
Montezuma 25.221 Cortez 8531
Montrose 39.527 Montrose 17.264
Morgan 27.961 Fort Morgan 10.632
Otero 18.854 La Junta 7036
Ouray 4378 Ouray 902
Park 17.004 Fairplay 664
Phillips 4499 Holyoke 2233
Pitkin 15.106 Aspen 5785
Prowers 13.181 Lamar 8004
Pueblo 154.538 Pueblo 103.805
Rio Blanco 6227 Meeker 2322
Rio Grande 11.627 Del Norte 1617
Routt 22.382 Steamboat Springs 9516
Saguache 6920 Saguache 578
San Juan 559 Silverton 531
San Miguel 7533 Telluride 2360
Sedgwick 2340 Julesburg 1245
Summit 26.547 Breckenridge 3366
Teller 21.824 Cripple Creek 1033
Washington 4627 Akron 1694
Weld 243.750 Greeley 90.306
Yuma 9666 Wray 2108

Politics

The State Capitol in Denver, seat of the Colorado legislature

The executive branch of the state is headed by a governor, who is directly elected by the voters in the state. The 2018 gubernatorial election was won by Democratic Party ‘s Jared Polis. He took office as governor of Colorado in January 2019. Polis is the first openly gay man to be elected governor in the United States.

The legislature is made up of the Colorado House of Representatives (Colorado House of Representatives) with 65 members and the Colorado Senate (Colorado Senate) with 35 members.

Politically, Colorado is in the middle of the political spectrum. Neither of the two major parties has a monopoly on administrative functions. The state voted for the Republican nominee in the 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential elections. In 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020, the state backed the Democratic candidate.

Other information

The town of South Park from the cartoon series of the same name is located in Colorado. The soap opera Dynasty was set in Denver. The Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was an ode to the state of Colorado. Just west of Denver, in the foothills of the Rockies, is Golden, known for the Adolph Coors brewery. A little to the north is Boulder, long a mecca for alternative people. About 30 kilometers outside Boulder is the village of the Netherlands, so named because of a Dutch company that operated a mine here. West of the watershed are many ski areas, such as Winter Park, Arapahoe Basin, and Copper Mountain. People also come here from Europe to ski. Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize the recreational use of cannabis, albeit under strict conditions.

Flag of Colorado