Colorado
State of the West Central USA; nicknamed Centennial State
Area:
269,700 sq km/104,104 sq mi
Capital:
Denver
Towns and cities:
Colorado Springs, Aurora, Lakewood, Fort Collins, Greeley, Pueblo,
Boulder
Physical:
Great Plains in the E; the main ranges of the Rocky Mountains, with
peaks over 4,000 m/14,000 ft; high plateaus of the Colorado Basin in
the W; Pike's Peak; Colorado River; Garden of the Gods (natural sandstone
sculptures); Dinosaur and Great Sand Dunes national monuments
Features:
Rocky Mountains Royal Gorge (the Grand Canyon of Colorado), carved
by the Arkansas River, has the world's highest suspension bridge; Mesa
Verde National Park (a World Heritage Site), with prehistoric cliff
dwellings of the Anasazi Native Americans; La Junta adobe trading fort
(1833); goldmining ghost towns; 19th- century towns, including Breckenridge,
Durango (a railroad town), Leadville (1878) and Silverton (silver-mining
towns); Denver, 1.6 km/1 mi high, with Denver Art Museum, containing
a collection of Native American art, and the capitol building with its
gold dome (1894); Colorado Springs, with the US Air Force Academy, the
US Olympic Center, and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the
American Cowboy; University of Colorado, Boulder; Aspen Music Festival;
ski resorts, including Vail (the largest ski mountain in North America),
Aspen, and Steamboat Springs
Products:
Cereals, meat and dairy products, oil, coal, molybdenum, uranium, iron,
steel, scientific instruments, machinery
Population:
(1996 est) 3,823,000
Famous people:
Jack Dempsey, Douglas Fairbanks
History:
First visited by Spanish explorers in the 16th century; claimed for
Spain 1706; east portion passed to the USA 1803 as part of the
Louisiana Purchase, the rest 1845 and 1848 as a result of the
Mexican War. It attracted fur traders, and Denver was founded
following the discovery of gold 1858. Colorado became a state
1876. The discovery of silver ore 1877 made Leadville the silver
capital of America. Irrigated agriculture, ranching, tourism and
outdoor sports, energy development, and the establishment of military
bases fuelled rapid growth after World War II.
|
