Colorado

At over 100,000 square miles, Colorado is the USA's eighth largest state. It splits into two distinct regions - the eastern plains and the Rocky Mountains to the west, peaking at the 14,433 ft Mt Elbert. Denver, the state capital, sits near the dramatic skyline of the Front Range.

For those that like geographical quirky details, Colorado is one of only three states (Wyoming and Utah are the others) that have only lines of latitude and longitude as their boundaries. The southwest corner of Colorado is at Four Corners, the only place in the USA where four state boundaries meet. There you can stand - arms and feet outstretched - in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado, all at the same time.

Colorado is one of the most popular states for vacations, with the mountains the main attraction. There are 51 peaks over 14,000ft, known as the Fourteeners. The Continental Divide stretches across Colorado with rivers to the east flowing to the Gulf of Mexico and west into the Pacific.

As well as winter sports - Colorado has many of the world's top ski resorts - there's much else to see, including Grand Mesa, the world's largest flat-topped mountain and Mesa Verde National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site with fascinating ruins of villages and spectacular cliff dwellings of the Pueblo people.

Colorado history

It's thought that Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans for over 13,000 years. As well as the Pueblo, the Utes, Arapaho and Cheyenne lived in what is now Colorado. The US made a territorial claim from France in 1803 but this was disputed by the Spanish. Zebulon Pike led a US expedition in 1806 and clashed with Spanish forces. It was only in 1848 that the US was to gain the territory from Mexico.

In 1861, President James Buchanan signed the Act that created the Territory of Colorado - its boundaries have remained unchanged. It was admitted into the Union on 1st August 1876.

The discovery of silver at Leadville in 1878 triggered a wave of mining booms and growth of Denver. At one stage, Central City was described as the richest square mile on earth. Later, in 1893, Colorado was the first state to give women the right to vote.

Colorado population

Colorado's population is increasing rapidly - it has more than doubled since 1970 to 4,861,515 (2008 estimate). Most of the growth has been in the Denver area and it's calculated the population will pass 7million by 2030. Over 10% of the population is Spanish speaking with many Hispanos, descended from early Spanish colonists. Over a fifth of residents claim German ancestry.

Residents are properly called Coloradans. With their outdoor lifestyle, they can reflect in the glory of being the slimmest in the US (Fatland statistics). Sport is so popular that Colorado figures in all the major sports leagues.

Colorado wildlife

Colorado's varied landscape means there's a wide range of habitats - pine forests, alpine tundra, shortgrass prairie, sub-alpine forest, sand dunes, wildflower meadows and much more. More than 85% of Colorado residents are involved in some form of wildlife activity, and that doesn't include hunting and fishing.

Black bears, mountain lions, moose, elk - there's 175,000 in the state - mule deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, pronghorns, marmots, prairie dogs, pine martens, beavers, otters, bobcats and chipmunks are amongst the mammals - some are rare or elusive.

There's a massive range of birds, 439 in all, and many serious watchers try to see every species in their lifetime.