Colorado (U.S. state)

State of Colorado
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Centennial State
Motto(s): Nil sine numine (English: Nothing without providence)
State song(s): ""Where the Columbines Grow" and "Rocky Mountain High""
Demonym	Coloradan/Coloradoan
Capital (and largest city)	Denver
Largest metro	Denver-Aurora CSA
Area	Ranked 8th
• Total	104,094 sq mi (269,837 km2)
• Width	380 miles (610 km)
• Length	280 miles (450 km)
• % water	0.36%
• Latitude	37°N to 41°N
• Longitude	102°03'W to 109°03'W
Population	Ranked 21st
• Total	5,540,545 (2016 est.)
• Density	52.0/sq mi  (19.9/km2) Ranked 37th
• Median household income	$66,596 (10th)
Elevation
• Highest point	Mount Elbert in Lake County 14,440 ft (4401.2 m)
• Mean	6,800 ft  (2070 m)
• Lowest point	Arikaree River at the Kansas border 3,317 ft (1011 m)
Before statehood	Colorado Territory
Admission to Union	August 1, 1876 (38th)
Governor	John Hickenlooper (D)
Lieutenant Governor	Donna Lynne (D)
Legislature	General Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. Senators	Michael Bennet (D) Cory Gardner (R)
U.S. House delegation	4 Republicans and 3 Democrats (list)
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-07/UTC-06
ISO 3166	US-CO
Abbreviations	CO, Colo.
Website	www.colorado.gov

Colorado state symbols
The Flag of Colorado
The Seal of Colorado
Living insignia
Amphibian	Western tiger salamander Ambystoma mavortium
Bird	Lark bunting Calamospiza melanocoryus
Cactus	Claret cup cactus Echinocereus triglochidiatus
Fish	Greenback cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki somias
Flower	Rocky Mountain columbine Aquilegia coerulea
Grass	Blue grama grass Bouteloua gracilis
Insect	Colorado hairstreak butterfly Hypaurotis cysaluswas
Mammal	Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis
Pet	Colorado shelter pets Canis lupus familiaris and Felis catus
Reptile	Western painted turtle Chrysemys picta bellii
Tree	Colorado blue spruce Picea pungens
Inanimate insignia
Folk dance	Square dance Chorea quadra
Fossil	Stegosaurus Stegosaurus armatus
Gemstone	Aquamarine
Mineral	Rhodochrosite
Motto	Nil sine numine (Latin: Nothing without providence)
Nickname	The Centennial State
Rock	Yule Marble
Ship	USS Colorado (SSN-788)
Slogan	Colorful Colorado
Soil	Seitz
Song	"Where the Columbines Grow" (1915) and "Rocky Mountain High" (secondary song added 2007)
Sport	Pack burro racing
Tartan	Colorado State Tartan
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2006
Lists of United States state symbols

Colorado (/kɒləˈrædoʊ, -ˈrɑːdoʊ/) is a state in the United States encompassing most of the Southern Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains. Colorado is part of the Western United States, the Southwestern United States, and the Mountain States. Colorado is the 8th most extensive and the 21st most populous of the 50 United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Colorado was 5,540,545 on July 1, 2016, an increase of 10.17% since the 2010 United States Census.

The state was named for the Colorado River, which Spanish travelers named the Río Colorado for the (Spanish: ) silt the river carried from the mountains. The Territory of Colorado was organized on February 28, 1861, and on August 1, 1876, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed Proclamation 230 admitting Colorado to the Union as the 38th state. Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because it became a state in the same year as the centennial of the United States Declaration of Independence.