Wikijunior:North America/United States/Colorado

The Location of Colorado

Colorado is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Denver is the capital as well as the most populous city of Colorado. Residents of Colorado are known as Coloradans.

The Flag of Colorado

History

The region that is today the State of Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans for more than 13 thousand years. Colorado women were granted the right to vote beginning on July 11, 1863, making Colorado the first U.S. state to grant universal suffrage by popular vote. By the 1930 U.S. Census, the population of Colorado had grown to more than one million residents. The state suffered through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, but a major wave of immigration following World War II boosted Colorado's fortune. Colorado's population had grown to more than 4 million by the year 2000.

Geography

Weather is often extreme in Colorado. Thunderstorms are common east of the Continental divide in the spring and summer, and Colorado is one of the leading states in deaths due to lightning. Hail is a common sight in the mountains east of the divide and in the northwest part of the state. While not as common as some of the states to the east, much of the Eastern Plains are prone to tornadoes, and there have been some damaging tornadoes there.

Floods are also a factor in the plains, not just from the thunderstorms, but also because of the heavy snow in the mountains followed by a warm, dry period which makes rivers rise with melted snow. In 2008, from July through August, a new record was set that was previously held in 1901 of twenty-three straight days of 90 degree heat, beating the previous record by almost a week. Colorado is also known for its droughts that occur every few years, causing major wildfires such as the Hayman Fire, one of the largest wildfires in US history.