Land

Colorado is the nation’s highest state with a mean average elevation of 6,800 ft (2,074 m). Colorado has a total of 54 peaks, the highest being Elbert in the Rockies at 14,433 ft (4,402 m), and Pikes Peak, at 14,110 ft (4,301 m). The state's geographic center lies in Park County, 30 mi (48 km) NW of Pikes Peak. Colorado's lowest point, 3,350 ft (1,022 m), on the Arkansas River, is located in this plateau region. The state’s geographic center is the Continental Divide, which separates the Rockies into the Eastern and Western slopes. The Eastern Slope which runs south from Wyoming border also contains the Mosquito, Medicine Bow, and Laramie mountains. Western Slope ranges include the Sawatch, Gore, Elk, Elkhead, and William Fork mountains. The Continental Divide houses several glaciers like Arapahoe, St. Mary's, Andrews, and Taylor. Running northwest from the San Juans are the Uncompahgre Plateau, Grand Mesa, Roan Plateau, the Flat Tops, and Danforth Hills. The Yampa and Green gorges are located in the northwestern corner of the state.

The largest lake of Colorado is the Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison County. Six major river systems originate in Colorado. They are the Colorado River, which runs southwest from the Rockies to Utah; the South Platte, northeast to Nebraska; the North Platte, north to Wyoming; the Rio Grande, south to New Mexico; and the Arkansas and Republican, east to Kansas. Eighteen hot springs are still active in Colorado, the largest being Pagosa Springs.

Colorado’s vegetation is divided into five zones: plains, foothills, montane, subalpine, and alpine. Arid regions contain a variety of cacti while berry shrubs, lichens, lilies, and orchids dominate the foothills.

Climate

Colorado is fortunate to receive plenty of sunshine. It also experiences very low humidity. Winters are generally cold and snowy, especially in the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains while summers are characterized by warm, dry days and cool nights. The average annual temperature at Lamar is around 54°F (12°C) while that in John Martin is about 32°F (0°C).

Bennett recorded the highest temperature in Colorado is 118°F (48°C), on 11 July 1888. The record low was –61°F (–52°C), in Moffat County on 1 February 1985.

Snowfall also varies from place to place in Colorado. While Denver receives about 60.3 in (153.2 cm) of snowfall yearly, Cubres receives nearly 300 in (762cm) of snowfall in year.

People

Large number of people in Colorado are American Indians. In 2000, they numbered about 44,241, up from 28,000 in 1990. However, the most important residents from the state’s cultural and historical point of view are Hispanic and Latino residents. The number of Hispanic and Latino residents rose from 424,000 in 1990 to 735,601 in 2000. Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese also dominates a significant portion of Colorado’s population.

The single largest religious group in Colorado is the Roman Catholic while the United Methodist Church comes a close second according to 1990 Census. However, the ranking of the Protestant denomination dipped to 4th in 2000 with only 77,286 adherents in 222 congregations. The second largest group now is the Latter-day Saints with 92,326 adherents in 243 congregations, followed by the Southern Baptist Convention with 85,083 adherents in 243 congregations. The Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu are the different religious communities in Colorado.