The flag of Arizona was introduced on 27th of February in 1917. It was designed by the Adjutant General of Arizona-Territory, Charles Harris, in the year 1911. It shows a horizontal divided bunting. The upper field is yellow with red rays, the lower field is single-coloured blue. In the middle of the flag appears of a copper-coloured five-pointed star. Blue and yellow are the national colours. Yellow and red are the colours of Spain, the former colonial power. The copper star stands for the country and its mineral resources.
ca. 7000 B.C. · settlement by Indians (Navajo and Pueblo Indians)
1535 · founding of the Spanish Vice-Kingdom of New Spain, including whole Central America (Guatemala General Capitanate) and the south of the today's Arizona, with Mexico as capital
1535 · the Spanish researcher Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca comes through the area
1539 · the Spanish researcher Marcos de Niza visites the area
1540–1542 · the Spanish conqueror and researcher Francisco Vásquez de Coronado explores the area
16th/17th/18th century · missionary and colonization of the whole country by Spain
1821 · the north of New Spain (Arizona is a part of it) becomes as "Mexico" independent from Spain
1846–1848 · war of the USA against Mexico, annexation of Mexican territory (the today's states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico)
1850 · formation of the New Mexico Territory (New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Nevada)
1853 · the U.S. acquire Tucson in today's southern Arizona from Mexico (Gadsen Purchase), annexation to the New Mexico Territory
The origin and the meaning of the name "Arizona" is not precisely clarified. There are several theories:
1. The word is originated as "Zona Arida" (dry zone) from Spanish
2. The word is originated as "Arizonac" (place of a small source) from an American Indian language
3. The word is originated as "Arizuma" (silvery) from the language of the Aztecs. However, there is only copper.
