The following is a list of symbols of the U.S. State of Arizona. The majority of the items in the list are officially recognized after a law passed by the state legislature. Most of the symbols were adopted in the 20th century. The first symbol was the motto, which was made official in 1864 for the Arizona Territory. The newest adopted symbol of Arizona is the Two-tailed Swallowtail, assigned in 2001. Arizona is the only state with official neckwear. Fifteen of the state symbols are on display on the Arizona Capitol Museum.

Insignia

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image
Flag	The flag of Arizona	The flag of Arizona does not contain a state seal but consists of 13 rays of red and gold (the conquistador colors and of the flag of Spain) on the top half, representing the 13 counties of Arizona, as well as symbolizing Arizona's picturesque sunsets. There is a copper colored star in the center representing Arizona's copper-mining industry. The rest of the flag is colored blue, representing liberty.	1917
Seal	The seal of Arizona	The Great Seal of the State of Arizona is ringed by the words “Great Seal of the State of Arizona” on the top, and 1912 the year of Arizona’s statehood, on the bottom. The motto Ditat Deus (Latin: "God Enriches"), lies in the center of the seal. In the background is a range of mountains with the sun rising behind the peaks.	1911

Mottos, slogan, and nickname

Type	Symbol	Year	Image
Motto	Latin:Ditat Deus (God enriches)	1864
Nicknames	The Grand Canyon State The Copper State Apache State	Traditional

Flora

Type	Symbol	Year	Image
Flower	Saguaro blossom (Carnegiea gigantea)	1931
Tree	Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida)	1954

Fauna

Type	Symbol	Year	Image
Amphibian	Arizona tree frog (Hyla eximia)	1986
Bird	Cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)	1973
Butterfly	Two-tailed swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata)	2001
Fish	Apache trout (Oncorhynchus gilae apache)	1986
Mammal	Ring-tailed cat (Bassariscus astutus)	1986

Reptile Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake
(Crotalus willardi willardi) 1986

Geology

Type	Symbol	Year	Image
Fossil	Araucarioxylon arizonicum	1988
Gem	Turquoise	1974
Mineral	Fire Agate	Unofficial
Soil	Casa Grande	N/A

Culture

Type	Symbol	Year	Image
Colors	Blue and old gold	1915
Neckwear	Bolo tie	1973
Songs	Arizona March Song Arizona	1919 1982

Other

See also

• List of Arizona-related topics
• Lists of United States state insignia
• State of Arizona

Notes

These 15 symbols were passed into law by the state legislature: the state seal, state colors, state flag, state songs, state bird, state flower, state tree, state neckwear, state gemstone, state fish, state mammal, state reptile, state fossil, and the state butterfly. The state mineral is unofficial.

Other nicknames include: the Aztec State, the Baby State, the Valentine State, Italy of America, the Sand Hill State, and the Sunset State.

The Arizona treefrog was chosen by students around Arizona. The students studied 800 species in an effort to select four finalists for every category. Three other amphibians were considered: the Colorado river toad, red-spotted toad, and the spadefoot toad.

The Apache trout was chosen by students around Arizona. The students studied 800 species in an effort to select four finalists for every category. Three other fish were considered: the Colorado river squawfish, the desert pupfish, and the bonytail chub.

The ring-tailed cat was chosen by students around Arizona. The students studied 800 species in an effort to select four finalists for every category. Three other mammals were considered: the whitetail deer, the desert bighorn sheep, and the javelina.

The Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake was chosen by students around Arizona. The students studied 800 species in an effort to select four finalists for every category. Three other reptiles were considered: the gila monster, the desert tortoise, and the regal horned lizard.

References

External links

• Arizona's State Symbols

Route markers of Arizona State quarter for Arizona USS Arizona (BB-39)