Arizona, AZ

The State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The three next largest cities are Tucson, Mesa and Glendale. Arizona was the 48th and last of the contiguous states admitted to the Union on February 14, 1912.

Arizona is noted for its desert climate, exceptionally hot summers and mild winters, but the high country in the north features pine forests and mountain ranges which contrast with the lower deserts.

Arizona is one of the Four Corners states. It borders New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, touches Colorado, and has a 389 mi (626 km) international border with the states of Sonora and Baja California in Mexico. Aside from the Grand Canyon, many other National Forests, Parks, Monuments, and Indian reservations are located in the state.

Geography

Arizona is located in the Western United States as one of the Four Corners states. Arizona is the sixth largest state in area, after New Mexico and before Nevada. Of the state's 118,000 square miles (306,000 kmē), approximately 15% is privately owned.

The remaining area is government forest and park land, recreation areas and Native American reservations. Arizona is best known for its desert landscape, which is rich in xerophyte plants such as cactus. It is also known for its climate, which presents exceptionally hot summers and mild winters. Less well known is the pine-covered high country of the Colorado Plateau in the north-central portion of the state, which contrasts with the desertic Basin and Range region in the southern portions of the state.

Like other states of the Southwest, Arizona has an abundance of topographical characteristics in addition to its desert climate. More than half of the state features mountains and plateaus and contains the largest stand of Ponderosa pine in the United States.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Arizona".

Taking Your Camera with You While on Vacation

by Athena McDonald

Going somewhere exotic on vacation? Can't seem to let go of civilizations' amenities even if you're deep within the jungle or high up in the Alps? If you're one of those people who still can't relax even when you're lying on the sandy shore of some remote island then it's possible you're still going to bring business with you on your trip. But this poses a lot of problems for you.

How do you hide your high-powered laptop from the wife and kids? How do you carry it on the plane instead of checking it in? If the wife realizes you're working on vacation, it's not going to be a pretty scene. You really shouldn't work while on vacation anyway but still, there are ways around this little problem of yours.

For those on exotic vacations in unknown places, where will you put your super-expensive SLR and its lenses? You'll definitely need those in case you see a white Bengal tiger. They're almost extinct, you know. A camera on-hand is very helpful because that may be your first and last chance to see a white tiger, especially if it decides to eat you.

What you need for these scenarios is a camera laptop bag with special features for all your needs. You can put your laptops and cameras in compartments designed especially for them. Padded linings prevent your cameras and laptops from getting broken by lessening impact when something bumps into them or when they are being set down.

What's best about these camera laptop bags is they are designed to take care of your laptop and cameras. They have special straps and pockets for lenses, memory cards, chargers and batteries. You can even put your wallets, passports and other documents in special pockets. Those things are usually stolen in hotels without safes. Unless yours has one, it's best to carry your own things and take responsibility for them yourself.

Now you can just hide your laptop and tell your wife you are carrying the family's SLR camera in case anyone wants their picture taken. It is a sly move, but, highly effective. Having a backpack with your camera and laptop in it is useful when you encounter that Bengal tiger. Once you've taken its picture you can immediately upload it on Facebook and write your farewell letter before the tiger eats you.

A laptop bag has the most amazing uses. It's not all negative, though. We're sure you can find a different and safer use for your camera laptop bag; one that doesn't involve a raging wife and a wild carnivore.

About the Author

Athena has been writing articles for the past 3 years. Check her latest website over at http://www.camerabackpacks.org/ which gives people advice about the best Camera Laptop Backpacks as well as more information on photography.