Βικιπαίδεια

Χρήστης:Ιων/αμμοδοχείο: Διαφορά μεταξύ των αναθεωρήσεων

Περιήγηση ιστορικού διαδραστικά
← Προηγούμενη διαφοράΕπόμενη διαφορά →
Περιεχόμενο που διαγράφηκε Περιεχόμενο που προστέθηκε
ΟπτικήΚώδικας wiki
Πάτρικ (συζήτηση | συνεισφορές)
226 επεξεργασίες
Χωρίς σύνοψη επεξεργασίας
Πάτρικ (συζήτηση | συνεισφορές)
226 επεξεργασίες
Χωρίς σύνοψη επεξεργασίας
Γραμμή 2.420:
[[bat-smg:Alabama]]
[[zh:亚拉巴马州]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
{{Infobox planet
| name = Uranus
| symbol = [[File:Uranus symbol.svg|25px|Astronomical symbol of Uranus]]
| image = [[File:Uranus2.jpg|240px|Uranus as seen by Voyager 2]]
| caption = Uranus in 1986 by ''[[Voyager 2]]''
| discovery = yes
| discoverer = [[William Herschel]]
| discovered = March 13, 1781
| orbit_ref =
<ref name="horizons">
{{cite web
| last = Yeomans
| first = Donald K.
| date = July 13, 2006
| url = http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?horizons
| title = HORIZONS System
| publisher = NASA JPL
| accessdate = August 8, 2007 }} At the site, go to the "web interface" then select "Ephemeris Type: ELEMENTS", "Target Body: Uranus Barycenter" and "Center: Sun".</ref>{{efn | Orbital elements refer to the barycenter of the Uranus system, and are the instantaneous [[osculating orbit|osculating]] values at the precise [[J2000]] epoch. Barycenter quantities are given because, in contrast to the planetary center, they do not experience appreciable changes on a day-to-day basis from the motion of the moons. }}
| epoch = [[J2000]]
| aphelion =
{{plainlist |
* 3,004,419,704&nbsp;[[kilometer|km]]
* 20.083&nbsp;305&nbsp;26&nbsp;[[Astronomical unit|AU]]
}}
| perihelion =
{{plainlist |
* 2,748,938,461&nbsp;km
* 18.375&nbsp;518&nbsp;63 AU
}}
| semimajor =
{{plainlist |
* 2,876,679,082&nbsp;km
* 19.229&nbsp;411&nbsp;95 AU
}}
| eccentricity = 0.044&nbsp;405&nbsp;586
| period =
{{plainlist |
* 30,799.095&nbsp;[[day]]s
* 84.323&nbsp;326 [[julian year (astronomy)|yr]]
* 42,718 Uranus [[solar day]]s<ref name="CSeligman" />
}}
| synodic_period = 369.66&nbsp;days<ref name="fact">{{cite web | url = http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uranusfact.html|title = Uranus Fact Sheet|publisher = NASA|last = Williams|first = Dr. David R.|accessdate = August 10, 2007|date = January 31, 2005}}</ref>
| avg_speed = 6.81&nbsp;km/s<ref name="fact" />
| inclination = 0.772&nbsp;556° to [[Ecliptic]] <br /> 6.48° to [[Sun]]'s equator <br /> 1.02° to [[Invariable plane]]<ref name=meanplane>{{cite web
|date=April 3, 2009
|title=The MeanPlane (Invariable plane) of the Solar System passing through the barycenter
|url=http://home.surewest.net/kheider/astro/MeanPlane.gif
|accessdate=April 10, 2009}} (produced with [http://chemistry.unina.it/~alvitagl/solex/ Solex 10] written by Aldo Vitagliano; see also [[Invariable plane]])</ref>
| asc_node = 73.989&nbsp;821°
| arg_peri = 96.541&nbsp;318°
| mean_anomaly = 142.955&nbsp;717°
| satellites = [[Uranus' natural satellites|27]]
| physical_characteristics = yes
| flattening = 0.022&nbsp;9&nbsp;±&nbsp;0.000&nbsp;8{{efn | Calculated using data from Seidelmann, 2007.<ref name="Seidelmann Archinal A'hearn et al. 2007" /> }}
| equatorial_radius = 25,559&nbsp;±&nbsp;4&nbsp;km <br /> 4.007&nbsp;Earths<ref name="Seidelmann Archinal A'hearn et al. 2007" />{{efn|name=atmospheric pressure}}
| polar_radius = 24,973&nbsp;±&nbsp;20&nbsp;km <br /> 3.929&nbsp;Earths<ref name="Seidelmann Archinal A'hearn et al. 2007" />{{efn|name=atmospheric pressure}}
| circumference = 159,354.1&nbsp;km<ref name="nasafact" />
| surface_area = 8.115&nbsp;6{{e|9}}&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup><ref name="nasafact">{{cite web|url = http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Uranus&Display=Facts|title = NASA: Solar System Exploration: Planets: Uranus: Facts & Figures|publisher = NASA|last = Munsell|first = Kirk|accessdate = August 13, 2007|date = May 14, 2007}}</ref>{{efn|name=atmospheric pressure}} <br /> 15.91&nbsp;Earths
| volume = 6.833{{e|13}}&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup><ref name="fact" />{{efn|name=atmospheric pressure}} <br /> 63.086&nbsp;Earths
| mass = {{nowrap|(8.6810 ± 0.0013){{e|25}} [[kilogram|kg]]}} <br /> 14.536&nbsp;Earths<ref name="Jacobson Campbell et al. 1992" /> <br />
[[standard gravitational parameter|GM]]=5&nbsp;793&nbsp;939&nbsp;±&nbsp;13&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup>/s<sup>2</sup>
| density = 1.27&nbsp;g/cm<sup>3</sup><ref name="fact" />{{efn|name=atmospheric pressure}}
| surface_grav = 8.69&nbsp;[[Acceleration|m/s<sup>2</sup>]]<ref name="fact" />{{efn|name=atmospheric pressure}} <br /> 0.886&nbsp;[[g-force|g]]
| escape_velocity = 21.3&nbsp;km/s<ref name="fact" />{{efn|name=atmospheric pressure}}
| sidereal_day = [[retrograde motion|−]]0.718&nbsp;33 day <br /> {{nowrap|17 [[hour|h]] 14 [[minute|min]] 24 [[second|s]]}}<ref name="Seidelmann Archinal A'hearn et al. 2007" />
| rot_velocity = 2.59&nbsp;km/s <br /> 9,320&nbsp;km/h
| axial_tilt = 97.77°<ref name="Seidelmann Archinal A'hearn et al. 2007" />
| right_asc_north_pole = {{nowrap|17 h 9 min 15 s}} <br /> 257.311°<ref name="Seidelmann Archinal A'hearn et al. 2007" />
| declination = −15.175°<ref name="Seidelmann Archinal A'hearn et al. 2007" />
| albedo = 0.300 ([[Bond albedo|Bond]]) <br />
0.51 ([[Geometric albedo|geom.]])<ref name="fact" />
| magnitude = 5.9<ref name=ephemeris/> to 5.32<ref name="fact" />
| angular_size = 3.3"–4.1"<ref name="fact" />
| temperatures = yes
| temp_name1 = 1&nbsp;[[bar (unit)|bar]] level<ref name="Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" />
| min_temp_1 =
| mean_temp_1 = 76&nbsp;[[kelvin|K]]
| max_temp_1 =
| temp_name2 = 0.1&nbsp;bar <br /> ([[tropopause]])<ref name="Lunine 1993" />
| min_temp_2 = 49&nbsp;K
| mean_temp_2 = 53&nbsp;K
| max_temp_2 = 57&nbsp;K
| pronounce = {{IPAc-en|audio=uranus.ogg|ˈ|jʊər|ə|n|ə|s}} or {{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Uranus.ogg|j|ʊ|ˈ|r|eɪ|n|ə|s}}<ref name=OED/><ref name="BBCOUP" />
| adjectives = Uranian
| atmosphere = yes
| atmosphere_ref =
<ref name="Lunine 1993" /><ref name="Lindal Lyons et al. 1987" /><ref name="Conrath Gautier et al. 1987" />{{efn | Calculation of He, H<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> molar fractions is based on a 2.3% mixing ratio of methane to hydrogen and the 15/85 He/H<sub>2</sub> proportions measured at the tropopause. }}
| scale_height = 27.7&nbsp;km<ref name="fact" />
| atmosphere_composition = ''(Below 1.3&nbsp;bar)''
<table>
<tr><td>
83&nbsp;±&nbsp;3%</td><td>[[hydrogen]] (H<sub>2</sub>)
</td></tr><tr><td>
15&nbsp;±&nbsp;3%</td><td>[[helium]]
</td></tr><tr><td>
2.3%</td><td>[[methane]]</td></tr><tr><td>
0.009% <br /> (0.007–0.015%)</td><td>[[hydrogen deuteride]]&nbsp;(HD)<ref name=Feuchtgruber1999>{{cite journal|last=Feuchtgruber|first=H.|coauthors=Lellouch, E.; B. Bezard; et al.|title=Detection of HD in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune: a new determination of the D/H ratio|year=1999|journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics|volume=341|pages=L17–L21|bibcode=1999A&A...341L..17F|last2=Lellouch|last3=Bézard|last4=Encrenaz|last5=De Graauw|last6=Davis}}</ref>
</td></tr><tr><td>
'''Ices''':</td><td>
</td></tr><tr><td>
</td><td>[[ammonia]]
</td></tr><tr><td>
</td><td>[[water (molecule)|water]]
</td></tr><tr><td>
</td><td>[[ammonium hydrosulfide]]&nbsp;(NH<sub>4</sub>SH)
</td></tr><tr><td>
</td><td>[[methane]]&nbsp;(CH<sub>4</sub>)
</td></tr></table>
}}
{{Πλανήτης
|Όνομα = Ουρανός
|Εικόνα = [[File:Uranus2.jpg|240px|Ο Ουρανός από τον Βόγιατζερ&nbsp;2]]
|Πεδίο Ανακάλυψη =
|Ανακαλύφθηκε από = [[Ουίλιαμ Χέρσελ]]
|Ημερομηνία ανακάλυψης = 13 Μαρτίου 1781
|Ημιάξονας τροχιάς =
|Εκκεντρότητα =
|Περίοδος περιφοράς =
|Κλίση =
|Φυσικός δορυφόρος =
|Διαστάσεις =
|Μέση ακτίνα =
|Έκταση =
|Όγκος =
|Μάζα =
|Μέση πυκνότητα =
|Ισημερινή βαρύτητα επιφάνειας =
|Ταχύτητα διαφυγής =
|Περίοδος περιστροφής =
|Κλίση άξονα =
|Λευκαύγεια =
|Επιφανειακή θερμοκρασία =
|Φαινόμενο μέγεθος =
|Ατμόσφαιρα =
|Περισσότερες εικόνες =
}}
 
Ο '''Ουρανός''' είναι ο έβδομος [[πλανήτης]] από τον [[Ήλιος|Ήλιο]]. Έχει την τρίτη μεγαλύτερη πλανητική ακτίνα και την τέταρτη μεγαλύτερη πλανητική μάζα στο [[Ηλιακό Σύστημα]]. Ονομάσθηκε από τον αρχαίο ελληνικό θεό του ουρανού [[Ουρανός (μυθολογία)|Ουρανό]] ([[Αρχαία Ελληνική γλώσσα|αρχαία ελληνικά]]:''Οὐρανός''), τον πατέρα του [[Κρόνος (μυθολογία)|Κρόνου]] ([[Σατούρνους]]) και παππού του [[Δίας|Δία]] ([[Τζούπιτερ]]). Αν και είναι ορατός με γυμνό οφθαλμό όπως οι πέντε [[κλασσικός πλανήτης|κλασικοί πλανήτες]], μηδέποτε αναγνωρίσθηκε ως πλανήτης από αρχαίους παρατηρητές λόγω της αμυδρής εμφάνισής του και της αργής τροχιάς του.<ref>{{cite web|title=MIRA's Field Trips to the Stars Internet Education Program|work=Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy|url=http://www.mira.org/fts0/planets/101/text/txt001x.htm|accessdate=August 27, 2007}}</ref> Ο σερ [[Ουίλλιαμ Χέρσελ]] ανακοίνωσε την ανακάλυψή του στις 13 Μαρτίου 1781, επεκτείνοντας τα γνωστά όόρια του Ηλιακού Συστήματος για πρώτη φορά στην σύγχρονη ιστορία. Ο Ουρανός ήταν επίσης ο πρώτος πλανήτης που ανακαλύφθηκε με [[τηλεσκόπιο]].
 
Ο Ουρανός είναι παρόμοιος σε σύνθεση με τον [[Ποσειδώνας (πλανήτης)|Ποσειδώνα]], και αμφότεροι είναι διαφορετικής χημικής σύνθεσης από ότι οι μεγαλύτεροι [[αέριος γίγαντας|αέριοι γίγαντες]], ο Δίας και ο Κρόνος. Οι αστρονόμοι ενίοτε τον τοποθετούν σε μια διακριτή κατηγορία καλούμενη "[[Αέριος γίγαντας|γίγαντες πάγου]]". Η ατμόσφαιρα του Ουρανού, ενώ είναι παρόμοια με του Δία και του Κρόνου στην βασική της σύνθεση από [[υδρογόνο]] και [[ήλιο]], περιέχει περισσότερες ουσίες σε μορφή πάγου όπως το ύδωρ, η [[αμμωνία]] καιτο [[μεθάνιο]], μαζί με ίχνη [[υδρογονάνθρακες|υδρογονανθράκων]].<ref>"Lunine 1993"</ref> Είναι η ψυχρότερη πλανητική ατμόσφαιρα στο Ηλιακό Σύστημα, με ελάχιστη θερμοκρασία 49&nbsp;[[Κέλβιν (μονάδα μέτρησης)|K]] (−224&nbsp;[[Βαθμοί Κελσίου|°C]]). Έχει μια περίπλοκη, στρωματοποιημένη δομή [[νέφος|νεφών]], με το νερό να θεωρείται ότι αποτελεί τα χαμηλότερα νέφη, και το μεθάνιο το ανώτατο στρώμα των νεφών.<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref> Αντιθέτως, το εσωτερικό του Ουρανού συντίθεται κυρίως από πάγους και βράχους.<ref>"Podolak Weizman et al. 1995"</ref>
 
Όπως οι άλλοι αέριοι γίγαντες, ο Ουρανός έχει ένα [[σύστημα δακτυλίων]], μια [[μαγνητόσφαιρα]], και πολυάριθμους [[φυσικός δορυφόρος|δορυφόρους]]. Το σύστημα του Ουρανού έχει μια μοναδική διαμόρφωση μεταξύ των πλανητών επειδή ο [[άξονας περιστροφής]] του έχει πλάγια κλίση, σχεδόν στο επίπεδο της περιστροφής του γύρω από τον Ήλιο. Ο βόρειος και νότιος πόλος του ούτως βρίσκονται εκεί όπου άλλοι πλανήτες έχουν τους [[ισημερινός|ισημερινούς]] τους.<ref name="Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" /> Το 1986, εικόνες από το ''[[Βόγιατζερ 2]]'' έδειξε τον Ουρανό ως έναν πλανήτη φαινομενικά χωρίς χαρακτηριστικά στο ορατό φως χωρίς τις στιβάδες νεφών ή τις θύελλες που συνδέονται με τους άλλους γίγαντες.<ref name="Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" /> οι γήινοι παρατηρητές έχουν δει σημάδια [[εποχές|εποχιακών]] μεταβολών και αυξημένη καιρική δραστηριότητα τα πρόσφατα έτη καθώς ο Ουρανός πλησιάζει την ισημερία του. Οι ταχύτητες των ανέμων στον Ουρανό μπορούν να φθάσουν τα 250 m/s (900&nbsp;km/h, 560&nbsp;mph).<ref>"Sromovsky & Fry 2005"</ref>
 
== Ιστορία ==
=== Ανακάλυψη ===
Ο Ουρανός έχει παρατηρηθεί σε πολλές περιστάσεις πριν την ανακάλυψη του ως πλανήτη, αλλά γενικά είχε λάθος προσληφθεί ως αστέρας. Η πρωιμότερη καταγεγραμμένη θέαση του ήταν το 1690 όταν ο [[Τζον Φλάμστηντ]] παρατήρησε τον πλανήτη τουλάχιστον έξι φορές, καταγράφοντας τον ως 34 [[Ταύρος (αστερισμός)|Ταύρου]]. Ο Γάλλος αστρονόμος [[Πιερ Λεμονιέ]] παρατήρησε τον Ουρανό τουλάχιστον δώδεκα φορές μεταξύ 1750 και 1769,<ref>{{cite web|title=Uranus—About Saying, Finding, and Describing It |publisher=thespaceguy.com |url=http://www.thespaceguy.com/Uranus.htm|last=Dunkerson |first=Duane |accessdate=April 17, 2007}}</ref> περιλαμβανομένων τεσσάρων συνεχόμενων νυχτών.
 
Ο σερ [[Ουίλλιαμ Χέρσελ]] παρατήρησε τον πλανήτη στις 13 Μαρτίου 1781 ενώ στον κήπο του σπιτιού του στην New King Street 19 στην κωμόπολη του Μπαθ, στο [[Σόμερσετ]], στην [[Αγγλία]], (σήμερα [[Herschel Museum of Astronomy]]),<ref>{{cite web|title=Bath Preservation Trust|url=http://www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/|accessdate=September 29, 2007}}</ref> αλλά αρχικά τον ανέφερε (στις 26 Απριλίου 1781) ως "[[κομήτης|κομήτη]]".<ref>{{cite journal|title=Account of a Comet, By Mr. Herschel, F. R. S.; Communicated by Dr. Watson, Jun. of Bath, F. R. S|author=William Herschel|journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London|volume=71|pages=492–501|bibcode=1781RSPT...71..492H|doi=10.1098/rstl.1781.0056|year=1781|last2=Watson|first2=Dr.}}</ref> Ο Χέρσελ "διεξήγαγε μια σειρά παρατηρήσεων στην παράλλαξη των σταθερών αστέρων",<ref>Journal of the Royal Society and Royal Astronomical Society 1, 30, quoted in Miner, p. 8</ref> χρησιμοποιώντας ένα τηλεσκόπιο δικού του σχεδιασμού.
 
Κατέγραψε στο ημερολόγιο του "Στο τεταρτημόριο κοντά στο [[ζήτα Ταύρου|ζ Tauri]] ... είτε [a] ένας ομιχλώδης αστέρας ή ίσως ένας κομήτης".<ref>Royal Astronomical Society MSS W.2/1.2, 23; quoted in Miner p. 8</ref> Στις 17 Μαρτίου, παρατήρησε, "Κοίταξα για τον Κομήτη ή τον Ομιχλώδη Αστέρα και βρήκα ότι είναι Κομήτης, επειδή έχει αλλάξει η θέση του".<ref>RAS MSS Herschel W.2/1.2, 24, quoted in Miner p. 8</ref> Όταν παρουσίασε την ανακάλυψη του στην [[Royal Society]], συνέχισε να ισχυρίζεται ότι είχε βρει έναν κομήτη ενώ επίσης σιωπηρά τον συνέκρινε με έναν πλανήτη:<ref>Journal of the Royal Society and Royal Astronomical Society 1, 30; quoted in Miner p. 8</ref>
 
{{Ρήση |
The power I had on when I first saw the comet was 227. From experience I know that the diameters of the fixed stars are not proportionally magnified with higher powers, as planets are; therefore I now put the powers at 460 and 932, and found that the diameter of the comet increased in proportion to the power, as it ought to be, on the supposition of its not being a fixed star, while the diameters of the stars to which I compared it were not increased in the same ratio. Moreover, the comet being magnified much beyond what its light would admit of, appeared hazy and ill-defined with these great powers, while the stars preserved that lustre and distinctness which from many thousand observations I knew they would retain. The sequel has shown that my surmises were well-founded, this proving to be the Comet we have lately observed.
}}
 
[[File:HerschelTelescope.jpg|upright|thumb|Αντίγραφο του τηλεσκοπίου που χρησιμοποιήθηκε από τον Χέρσελ για την ανακάλυψη του Ουρανού ([[William Herschel Museum]], [[Μπαθ, Σόμερσετ|Μπαθ]])]]
 
Ο Χέρσελ ενημέρωσε τον [[Βασιλικός Αστρονόμος|Βασιλικό Αστρονόμο]], τον [[Νέβιλ Μάσκελαϊν]], για την ανακάλυψη του και έλαβε αυτήν την σαστισμένη απάντηση από αυτόν στις 23 Απριλίου: "Δεν ξέρω πως να το ονομάσω. Είναι πιθανό να είναι ένας κανονικός πλανήτης που κινειται σε μια τροχιά σχεδόν κυκλική προς τον ήλιο σαν Κομήτης που κινείται σε μια πολύ εκκεντρική έλλειψη. Δεν έχω δει έως τώρα κόμη ή ουρά σε αυτόν".<ref>RAS MSS Herschel W1/13.M, 14 quoted in Miner p. 8</ref>
 
Ενώ ο Χέρσελ συνέχισε να περιγρράφει προσεκτικά το νέο του αντικείμενο ως κομήτη, άλλοι αστρονόμοι είχαν ήδη αρχίσει να υποπτεύονται άλλα. Ο Ρώσος αστρονόμος [[Άντερς Γιόχαν Λέξελ]] ήταν ο πρώτος που υπολόγισε την τροχιά του νέου αντικειμένου<ref name=lexell>{{cite journal| year = 1783| author = A. J. Lexell |title = Recherches sur la nouvelle planete, decouverte par M. Herschel & nominee Georgium Sidus| journal = Acta Academia Scientarum Imperialis Petropolitanae|issue = 1| pages = 303–329}}</ref> και η σχεδόν κυκλική τροχιά του τον οδήγησε στο συμπέρασμα ότι ήταν ένας πλανήτης παρά κομήτης. Ο αστρονόμος του Βερολίνου [[Γιόχαν Έλερτ Μπόντε]] περιέγραψε την ανακάλυψη ου Χέρσελ ως "έναν κινούμενο αστέρα ο οποίος μπορεί να θεωρηθεί ένα έως σήμερα άγνωστο πλανητοειδές αντικείμενο πέραν της τροχιάς του Κρόνου".<ref>Johann Elert Bode, Berliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch, p. 210, 1781, quoted in Miner p. 11</ref> Ο Μπόντε κατέληξε στο ότι η σχεδόν κυκλική τροχά του ήτα περισσότερο όπως ενός πλανήτη παρά ενός κομήτη.<ref>Miner p. 11</ref>
 
Το αντικείμενο έγινε σύντομα καθολικά αποδεκτό ως νέος πλανήτης. Το 1783, ο ίδιος ο Χέρσελ παραδέχθηκε αυτό το γεγονός στον πρόεδρο της Βασιλικής Εταιρείας [[Τζόζεφ Μπανκς]]: "Από την παρατήρηση των πο διαπρεπών Αστρονόμων στην Ευρώπη φαίνεται ότι ο νέος αστέρας, τον οποίο είχα την τιμή να τους υποδείξω τον Μάρτιο 1781, είναι ένας Βασικός Πλανήτης του Ηλιακού μας Συστήματος."<ref name=Dreyer>{{cite book|author=[[J. L. E. Dreyer|Dreyer, J. L. E.]], |year=1912|title=The Scientific Papers of Sir William Herschel|publisher=Royal Society and Royal Astronomical Society|volume=1|page=100|isbn=1-84371-022-6}}</ref> Σε αναγνώριση του επιτεύγματος του, ο [[Γεώργιος Γ' του Ηνωμένου Βασιλείου|Βασιλιάς Γεώργιος Γ']] έδωσε στον Χέρσελ έναν ετήσιο μισθό £200 υπό την προϋπόθεση ότι θα μετακόμιζε στο ουίνδσορ ώστε η Βασιλική Οικογένεια να μπορέσει να έχει την ευκαιρία να κοιτάξει μέσα από τα τηλεσκόπιά του.<ref name="Miner12">Miner p. 12</ref>
 
=== Naming ===
Maskelyne asked Herschel to "do the astronomical world the faver [''sic''] to give a name to your planet, which is entirely your own, [and] which we are so much obliged to you for the discovery of."<ref>RAS MSS Herschel W.1/12.M, 20, quoted in Miner p. 12</ref> In response to Maskelyne's request, Herschel decided to name the object ''Georgium Sidus'' (George's Star), or the "Georgian Planet" in honour of his new patron, King George III.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/hersc.html |title= Voyager at Uranus|year=1986|journal=Nasa Jpl|pages=400–268|volume=7|issue=85 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060210222142/http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/hersc.html |archivedate = February 10, 2006}}</ref> He explained this decision in a letter to Joseph Banks:<ref name="Dreyer" />
 
{{quote |
In the fabulous ages of ancient times the appellations of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were given to the Planets, as being the names of their principal heroes and divinities. In the present more philosophical era it would hardly be allowable to have recourse to the same method and call it Juno, Pallas, Apollo or Minerva, for a name to our new heavenly body. The first consideration of any particular event, or remarkable incident, seems to be its chronology: if in any future age it should be asked, when this last-found Planet was discovered? It would be a very satisfactory answer to say, 'In the reign of King George the Third'.
}}
 
[[File:William Herschel01.jpg|thumb|upright|[[William Herschel]], discoverer of Uranus]]
 
Herschel's proposed name was not popular outside of Britain, and alternatives were soon proposed. Astronomer [[Jérôme Lalande]] proposed the planet be named ''Herschel'' in honour of its discoverer.<ref name=Francisca>{{cite journal|title=The meaning of the symbol H+o for the planet Uranus|author=Francisca Herschel|year=1917|work=The Observatory|bibcode=1917Obs....40..306H|volume=40|page=306|journal=The Observatory}}</ref> Swedish astronomer [[Erik Prosperin]] proposed the name ''Neptune'' which was supported by other astronomers who liked the idea to commemorate the victories of the British [[Royal Navy|Royal Naval]] fleet in the course of the [[American Revolutionary War]] by calling the new planet even ''Neptune George III'' or ''Neptune Great Britain''.<ref name=lexell/> [[Johann Elert Bode|Bode]] opted for ''Uranus'', the Latinized version of the [[Greek mythology|Greek god]] of the sky, [[Uranus (mythology)|Ouranos]]. Bode argued that just as [[Saturn (mythology)|Saturn]] was the father of [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], the new planet should be named after the father of Saturn.<ref name="Miner12" /><ref name="planetsbeyond">{{Cite book|title=Planets Beyond: Discovering the Outer Solar System|isbn=0-486-43602-0|last=Littmann| first=Mark|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|year=2004|pages=10–11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Astronomy in Berlin|publisher=Brian Daugherty|url=http://bdaugherty.tripod.com/astronomy/bode.html|accessdate=May 24, 2007 |last=Daugherty| first=Brian}}</ref> In 1789, Bode's [[Royal Academy of Sciences|Royal Academy]] colleague [[Martin Klaproth]] named his newly discovered element "[[uranium]]" in support of Bode's choice.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Straight Scoop on Uranium|author=James Finch|year=2006|publisher=allchemicals.info: The online chemical resource|url=http://www.allchemicals.info/articles/Uranium.php|accessdate=March 30, 2009}}</ref> Ultimately, Bode's suggestion became the most widely used, and became universal in 1850 when [[HM Nautical Almanac Office]], the final holdout, switched from using ''Georgium Sidus'' to ''Uranus''.<ref name="planetsbeyond" />
 
=== Nomenclature ===
The pronunciation of the name ''Uranus'' preferred among [[astronomers]] is {{IPAc-en|ˈ|jʊər|ə|n|ə|s}},<ref name=BBCOUP>The BBC Pronunciation Unit notes that |ˈjʊərənəs| "is the preferred usage of astronomers": {{cite book|last=Olausson|first=Lena|coauthors=Sangster, Catherine|title=The Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, England|year=2006|page=404|isbn=978-0-19-280710-6}}</ref><ref>In US dictionary transcription, {{USdict|ūr′·ə·nəs}}</ref> with stress on the first syllable as in Latin ''Ūranus;'' in contrast to the colloquial {{IPAc-en|j|ʊ|ˈ|r|eɪ|n|ə|s}},<ref>In US dictionary transcription, {{USdict|ū·rā′·nəs}}</ref> with stress on the second syllable and a [[Vowel length#Long vowels in English|long ''a'']], though both are considered acceptable.{{efn | Because, in the [[English language|English]]-speaking world, the latter sounds like "your [[anus]]", the former pronunciation also saves embarrassment: as Dr. [[Pamela L. Gay|Pamela Gay]], an astronomer at [[Southern Illinois University Edwardsville]], noted on her podcast, to avoid "being made fun of by any small schoolchildren ... when in doubt, don't emphasise anything and just say {{IPA|/ˈjʊərənəs/}}. And then run, quickly."<ref>{{cite web|title=Astronomy Cast: Uranus|date=November 12, 2007|url=http://www.astronomycast.com/astronomy/episode-62-uranus/|author=Cain, Frasier|accessdate=April 20, 2009}}</ref> }}
 
Uranus is the only planet whose name is derived from a figure from [[Greek mythology]] rather than [[Roman mythology]]: the Greek "Οὐρανός" arrived in English by way of the Latin "Ūranus".<ref name=OED>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Uranus|encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary|
edition=2|year=1989}}</ref> The adjective of Uranus is "Uranian".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Uranian, a.<sup>2</sup> and n.<sup>1</sup>|encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary|
edition=2|year=1989}}</ref> It has two [[astronomical symbol]]s. The first to be proposed, ♅,{{efn|name=symbol first}} was suggested by Lalande in 1784. In a letter to Herschel, Lalande described it as "un globe surmonté par la première lettre de votre nom" ("a globe surmounted by the first letter of your surname").<ref name=Francisca /> A later proposal, ⛢,{{efn|name=symbol later}} is a hybrid of the symbols for [[Mars]] and the [[Sun]] because Uranus was the Sky in Greek mythology, which was thought to be dominated by the combined powers of the Sun and Mars.<ref>{{cite web|title=Planet symbols|work=NASA Solar System exploration|url=http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=167|accessdate=August 4, 2007}}</ref> In the [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Korean language|Korean]], and [[Vietnamese language]]s, the planet's name is literally translated as the ''sky king star'' (天王星).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eternalsailormoon.org/help.html#myth|title=Sailormoon Terms and Information|publisher=The Sailor Senshi Page
|accessdate=March 5, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://amateurastronomy.org/EH/Oct97.txt |title=Asian Astronomy 101
|journal=Hamilton Amateur Astronomers |year=1997 |volume=4 |issue=11 |accessdate=August 5, 2007}}</ref>
 
== Τροχιά και περιστροφή ==
[[File:Uranus Orbit.gif|thumb|Ο Ουρανός κάνει μια πλήρη περιστροφή γύρω από τον Ήλιο σε 84 γήινα έτη. Η μέση απόστασή του από τον Ήλιο είναι περίπου 3 δισεκατομμύρια&nbsp;km (περίπου 20 [[Αστρονομική μονάδα|AU]])]][[File:Uranusandrings.jpg|thumb|A 1998 false-colour near-[[infrared]] image of Uranus showing [[cloud]] bands, [[planetary ring|rings]], and [[natural satelite|moons]] obtained by the [[Hubble Space Telescope]]'s [[Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer|NICMOS camera]].]]
Η ένταση του ηλιακού φωτός στον Ουρανό είναι περίπου το 1/400 αυτού στη Γη.<ref>{{cite web|title=Next Stop Uranus| url=http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/04/04.html|year=1986|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}</ref> Its orbital elements were first calculated in 1783 by [[Pierre-Simon Laplace]].<ref name=georgeforbes>{{cite web|title=History of Astronomy|author=George Forbes|year=1909|url=http://www.vinnysa1store.com/historyofastronomy2.html#8|accessdate=August 7, 2007}}</ref> Με την πάροδο του χρόνου, ασυμβατότητες άρχισαν να εμφανίζονται μεταξύ των προβλεπόμενων και των παρατηρημένων τροχιών, και το 1841, ο [[Τζον Κάουτς Άνταμς]] πρώτος πρότεινε ότι διαφορές μπορεί να οφείλονται σε μια βαρυτική έλξη ενός μη ορατού πλανήτη. Το 1845, ο [[Ουρμπέν Λε Βερριέ]] άρχισε την δική του ανεξάρτητη έρευνα για την τροχιά του Ουρανού. Στις 23 Σεπτεμβρίου 1846, ο [[Γιόχαν Γκόντφριντ Γκάλλε]] [[Ανακάλυψη του Ποσειδώνα|εντόπισε έναν νέο πλανήτη]], ο οποίος αργότερα ονομάσθηκε [[Ποσειδώνας (πλανήτης)|Ποσειδώνας]], περίπου στη θέση που προέβλεψε ο Λε Βερριέ.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mathematical discovery of planets|author=O'Connor, J J and Robertson, E F|url=http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Neptune_and_Pluto.html|year=1996|accessdate=June 13, 2007}}</ref>
 
Η περίοδος περιστροφής του εσωτερικού του Ουρανού είναι 17&nbsp;ώρες και 14&nbsp;λεπτά. Όπως σε όλους τους γιγάντιους πλανήτες, η ανώτερη ατμόσφαιρά του βιώνει πολύ ισχυρούς ανέμους στην κατεύθυνση περιστροφής. Σε μερικά γεωγραφικά πλάτη, όπως περίπου στα δύο τρίτα από τον ισημερινό προς τον νότιο πόλο, ορατά χαρακτηριστικά της ατμόσφαιρας κινούνται πόλύ ταχύτερα, κάνοντας μια πλήρη περιστροφή μέσα σε 14 ώρες.<ref>{{cite web|title=Uranus|work=NASA World Book|author=Peter J. Gierasch and Philip D. Nicholson|url=http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/uranus_worldbook.html|year=2004|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}{{dead link|date=May 2012}}</ref>
 
=== Αξονική κλίση ===
Ο Ουρανός έχει [[αξονική κλίση]] 97,77 μοιρών, ούτως ο άξονας περιστροφής του είναι περίπου παράλληλος με το Ηλιακό Σύστημα. Αυτό του προσδίδει εποχικές αλλαγές τελείως διαφορετικές από εκείνες των άλλων μεγάλων πλανητών. Other planets can be visualized to rotate like tilted spinning tops on the plane of the Solar System, while Uranus rotates more like a tilted rolling ball. Near the time of Uranian [[solstice]]s, one pole faces the [[Sun]] continuously while the other pole faces away. Only a narrow strip around the equator experiences a rapid day-night cycle, but with the Sun very low over the horizon as in the Earth's polar regions. At the other side of Uranus's orbit the orientation of the poles towards the Sun is reversed. Each pole gets around 42&nbsp;years of continuous sunlight, followed by 42&nbsp;years of darkness.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hubble captures rare, fleeting shadow on Uranus|author=Lawrence Sromovsky|work=University of Wisconsin Madison|url=http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/12826.html|year=2006|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}</ref> Near the time of the [[equinox]]es, the Sun faces the equator of Uranus giving a period of day-night cycles similar to those seen on most of the other planets. Uranus reached its most recent equinox on December 7, 2007.<ref>{{cite conference|last=Hammel|first=Heidi B.|title=Uranus nears Equinox |booktitle=A report from the 2006 Pasadena Workshop|date=September 5, 2006|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20090225084057/http://www.apl.ucl.ac.uk/iopw/uworkshop_060905.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name=weather>{{cite web |url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061001211630.htm |title=Hubble Discovers Dark Cloud In The Atmosphere Of Uranus |publisher=Science Daily |accessdate=April 16, 2007}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Northern hemisphere
! Year
! Southern hemisphere
|-
| Winter solstice
| 1902, 1986
| Summer solstice
|-
| Vernal equinox
| 1923, 2007
| Autumnal equinox
|-
| Summer solstice
| 1944, 2028
| Winter solstice
|-
| Autumnal equinox
| 1965, 2049
| Vernal equinox
|}
 
One result of this axis orientation is that, on average during the year, the polar regions of Uranus receive a greater energy input from the Sun than its equatorial regions. Nevertheless, Uranus is hotter at its equator than at its poles. The underlying mechanism which causes this is unknown. The reason for Uranus's unusual axial tilt is also not known with certainty, but the usual speculation is that during the formation of the Solar System, an Earth-sized [[protoplanet]] collided with Uranus, causing the skewed orientation.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bergstralh, Jay T.; Miner, Ellis; Matthews, Mildred|title=Uranus|year=1991|pages= 485–486|isbn=0-8165-1208-6}}</ref> Uranus's south pole was pointed almost directly at the Sun at the time of ''[[Voyager 2]]'''s flyby in 1986. The labeling of this pole as "south" uses the definition currently endorsed by the [[International Astronomical Union]], namely that the north pole of a planet or satellite shall be the pole which points above the invariable plane of the Solar System, regardless of the direction the planet is spinning.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hnsky.org/iau-iag.htm |title=Report of the IAU/IAG working group on cartographic coordinates and rotational elements of the planets and satellites: 2000|work=IAU|year=2000|accessdate=June 13, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/documents/sr/stdref_021015/Chapter02.pdf |format=PDF |title=Cartographic Standards |work=NASA|accessdate=June 13, 2007}}</ref> A different convention is sometimes used, in which a body's north and south poles are defined according to the [[right-hand rule]] in relation to the direction of rotation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://roger.ecn.purdue.edu/~masl/documents/masl/coords.html |title=Coordinate Frames Used in MASL|year=2003|accessdate=June 13, 2007|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070505140123/http://roger.ecn.purdue.edu/~masl/documents/masl/coords.html <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archivedate=May 5, 2007}}</ref> In terms of this latter coordinate system it was Uranus's ''north'' pole which was in sunlight in 1986.
 
=== Visibility ===
From 1995 to 2006, Uranus's [[apparent magnitude]] fluctuated between +5.6 and +5.9, placing it just within the limit of [[naked eye]] visibility at +6.5.<ref name=ephemeris>{{cite web|title=Twelve Year Planetary Ephemeris: 1995 – 2006|author=Espenak, Fred |work=NASA|url=http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/TYPE/TYPE.html|year=2005|accessdate=June 14, 2007}}</ref> Its angular diameter is between 3.4 and 3.7&nbsp;arcseconds, compared with 16 to 20&nbsp;arcseconds for Saturn and 32 to 45&nbsp;arcseconds for Jupiter.<ref name=ephemeris /> At opposition, Uranus is visible to the naked eye in dark skies, and becomes an easy target even in urban conditions with binoculars.<ref name=nasafact>{{cite web|url=http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uranusfact.html|title= NASA's Uranus fact sheet|accessdate=June 13, 2007}}</ref> In larger amateur telescopes with an objective diameter of between 15 and 23&nbsp;cm, the planet appears as a pale cyan disk with distinct [[limb darkening]]. With a large telescope of 25&nbsp;cm or wider, cloud patterns, as well as some of the larger satellites, such as [[Titania (moon)|Titania]] and [[Oberon (moon)|Oberon]], may be visible.<ref>{{cite web|title=Uranus: the Threshold Planet of 2006|author=Nowak, Gary T. |url=http://www.vtastro.org/Articles/uranus2006.html|year=2006|accessdate=June 14, 2007}}</ref>
 
== Εσωτερική δομή ==
[[File:Uranus, Earth size comparison.jpg|thumb|Σύγκριση μεγεθών Ουρανού και Γης]]
[[File:Uranus-intern-en.png|thumb|Διάγραμμα του εσωτερικού του Ουρανού]]
 
Η μάζα του Ουρανού είναι περίπου 14,5 φορές αυτή της Γης, κάνοντας τον τον τον ελαφρύτερο από τους γιγάντιους πλανήτες. Η διάμετρός του είναι ελαφρώς μεγαλύτερη αυτής του Ποσειδώνα και περίπου τέσσερις φορές αυτή της Γης. Η προκύπτουσα πυκνότητα τάξης περίπου 1,27 g/cm<sup>3</sup> καθιστά τον Ουρανό τον δεύτερο αραιότερο πλανήτη, μετά τον Κρόνο.<ref>"Seidelmann Archinal A'hearn et al. 2007"</ref><ref>"Jacobson Campbell et al. 1992"</ref> Αυτή η τιμή δείχνει ότι αποτελείται κυρίως από διάφορους πάγους, όπως του νερού, αμμωνίας, και μεθανίου.<ref>"Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" </ref> Η συνολική μάζα πάγου στο εσωτερικό του Ουρανού δεν είναι επακριβώς γνωστή, καθώς υπάρχουν διάφορα αποτελέσματα ανάλογα με το μοντέλο που επιλέγεται· πρέπει να είναι μεταξύ 9,3&nbsp;και 13,5&nbsp;μάζες Γης.<ref name="Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" /><ref name="Podolak Podolak et al. 2000" /> Το [[υδρογόνο]] και το [[ήλιο]] αποτελούν μόνο ένα μικρό μέρος του συνόλου, με μεταξύ 0,5 και 1,5&nbsp;μάζες Γης.<ref name="Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" /> Το υπόλοιπο της μη παγωμένης μάζας (0,5 μέχρι 3,7&nbsp;μάζες Γης) θεωρείται ότι είναι βραχώδη υλικά.<ref name="Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" />
 
Το πρότυπο μοντέλο της δομής του Ουρανού είναι ότι αποτελείται από τρία στρώματα· a rocky ([[silicate]]/[[iron]]-[[nickel]]) [[core (geology)|core]] in the center, an icy [[mantle (geology)|mantle]] in the middle and an outer gaseous hydrogen/helium envelope.<ref name="Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" /><ref name=Faure2007/> The core is relatively small, with a mass of only 0.55&nbsp;Earth masses and a radius less than 20% of Uranus's; the mantle comprises the bulk of the planet, with around 13.4&nbsp;Earth masses, while the upper atmosphere is relatively insubstantial, weighing about 0.5&nbsp;Earth masses and extending for the last 20% of Uranus's radius.<ref>"Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" </ref><ref>Faure2007</ref> Uranus's core [[density]] is around 9&nbsp;g/cm<sup>3</sup>, with a [[pressure]] in the center of 8&nbsp;million&nbsp;[[bar (unit)|bars]] (800 [[gigapascal|GPa]]) and a temperature of about 5000&nbsp;[[kelvin|K]].<ref>"Podolak Podolak et al. 2000"</ref><ref>Faure2007</ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last= Faure|first=Gunter|coauthors=Mensing, Teresa|title=Introduction to Planetary Science|encyclopedia=Introduction to Planetary Science|year=2007|publisher=Springer Netherlands|editor=Faure, Gunter; Mensing, Teresa M.|doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-5544-7_18|chapter= Uranus: What Happened Here?|isbn= 978-1-4020-5233-0|pages= 369}}</ref> The ice mantle is not in fact composed of ice in the conventional sense, but of a hot and dense fluid consisting of water, ammonia and other [[volatiles]].<ref>"Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" </ref><ref>Faure2007</ref> This fluid, which has a high electrical conductivity, is sometimes called a water–ammonia ocean.<ref>Atreya2006</ref>{{cite journal|last=Atreya|first=S.|coauthors=Egeler, P.; Baines, K. |title=Water-ammonia ionic ocean on Uranus and Neptune?|journal=Geophysical Research Abstracts|volume=8|page=05179|year=2006|format=PDF| url=http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/EGU06/05179/EGU06-J-05179-1.pdf}}</ref> The bulk compositions of Uranus and Neptune are very different from those of Jupiter and [[Saturn]], with ice dominating over gases, hence justifying their separate classification as [[Gas giant|ice giants]]. There may be a layer of [[ionic water]] where the water molecules break down into a soup of hydrogen and oxygen ions, and deeper down [[superionic water]] in which the oxygen crystallises but the hydrogen ions move freely within the oxygen lattice.<ref>[http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727764.500-weird-water-lurking-inside-giant-planets.html Weird water lurking inside giant planets], New Scientist,September 1, 2010, Magazine issue 2776.</ref>
 
Ενώ το ανωτέρω θεωρούμενο μοντέλο είναι λογικά πρότυπο, δεν είναι μοναδικό· άλλα μοντέλα ικανοποιούν επίσης τις παρατηρήσεις. Για παράδειγμα, αν σημαντικές ποσότητες υδρογόνου και βραχωδών υλικών αναμειγνύονται στον μανδύα πάγου, η συνολική μάζα των πάγων στο εσωτερικό θα είναι λιγότερη, και, αντιστοίχως, η συνολική μάζα βράχων και υδρογόνου θα είναι μεγαλύτερη. Presently available data does not allow science to determine which model is correct.<ref name="Podolak Podolak et al. 2000" /> The fluid interior structure of Uranus means that it has no solid surface. The gaseous atmosphere gradually transitions into the internal liquid layers.<ref name="Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" /> For the sake of convenience, a revolving [[oblate spheroid]] set at the point at which atmospheric pressure equals 1&nbsp;bar (100 kPa) is conditionally designated as a "surface". It has equatorial and [[Geographical pole|polar]] radii of {{nowrap|25 559 ± 4}} and {{nowrap|24 973 ± 20&nbsp;km}}, respectively.<ref name="Seidelmann Archinal A'hearn et al. 2007" /> This surface will be used throughout this article as a zero point for [[altitude]]s.
 
=== Internal heat ===
Uranus's [[internal heat]] appears markedly lower than that of the other giant planets; in astronomical terms, it has a low [[thermal flux]].<ref>"Sromovsky & Fry 2005" </ref><ref>"Hanel Conrath et al. 1986"</ref> Why Uranus's internal temperature is so low is still not understood. Neptune, which is Uranus's near twin in size and composition, radiates 2.61 times as much energy into space as it receives from the Sun.<ref>"Sromovsky & Fry 2005"</ref> Uranus, by contrast, radiates hardly any excess heat at all. The total power radiated by Uranus in the [[far infrared]] (i.e. [[heat]]) part of the spectrum is {{nowrap|1.06 ± 0.08}} times the solar energy absorbed in its [[atmosphere]].<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref><ref>"Pearl Conrath et al. 1990"</ref> In fact, Uranus's heat flux is only {{nowrap|0.042 ± 0.047 W/m<sup>2</sup>,}} which is lower than the internal heat flux of Earth of about 0.075&nbsp;[[flux|W/m<sup>2</sup>]].<ref>"Pearl Conrath et al. 1990" </ref> The lowest temperature recorded in Uranus's [[tropopause]] is 49&nbsp;K (−224&nbsp;°C), making Uranus the coldest planet in the Solar System.<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref><ref>"Pearl Conrath et al. 1990" </ref>
 
One of the hypotheses for this discrepancy suggests that when Uranus was hit by a supermassive impactor, which caused it to expel most of its primordial heat, it was left with a depleted core temperature.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Ten Mysteries of the Solar System: Why is Uranus So Cold?|author=David Hawksett|journal=Astronomy Now|year=2005|page=73}}</ref> Another hypothesis is that some form of barrier exists in Uranus's upper layers which prevents the core's heat from reaching the surface.<ref name="Podolak Weizman et al. 1995" /> For example, [[convection]] may take place in a set of compositionally different layers, which may inhibit the upward [[Heat conduction|heat transport]];<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref><ref>"Pearl Conrath et al. 1990" </ref> it is possible that [[double diffusive convection]] is a limiting factor.<ref>"Podolak Weizman et al. 1995"</ref>
 
== Atmosphere ==
 
{{main|Atmosphere of Uranus}}
Although there is no well-defined solid surface within Uranus's interior, the outermost part of Uranus's gaseous envelope that is accessible to remote sensing is called its [[atmosphere]].<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref> Remote sensing capability extends down to roughly 300&nbsp;km below the 1 bar (100 kPa) level, with a corresponding pressure around 100&nbsp;bar (10&nbsp;MPa) and temperature of 320&nbsp;[[kelvin (unit)|K]].<ref>"de Pater Romani et al. 1991" </ref> The tenuous [[corona]] of the atmosphere extends remarkably over two planetary radii from the nominal surface at 1 bar pressure.<ref>"Herbert Sandel et al. 1987" </ref> The Uranian atmosphere can be divided into three layers: the [[troposphere]], between altitudes of −300 and 50&nbsp;km and pressures from 100 to 0.1&nbsp;bar; (10&nbsp;MPa to 10&nbsp;kPa), the [[stratosphere]], spanning altitudes between 50 and 4000&nbsp;km and pressures of between {{nowrap|0.1 and 10<sup>−10</sup>&nbsp;bar}} (10&nbsp;kPa to 10&nbsp;[[micropascal|µPa]]), and the [[thermosphere]]/corona extending from 4,000&nbsp;km to as high as 50,000&nbsp;km from the surface.<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref> There is no [[mesosphere]].
 
=== Composition ===
The composition of the Uranian atmosphere is different from the rest of the planet, consisting as it does mainly of [[molecular hydrogen]] and helium.<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref> The helium molar fraction, i.e. the number of helium [[atom]]s per [[molecule]] of gas, is {{nowrap|0.15 ± 0.03}}<ref>"Conrath Gautier et al. 1987" </ref> in the upper troposphere, which corresponds to a mass fraction {{nowrap|0.26 ± 0.05}}.<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref><ref>"Pearl Conrath et al. 1990" </ref> This value is very close to the protosolar helium mass fraction of {{nowrap|0.275 ± 0.01}},<ref>"Lodders 2003"</ref> indicating that helium has not settled in the center of the planet as it has in the gas giants.<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref> The third most abundant constituent of the Uranian atmosphere is methane {{nowrap|(CH<sub>4</sub>)}}.<ref>"Lunine 1993"</ref> Methane possesses prominent [[absorption band]]s in the [[visible spectrum|visible]] and [[near-infrared]] (IR) making Uranus [[aquamarine (color)|aquamarine]] or [[cyan]] in color.<ref>"Lunine 1993"</ref> Methane molecules account for 2.3% of the atmosphere by molar fraction below the methane cloud deck at the pressure level of 1.3&nbsp;bar (130&nbsp;kPa); this represents about 20 to 30&nbsp;times the carbon abundance found in the Sun.<ref>"Lunine 1993" </ref><ref>"Lindal Lyons et al. 1987"</ref><ref>1986Tyler</ref> The mixing ratio{{efn | Mixing ratio is defined as the number of molecules of a compound per a molecule of hydrogen. }} is much lower in the upper atmosphere owing to its extremely low temperature, which lowers the saturation level and causes excess methane to freeze out.<ref> "Bishop Atreya et al. 1990" </ref> The abundances of less volatile compounds such as ammonia, water and [[hydrogen sulfide]] in the deep atmosphere are poorly known. They are probably also higher than solar values.<ref>"Lunine 1993"</ref><ref>"de Pater Romani et al. 1989" </ref> Along with methane, trace amounts of various [[hydrocarbon]]s are found in the stratosphere of Uranus, which are thought to be produced from methane by [[photolysis]] induced by the solar [[ultraviolet]] (UV) radiation.<ref>"Summers & Strobel 1989" </ref> They include [[ethane]] {{nowrap|(C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>)}}, [[acetylene]] {{nowrap|(C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>)}}, [[methylacetylene]] {{nowrap|(CH<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>H)}}, [[diacetylene]] {{nowrap|(C<sub>2</sub>HC<sub>2</sub>H)}}.<ref>"Bishop Atreya et al. 1990" </ref><ref>"Burgdorf Orton et al. 2006" </ref><ref>"Encrenaz 2003" </ref> Spectroscopy has also uncovered traces of water vapor, [[carbon monoxide]] and [[carbon dioxide]] in the upper atmosphere, which can only originate from an external source such as infalling dust and [[comet]]s.<ref>"Burgdorf Orton et al. 2006" </ref><ref>"Encrenaz 2003" </ref><ref>"Encrenaz Lellouch et al. 2004" </ref>
 
=== Troposphere ===
[[File:Tropospheric profile Uranus new.svg|thumb|400px|Temperature profile of the Uranian troposphere and lower stratosphere. Cloud and haze layers are also indicated.]]
The troposphere is the lowest and densest part of the atmosphere and is characterized by a decrease in temperature with altitude.<ref name="Lunine 1993" /> The temperature falls from about 320&nbsp;K at the base of the nominal troposphere at −300&nbsp;km to 53&nbsp;K at 50&nbsp;km.<ref name="de Pater Romani et al. 1991" /><ref name=1986Tyler>{{cite journal|last=Tyler|first=J.L.|coauthors=Sweetnam, D.N.; Anderson, J.D.; et al. |title=Voyger 2 Radio Science Observations of the Uranian System: Atmosphere, Rings, and Satellites|journal=Science|volume=233|pages=79–84| year=1986| bibcode=1986Sci...233...79T |doi=10.1126/science.233.4759.79 |pmid=17812893|issue=4759}}</ref> The temperatures in the coldest upper region of the troposphere (the [[tropopause]]) actually vary in the range between 49 and 57&nbsp;K depending on planetary latitude.<ref name="Lunine 1993" /><ref name="Hanel Conrath et al. 1986" /> The tropopause region is responsible for the vast majority of the planet’s thermal [[far infrared]] emissions, thus determining its [[effective temperature]] of {{nowrap|59.1 ± 0.3 K}}.<ref name="Hanel Conrath et al. 1986" /><ref name="Pearl Conrath et al. 1990" />
 
The troposphere is believed to possess a highly complex cloud structure; water clouds are hypothesised to lie in the pressure range of {{nowrap|50 to 100 bar}} (5 to 10 MPa), [[ammonium hydrosulfide]] clouds in the range of {{nowrap|20 to 40 bar}} (2 to 4 MPa), ammonia or [[hydrogen sulfide]] clouds at between 3 and 10&nbsp;bar (0.3 to 1&nbsp;MPa) and finally directly detected thin methane clouds at {{nowrap|1 to 2 bar}} (0.1 to 0.2&nbsp;MPa).<ref name="Lunine 1993" /><ref name="Lindal Lyons et al. 1987" /><ref name="de Pater Romani et al. 1991" /><ref name="Atreya Wong 2005" /> The troposphere is a very dynamic part of the atmosphere, exhibiting strong winds, bright clouds and seasonal changes, which will be discussed below.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" />
 
=== Upper atmosphere ===
The middle layer of the Uranian atmosphere is the [[stratosphere]], where temperature generally increases with altitude from 53&nbsp;K in the [[tropopause]] to between 800 and 850&nbsp;K at the base of the thermosphere.<ref name="Herbert Sandel et al. 1987" /> The heating of the stratosphere is caused by absorption of solar UV and IR radiation by methane and other [[hydrocarbon]]s,<ref name=Young2001/> which form in this part of the atmosphere as a result of methane [[photolysis]].<ref>"Summers & Strobel 1989" </ref> Heat is also conducted from the hot thermosphere.<ref name=Young2001>{{cite journal|last=Young|first=Leslie A.|coauthors= Bosh, Amanda S.; Buie, Marc; et al.|title= Uranus after Solstice: Results from the 1998&nbsp;November&nbsp;6 Occultation |journal=Icarus|volume=153|pages=236–247|year=2001|doi=10.1006/icar.2001.6698| url=http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~layoung/eprint/ur149/Young2001Uranus.pdf| format=PDF|bibcode=2001Icar..153..236Y|issue=2}}</ref> The hydrocarbons occupy a relatively narrow layer at altitudes of between 100 and 300&nbsp;km corresponding to a pressure range of 10 to 0.1&nbsp;mbar (1000 to 10 kPa) and temperatures of between 75 and 170&nbsp;K.<ref>"Bishop Atreya et al. 1990" </ref><ref>"Burgdorf Orton et al. 2006" </ref> The most abundant hydrocarbons are methane, [[acetylene]] and [[ethane]] with [[mixing ratio]]s of around 10<sup>−7</sup> relative to hydrogen. The mixing ratio of [[carbon monoxide]] is similar at these altitudes.<ref name="Bishop Atreya et al. 1990" /><ref name="Burgdorf Orton et al. 2006" /><ref>"Encrenaz Lellouch et al. 2004" </ref> Heavier hydrocarbons and [[carbon dioxide]] have mixing ratios three orders of magnitude lower.<ref>"Burgdorf Orton et al. 2006" </ref> The abundance ratio of water is around 7{{e|-9}}.<ref>"Encrenaz 2003" </ref> Ethane and acetylene tend to condense in the colder lower part of stratosphere and tropopause (below 10&nbsp;mBar level) forming haze layers,<ref>"Summers & Strobel 1989" </ref> which may be partly responsible for the bland appearance of Uranus. The concentration of hydrocarbons in the Uranian stratosphere above the haze is significantly lower than in the stratospheres of the other giant planets.<ref>"Bishop Atreya et al. 1990"</ref><ref>"Herbert & Sandel 1999" </ref>
 
The outermost layer of the Uranian atmosphere is the thermosphere and corona, which has a uniform temperature around 800 to 850&nbsp;K.<ref name="Lunine 1993" /><ref>"Herbert & Sandel 1999"</ref> The heat sources necessary to sustain such a high value are not understood, since neither solar far UV and extreme UV radiation nor [[aurora (astronomy)|auroral]] activity can provide the necessary energy. The weak cooling efficiency due to the lack of hydrocarbons in the stratosphere above 0.1&nbsp;mBar pressure level may contribute too.<ref>"Herbert Sandel et al. 1987"</ref><ref>"Herbert & Sandel 1999"</ref> In addition to molecular hydrogen, the thermosphere-corona contains many free hydrogen atoms. Their small mass together with the high temperatures explain why the corona extends as far as 50&nbsp;000&nbsp;km or two Uranian radii from the planet.<ref>"Herbert Sandel et al. 1987" </ref><ref>"Herbert & Sandel 1999"</ref> This extended corona is a unique feature of Uranus.<ref>"Herbert & Sandel 1999" </ref> Its effects include a [[drag (physics)|drag]] on small particles orbiting Uranus, causing a general depletion of dust in the Uranian rings.<ref>"Herbert Sandel et al. 1987" </ref> The Uranian thermosphere, together with the upper part of the stratosphere, corresponds to the [[ionosphere]] of Uranus.<ref>1986Tyler</ref> Observations show that the ionosphere occupies altitudes from 2&nbsp;000&nbsp;to 10&nbsp;000&nbsp;km.<ref>1986Tyler</ref> The Uranian ionosphere is denser than that of either Saturn or Neptune, which may arise from the low concentration of hydrocarbons in the stratosphere.<ref>"Herbert & Sandel 1999" </ref><ref>"Trafton Miller et al. 1999" </ref> The ionosphere is mainly sustained by solar UV radiation and its density depends on the [[Space weather|solar activity]].<ref>"Encrenaz Drossart et al. 2003" </ref> [[Auroral]] activity is insignificant as compared to Jupiter and Saturn.<ref>"Herbert & Sandel 1999" </ref><ref>"Lam Miller et al. 1997" </ref>
 
== Πλανητικοί δακτύλιοι ==
 
{{κύριο|Δακτύλιοι του Ουρανού}}
[[File:Uranian rings PIA01977 modest.jpg|thumb|Οι εσωτερικοί δακτύλιοι του Ουρανού. Ο λαμπερός εξωτερικός δακτύλιος είναι ο [[Δακτύλιοι του Ουρανού#δακτύλιος ε|δακτύλιος ε]]· φαίνονται άλλοι οκτώ δακτύλιοι.]]
[[File:Uranian rings scheme.png|thumb|Το σύστημα δακτυλίων του Ουρανού]]Ο Ουρανός έχει ένα περίπλοκο σύστημα [[πλανητικός δακτύλιος|πλανητκών δακτυλίων]], ο οποίος έχει το δεύτερο τέτοιο σύστημα που ανακαλύφθηκε στο Ηλιακό Σύστημα μετά του [[Δακτύλιοι του Κρόνου|Κρόνου]].<ref name=Esposito2002/> Οι δακτύλιοι αποτελούνται από εξαιρετικά σκοτεινά σωματίδια, τα οποία ποικίλουν σε μέγεθος από μικρόμετρα μέχρι τμήματα του ενός μέτρου.<ref>"Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" </ref> Δεκατρείς διακριτοί δακτύλιοι είναι τρεχόντως γνωστοί, λαμπρότερος εκ των οποίων είναι ο δακτύλιος ε. Όλοι οι δακτύλιοι του Ουρανού εκτός από δύο είναι εξαιρετικά στενοί—είναι συνήθως μερικά χιλιόμετρα φαρδείς. Οι δακτύλιοι είναι πιαθνώς αρκετά νέοι· οι υπολογισμοί δυναμικής δείχνουν ότι δεν σχηματίσθηκαν με τον Ουρανό. Η ύλη στους δακτυλίους μπορεί κάποτε να ήταν μέρος ενός δορυφόρου (ή δορυφόρων)ο οποίος διασκορπίσθηκε από συκγρούσεις μεγάλων ταχυτήτων. Από διάφορα κομμάτια πετρωμάτων που δημιουργήθηκαν ως αποτέλεσμα εκείνων των συγκρούσεων μόνο μερικά σωματίδια επεβίωσαν σε έναν περιορισμένο αριθμό σταθερών ζωνών που αντιστοιχούν στους σημερινούς δακτυλίους.<ref name=Esposito2002>{{cite journal |last=Esposito|first=L.W.|authorlink=Larry W. Esposito|title=Planetary rings|journal=Reports on Progress in Physics |year=2002|volume=65|pages=1741–1783|doi=10.1088/0034-4885/65/12/201 |isbn=0-521-36222-9|bibcode = 2002RPPh...65.1741E |issue=12 }}</ref><ref name=summary />
 
Ο Ουίλλιαμ Χέρσελ περιέγραψε εναν πιθανό δακτύλιο γύρω από τον Ουρανό το 1789. Αυτή η παρατήρηση θεωρείται γενικά αμφίβολη, καθώς οι δακτύλιοι είναι αρκετά αμυδροί, και στους επόμενους δύο αιώνες δεν παρατηρήθηκε ούτε ένας από άλλους παρατηρητές. Επιπλέον, ο Χέρσελ έκανε μια ακριβή περιγραφή του μεγέθους του δακτυλίου έψιλον, της γωνίας του σε σχέση με τη Γη, του κόκκινου χρώματός του, και των φαινομενικών αλλαγών του καθώς ο Ουρανός ταξίδευε γύρω από τον Ήλιο.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Uranus rings 'were seen in 1700s' |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6569849.stm|date=April 19, 2007| accessdate=April 19, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Did William Herschel Discover The Rings Of Uranus In The 18th Century?|work=Physorg.com|url=http://www.physorg.com/news95949762.html| year=2007|accessdate=June 20, 2007}}</ref> The ring system was definitively discovered on March 10, 1977 by [[James L. Elliot]], Edward W. Dunham, and [[Douglas J. Mink]] using the [[Kuiper Airborne Observatory]]. The discovery was serendipitous; they planned to use the [[occultation]] of the star SAO 158687 by Uranus to study the planet's [[Celestial body atmosphere|atmosphere]]. When their observations were analyzed, they found that the star had disappeared briefly from view five times both before and after it disappeared behind the planet. They concluded that there must be a ring system around the planet.<ref name=Elliot1977>{{cite web|title=The rings of Uranus|author=Elliot, J. L.; Dunham, E.; Mink, D.|work= Cornell University|url=http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v267/n5609/abs/267328a0.html|year=1977|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}</ref> Later they detected four additional rings.<ref name=Elliot1977/> The rings were directly imaged when ''Voyager 2'' passed Uranus in 1986.<ref name="Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" /> ''Voyager 2'' also discovered two additional faint rings bringing the total number to eleven.<ref name="Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" />
 
In December 2005, the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] detected a pair of previously unknown rings. The largest is located at twice the distance from the planet of the previously known rings. These new rings are so far from the planet that they are called the "outer" ring system. Hubble also spotted two small satellites, one of which, [[Mab (moon)|Mab]], shares its orbit with the outermost newly discovered ring. The new rings bring the total number of Uranian rings to 13.<ref>{{cite web|title=NASA's Hubble Discovers New Rings and Moons Around Uranus|work=Hubblesite|url=http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2005/33/| year=2005|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}</ref> In April 2006, images of the new rings with the [[Keck Observatory]] yielded the colours of the outer rings: the outermost is blue and the other red.<ref name=dePater2006>{{cite journal|last=dePater|first=Imke|coauthors=Hammel, Heidi B.; Gibbard, Seran G.; Showalter Mark R. |title=New Dust Belts of Uranus: Two Ring, red Ring, Blue Ring|journal=Science|volume=312|pages=92–94| year=2006|doi=10.1126/science.1125110|bibcode=2006Sci...312...92D |pmid=16601188|issue=5770}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Blue ring discovered around Uranus|publisher=UC Berkeley News|last=Sanders|first=Robert| url=http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/04/06_bluering.shtml|date=April 6, 2006|accessdate=October 3, 2006}}</ref>
One hypothesis concerning the outer ring's blue colour is that it is composed of minute particles of water ice from the surface of Mab that are small enough to scatter blue light.<ref name=dePater2006/><ref>{{cite web|title=Blue ring of Uranus linked to sparkling ice|author=Stephen Battersby|work=NewScientistSpace| url=http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn8960|year=2006|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}</ref> In contrast, the planet's inner rings appear grey.<ref name=dePater2006/>
 
== Μαγνητικό πεδίο ==
[[File:Uranian Magnetic field.gif|thumb|300px|left|Το μαγνητικό πεδίο του Ουρανού όπως παρατηρήθηκε από τον ''Βόγιατζερ 2'' το 1986. Τα S και N είναι ο μαγνητικός νότιος και βόρειος πόλος.]]
Πριν την άφιξη του ''Voyager 2'', δεν είχαν γίνει μετρήσεις της [[μαγνητόσφαιρα|μαγνητόσφαιρας]] του Ουρανού, ούτως η φύση του παρέμενε μυστήριο. Πριν το 1986, ο αστρονόμοι ανέμεναν το [[μαγνητικό πεδίο]] του Ουρανού να είναι στη γραμμή του [[ηλιακός άνεμος|ηλιακού ανέμου]], αφότου τότε θα ευθυυγραμμιζόταν με τους πόλους του πλανήτη ο οποίοι βρίσκονται στηνs [[εκλειπτική]].<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" />
 
''Voyager'''s observations revealed that the magnetic field is peculiar, both because it does not originate from the planet's geometric center, and because it is tilted at 59° from the axis of rotation.<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" /><ref name=Russell993/> In fact the magnetic dipole is shifted from the center of the planet towards the south rotational pole by as much as one third of the planetary radius.<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" /> This unusual geometry results in a highly asymmetric magnetosphere, where the magnetic field strength on the surface in the southern hemisphere can be as low as 0.1&nbsp;[[Gauss (unit)|gauss]] (10&nbsp;[[microtesla|µT]]), whereas in the northern hemisphere it can be as high as 1.1&nbsp;gauss (110&nbsp;µT).<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" /> The average field at the surface is 0.23&nbsp;gauss (23&nbsp;µT).<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" /> In comparison, the magnetic field of Earth is roughly as strong at either pole, and its "magnetic equator" is roughly parallel with its geographical equator.<ref name=Russell993/> The dipole moment of Uranus is 50&nbsp;times that of Earth.<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" /><ref name=Russell993>{{cite journal|last=Russell|first=C.T.|title= Planetary Magnetospheres |journal=Rep. Prog. Phys.|volume=56|pages=687–732|year=1993|doi= 10.1088/0034-4885/56/6/001|bibcode=1993RPPh...56..687R|issue=6}}</ref> Neptune has a similarly displaced and tilted magnetic field, suggesting that this may be a common feature of ice giants.<ref name=Russell993/> One hypothesis is that, unlike the magnetic fields of the terrestrial and gas giant planets, which are generated within their cores, the ice giants' magnetic fields are generated by motion at relatively shallow depths, for instance, in the water–ammonia ocean.<ref name=Atreya2006/><ref>{{cite journal|last=Stanley|first=Sabine|coauthors=Bloxham, Jeremy|title=Convective-region geometry as the cause of Uranus' and Neptune's unusual magnetic fields|journal=Letters to Nature|volume=428|issue=6979|pages=151–153| url=http://mahi.ucsd.edu/johnson/ES130/stanley2004-nature.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=August 5, 2007|year=2004|pmid=15014493|doi=10.1038/nature02376|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070807213745/http://mahi.ucsd.edu/johnson/ES130/stanley2004-nature.pdf |archivedate = August 7, 2007|deadurl=yes|bibcode = 2004Natur.428..151S }}</ref>
 
Despite its curious alignment, in other respects the Uranian magnetosphere is like those of other planets: it has a [[bow shock]] located at about 23 Uranian radii ahead of it, a [[magnetopause]] at 18 Uranian radii, a fully developed [[magnetotail]] and [[radiation belt]]s.<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" /><ref name=Russell993/><ref name="Krimigis Armstrong et al. 1986" /> Overall, the structure of Uranus's magnetosphere is different from Jupiter's and more similar to Saturn's.<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" /><ref name=Russell993/> Uranus's [[magnetotail]] trails behind the planet into space for millions of kilometers and is twisted by the planet's sideways rotation into a long corkscrew.<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Voyager: Uranus: Magnetosphere|url=http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/uranus_magnetosphere.html|work=NASA|year=2003|accessdate=June 13, 2007}}</ref>
[[File:Uranuslight.jpg|thumb|200px|Uranus's aurorae against its equatorial rings, imaged by the Hubble telescope. Unlike the aurorae of Earth and Jupiter, they are not in line with the planet's poles, due to its lopsided magnetic field.]]
Uranus's magnetosphere contains [[charged particle]]s: [[proton]]s and [[electron]]s with small amount of [[Dihydrogen cation|H<sub>2</sub><sup>+</sup>]] [[ion]]s.<ref name=Russell993/><ref name="Krimigis Armstrong et al. 1986" /> No heavier ions have been detected. Many of these particles probably derive from the hot atmospheric corona.<ref name="Krimigis Armstrong et al. 1986" /> The ion and electron energies can be as high as 4 and 1.2&nbsp;[[megaelectronvolt]]s, respectively.<ref name="Krimigis Armstrong et al. 1986" /> The density of low energy (below 1&nbsp;[[kiloelectronvolt]]) ions in the inner magnetosphere is about 2&nbsp;cm<sup>−3</sup>.<ref name=Bridge1986>{{cite journal|last= Bridge|first=H.S.|coauthors=Belcher, J.W.; Coppi, B.; et al. |title=Plasma Observations Near Uranus: Initial Results from Voyager 2 |journal=Science|volume=233|pages=89–93|year=1986|bibcode=1986Sci...233...89B |doi=10.1126/science.233.4759.89 |pmid=17812895|issue= 4759}}</ref> The particle population is strongly affected by the Uranian moons that sweep through the magnetosphere leaving noticeable gaps.<ref name="Krimigis Armstrong et al. 1986" /> The particle [[flux]] is high enough to cause darkening or [[space weathering]] of the moon’s surfaces on an astronomically rapid timescale of 100,000&nbsp;years.<ref name="Krimigis Armstrong et al. 1986" /> This may be the cause of the uniformly dark colouration of the moons and rings.<ref name=summary>{{cite web|title=Voyager Uranus Science Summary|work=NASA/JPL|url=http://www.solarviews.com/eng/vgrur.htm|year=1988|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}</ref> Uranus has relatively well developed aurorae, which are seen as bright arcs around both magnetic poles.<ref name="Herbert & Sandel 1999" /> Unlike Jupiter's, Uranus's aurorae seem to be insignificant for the energy balance of the planetary thermosphere.<ref name="Lam Miller et al. 1997" />
 
== Climate ==
 
{{main|Climate of Uranus}}
[[File:Uranuscolour.png|thumb|Uranus's southern hemisphere in approximate natural colour (left) and in shorter wavelengths (right), showing its faint cloud bands and atmospheric "hood" as seen by ''Voyager 2'']]
 
At ultraviolet and visible wavelengths, Uranus's atmosphere is remarkably bland in comparison to the other gas giants, even to Neptune, which it otherwise closely resembles.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /> When ''Voyager 2'' flew by Uranus in 1986, it observed a total of ten cloud features across the entire planet.<ref name="Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" /><ref name=planetary>{{cite web|title=No Longer Boring: 'Fireworks' and Other Surprises at Uranus Spotted Through Adaptive Optics|author=Emily Lakdawalla |work=The Planetary Society|url=http://www.planetary.org/news/2004/1111_No_Longer_Boring_Fireworks_and_Other.html|year=2004|accessdate=June 13, 2007}}</ref> One proposed explanation for this dearth of features is that Uranus's [[internal heat]] appears markedly lower than that of the other giant planets. The lowest temperature recorded in Uranus's tropopause is 49&nbsp;K, making Uranus the coldest planet in the Solar System, colder than Neptune.<ref name="Lunine 1993" /><ref name="Pearl Conrath et al. 1990" />
 
=== Banded structure, winds and clouds ===
[[File:Uranian wind speeds.png|thumb|left|Zonal wind speeds on Uranus. Shaded areas show the southern collar and its future northern counterpart. The red curve is a symmetrical fit to the data.]]
In 1986 ''Voyager 2'' found that the visible southern hemisphere of Uranus can be subdivided into two regions: a bright polar cap and dark equatorial bands (see figure on the right).<ref>"Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" </ref> Their boundary is located at about −45 degrees of [[latitude]]. A narrow band straddling the latitudinal range from −45 to −50 degrees is the brightest large feature on the visible surface of the planet.<ref>"Smith Soderblom et al. 1986"</ref><ref>"Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2003, 2005"</ref> It is called a southern "collar". The cap and collar are thought to be a dense region of methane clouds located within the pressure range of 1.3 to 2&nbsp;bar (see above).<ref>"Rages Hammel et al. 2004" </ref> Besides the large-scale banded structure, Voyager 2 observed ten small bright clouds, most lying several degrees to the north from the collar.<ref>"Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" </ref> In all other respects Uranus looked like a dynamically dead planet in 1986. Unfortunately Voyager 2 arrived during the height of the planet's southern summer and could not observe the northern hemisphere. At the beginning of the 21st century, when the northern polar region came into view, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and [[Keck telescopes|Keck]] telescope initially observed neither a collar nor a polar cap in the northern hemisphere.<ref>"Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2003, 2005"</ref> So Uranus appeared to be asymmetric: bright near the south pole and uniformly dark in the region north of the southern collar.<ref>"Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2003, 2005"</ref> In 2007, when Uranus passed its equinox, the southern collar almost disappeared, while a faint northern collar emerged near 45 degrees of [[latitude]].<ref>"Sromovsky Fry et al. 2009"</ref>
[[File:Uranus Dark spot.jpg|thumb|The first dark spot observed on Uranus. Image obtained by the HST [[Advanced Camera for Surveys|ACS]] in 2006.]]
In the 1990s, the number of the observed bright cloud features grew considerably partly because new high resolution imaging techniques became available.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /> Most were found in the northern hemisphere as it started to become visible.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /> An early explanation—that bright clouds are easier to identify in the dark part of the planet, whereas in the southern hemisphere the bright collar masks them—was shown to be incorrect: the actual number of features has indeed increased considerably.<ref name="Karkoschka ('Uranus') 2001" /><ref name="Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2004, 2005" /> Nevertheless there are differences between the clouds of each hemisphere. The northern clouds are smaller, sharper and brighter.<ref name="Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2004, 2005" /> They appear to lie at a higher altitude.<ref name="Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2004, 2005" /> The lifetime of clouds spans several orders of magnitude. Some small clouds live for hours, while at least one southern cloud may have persisted since Voyager flyby.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /><ref name=planetary/> Recent observation also discovered that cloud features on Uranus have a lot in common with those on Neptune.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /> For example, the dark spots common on Neptune had never been observed on Uranus before 2006, when the first such feature dubbed [[Uranus Dark Spot]] was imaged.<ref name=DarkSpot/> The speculation is that Uranus is becoming more Neptune-like during its equinoctial season.<ref name=Hammel2007/>
 
The tracking of numerous cloud features allowed determination of [[Zonal and meridional|zonal]] winds blowing in the upper troposphere of Uranus.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /> At the equator winds are retrograde, which means that they blow in the reverse direction to the planetary rotation. Their speeds are from −100 to −50&nbsp;m/s.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /><ref name="Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2003, 2005" /> Wind speeds increase with the distance from the equator, reaching zero values near ±20° latitude, where the troposphere's temperature minimum is located.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /><ref name="Hanel Conrath et al. 1986" /> Closer to the poles, the winds shift to a prograde direction, flowing with the planet's rotation. Windspeeds continue to increase reaching maxima at ±60° latitude before falling to zero at the poles.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /> Windspeeds at −40° latitude range from 150 to 200&nbsp;m/s. Since the collar obscures all clouds below that parallel, speeds between it and the southern pole are impossible to measure.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /> In contrast, in the northern hemisphere maximum speeds as high as 240&nbsp;m/s are observed near +50 degrees of latitude.<ref name="Sromovsky & Fry 2005" /><ref name="Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2003, 2005" /><ref name="Hammel Rages et al. 2001" />
 
=== Εποχικές μεταβολές ===
[[File:Uranus clouds.jpg|thumb|upright|Ο Ουρανός το 2005. Οι δακτύλιοι, το νότιο κολλάρο και ένα λαμπρό σύννεφο στοβόρειο ημισφαίριο ε΄΄ιναι ορατά (εικόνα HST ACS).]]
Για μια βραχεία περίοδο από τον Μάρτιο έως τον Μάιο 2004, ένας αριθμός νεφών εμφανίσθηκαν στην ατμόσφαιρα του Ουρανού, προσδίδοντάς του μια εμφάνιση παρόμοια με του Ποσειδώνα.<ref name="Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2004, 2005" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Devitt|first=Terry|url=http://www.news.wisc.edu/10402|title=Keck zooms in on the weird weather of Uranus|publisher=University of Wisconsin-Madison |year=2004|accessdate=December 24, 2006}}</ref> Οι παρατηρήσεις περιελάμβαναν ταχύτητες ανέμων που έσπασαν ρεκόρ τάξης 229&nbsp;m/s (824&nbsp;km/h) και μια επίμονη καταιγίδα αναφερόμενη ως "Πυροτεχνήματα της Τετάρτης Ιουλίου".<ref name=planetary/> Στις 23 Αυγούστου 2006, οι ερευνητές στο Space Science Institute (Μπάουλντερ, Κολοράντο) και του Πανεπιστημίου του Ουισκόνσιν παρατήρησαν μια σκούρα κηλίδα στην επιφάνεια του Ουρανού, δίνοντας στους αστρονόμους περισσότερη ορατότητα στην ατμοσφαιρική δραστηριότητα του πλανήτη.<ref name=DarkSpot>{{cite web| url=http://www.physorg.com/pdf78676690.pdf|title=Hubble Discovers a Dark Cloud in the Atmosphere of Uranus|last=Sromovsky|first=L. |coauthors=Fry, P.;Hammel, H.;Rages, K|publisher=physorg.com|accessdate=August 22, 2007|format=PDF}}</ref> Το γιατί θα έπρεπε να συμβαίνει αυτή η απότομη έξαρση στη δραστηριότητα δεν είναι πλήρως γνωστό, αλλά φαίνεται ότι η ιδαίτερη αξονική κλίση του Ουρανού οδηγεί σε ακραίες εποχικές μεταβολές στις καιρικές του συνθήκες.<ref name=weather /><ref name=Hammel2007/> Ο καθορισμός αυτών των εποχικών μεταβολών είναι δύσκολος επειδή καλά δεδομένα για την ατμόσφαιρα του Ουρανού έχουν υπάρξει για λιγότερο από 84 έτη 84 years, ή ένα πλήρες έτος του Ουρανού. Έχει γίνει ένας αριθμός ανακαλύψεων. Η [[φωτομετρία (αστρονομία)|φωτομετρία]] επί της πορείας ενός ημίσεος του έτους του Ουρανού (αρχίζοντας από τη δεκαετία του 1950) έχει δείξει τακτική μεταβλητότητα στην λαμπρότητα σε δύο [[φασματική ζώνη|φασματικές ζώνες]], με τα μέγιστα να συμβαίνουν σττα ηλιοστάσια και τα ελάχιστα κατά τις ισημερίες.<ref name="Lockwood & Jerzykiewicz 2006" /> Μια παρόμοια περιοδική μεταβολή, με μέγιστα στα ηλιοστάσια, έχει παρατηρηθεί σε μετρήσεις [[μικροκύματα|μικροκυμάτων]] της βαθειάς τροπόσφαιρας που άρχισαν την δεκαετία του 1960.<ref name="Klein & Hofstadter 2006" /> [[Στρατόσφαιρα|Στρατοσφαιρικές]] μετρήσεις θερμοκρασίας που άρχισαν την δεκαετία του 1970 επίσης έδειξαν μέγιστες τιμές κοντά στο ηλιοστάσιο του 1986.<ref name=Young2001/> Η πλειοψηφία αυτής της ποικιλότητας πιστεύεται ότι συμβαίνει λόγω αλλαγών στην οπτική γεωμετρία.<ref name="Karkoschka ('Uranus') 2001" />
 
Υπάρχουν μερικοί λόγοι για να πιστεύουμε ότι φυσικές εποχικές μεταβολές συμβαίνουν στον Ουρανό. Ενώ ο πλανήτης είναι γνωστό ότι έχει μια λαμπρή νότια πολική περιοχή, ο βόρειος πόλος είναι αρκετά αμυδρός, κάτι ασυμβίβαστο με το μοντέλο της εποχικής μεταβολής που περιγράφηκε παραπάνω.<ref>Hammel2007</ref>{{cite journal|last=Hammel|first=H.B.|coauthors=Lockwood, G.W.|title=Long-term atmospheric variability on Uranus and Neptune|journal=Icarus|year=2007|volume=186|pages=291–301|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2006.08.027| bibcode=2007Icar..186..291H}}</ref> During its previous northern solstice in 1944, Uranus displayed elevated levels of brightness, which suggests that the north pole was not always so dim.<ref>"Lockwood & Jerzykiewicz 2006" </ref> This information implies that the visible pole brightens some time before the solstice and darkens after the equinox.<ref>Hammel2007</ref> Detailed analysis of the visible and microwave data revealed that the periodical changes of brightness are not completely symmetrical around the solstices, which also indicates a change in the [[meridional]] [[albedo]] patterns.<ref>Hammel2007</ref> Finally in the 1990s, as Uranus moved away from its solstice, Hubble and ground based telescopes revealed that the south polar cap darkened noticeably (except the southern collar, which remained bright),<ref>"Rages Hammel et al. 2004" </ref> while the northern hemisphere demonstrated increasing activity,<ref>planetary</ref> such as cloud formations and stronger winds, bolstering expectations that it should brighten soon.<ref>"Hammel de Pater et al. Uranus in 2004, 2005" </ref> This indeed happened in 2007 when the planet passed an equinox: a faint northern polar collar arose, while the southern collar became nearly invisible, although the zonal wind profile remained slightly asymmetric, with northern winds being somewhat slower than southern.<re>"Sromovsky Fry et al. 2009" </ref>
 
The mechanism of physical changes is still not clear.<ref>Hammel2007</ref> Near the summer and winter solstices, Uranus's hemispheres lie alternately either in full glare of the Sun's rays or facing deep space. The brightening of the sunlit hemisphere is thought to result from the local thickening of the methane clouds and haze layers located in the troposphere.<ref>"Rages Hammel et al. 2004" </ref> The bright collar at −45° latitude is also connected with methane clouds.<ref>"Rages Hammel et al. 2004" </ref> Other changes in the southern polar region can be explained by changes in the lower cloud layers.<ref>"Rages Hammel et al. 2004" </ref> The variation of the microwave [[Emission (electromagnetic radiation)|emission]] from the planet is probably caused by a changes in the deep tropospheric [[Circulation (fluid dynamics)|circulation]], because thick polar clouds and haze may inhibit convection.<ref>"Hofstadter & Butler 2003" </ref> Now that the spring and autumn equinoxes are arriving on Uranus, the dynamics are changing and convection can occur again.<ref>planetary </ref><ref>"Hofstadter & Butler 2003" </ref>
 
== Formation ==
 
{{main|Formation and evolution of the Solar System}}
{{For|details of the evolution of Uranus's orbit|Nice model}}
Many{{who|date=March 2012}} argue that the differences between the ice giants and the gas giants extend to their formation.<ref name=Thommes1999/><ref name=Brunini1999>{{cite journal|last=Brunini|first=Adrian|coauthors=Fernandez, Julio A.|title=Numerical simulations of the accretion of Uranus and Neptune |journal=Plan. Space Sci.|volume=47|pages=591–605|year=1999|doi=10.1016/S0032-0633(98)00140-8| bibcode=1999P&SS...47..591B|issue=5}}</ref> The Solar System is believed{{by whom|date=March 2012}} to have formed from a giant rotating ball of gas and dust known as the [[presolar nebula]]. Much of the nebula's gas, primarily hydrogen and helium, formed the Sun, while the dust grains collected together to form the first protoplanets. As the planets grew, some of them eventually accreted enough matter for their gravity to hold onto the nebula's leftover gas.<ref name=Thommes1999/><ref name=Brunini1999/> The more gas they held onto, the larger they became; the larger they became, the more gas they held onto until a critical point was reached, and their size began to increase exponentially. The ice giants, with only a few Earth masses of nebular gas, never reached that critical point.<ref name=Thommes1999/><ref name=Brunini1999/><ref name=Jewitt2006>{{cite journal|last=Sheppard|first=Scott S.|coauthors=Jewitt, David; Kleyna, Jan|title=An Ultradeep Survey for Irregular Satellites of Uranus: Limits to Completeness|journal=The Astronomical Journal| volume=129|pages=518–525| arxiv=astro-ph/0410059|year=2006| doi=10.1086/426329| bibcode=2005AJ....129..518S}}</ref> Recent simulations of [[planetary migration]] have suggested that both ice giants formed closer to the Sun than their present positions, and moved outwards after formation, a hypothesis which is detailed in the [[Nice model]].<ref name=Thommes1999>{{cite journal|last=Thommes|first=Edward W.|coauthors=Duncan, Martin J.; Levison, Harold F.|title=The formation of Uranus and Neptune in the Jupiter-Saturn region of the Solar System|journal=Nature|volume=402|pages=635–638| url=http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~hal/PDF/un-scat_nature.pdf|year=1999|doi=10.1038/45185|format=PDF|pmid=10604469|issue=6762|bibcode = 1999Natur.402..635T }}</ref>
 
== Δορυφόροι ==
 
{{κύριοι|Δορυφόροι του Ουρανού}}
{{see also|Timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their natural satellites}}
[[File:Uranian moon montage.jpg|thumb|400px|Major moons of Uranus in order of increasing distance (left to right), at their proper relative sizes and [[albedo]]s (collage of ''Voyager 2'' photographs)]]
[[File:ESO_-_Uranus (by).jpg|thumb|left|The Uranus System ([[Very Large Telescope#Instruments|NACO]]/[[Very Large Telescope|VLT]] image)]]
Ο Ουρανός έχει 27 γνωστούς [[φυσικοί δορυφόροι|φυσικούς δορουφόρους]].<ref name=Jewitt2006/> Τα ονόματα αυτών των δορυφόρων επιλέχθηκαν από χαρακτήρες από τα έργα του [[Σέξπιρ]] και του [[Αλεξάντερ Πόουπ]].<ref name=Faure2007/><ref name=Nineplanets>{{cite web |title=Uranus |url=http://www.nineplanets.org/uranus.html|publisher=nineplanets.org |accessdate=July 3, 2007}}</ref> Οι πέντε κύριοι δορυφόροι είναι η [[Μιράντα (δορυφόρος)|Μιράντα]], ο [[Αριήλ (δορυφόρος)|Αριήλ]], ο [[Ουμβριήλ (δορυφόρος)|Ουμβριήλ]], η [[Τιτάνια (δορυφόρος)|Τιτάνια]] και ο [[Όμπερον (δορυφόρος)|Όμπερον]].<ref name=Faure2007/> Το σύστημα δοορυφόρων του Ουρανού έχει την μικρότερη μάζα μεταξύ των αέριων γιγάντων· πράγματι, η συνολική μάζα των πέντε μεγάλων δορυφόρων θα ήταν λιγότερη από την μισή μάζα του [[Τρίτωνας δορυφόρος)|Τρίτωνα]] μόνο.<ref name="Jacobson Campbell et al. 1992" /> The largest of the satellites, Titania, has a radius of only 788.9&nbsp;km, or less than half that of the Moon, but slightly more than Rhea, the second largest moon of Saturn, making Titania the [[List of natural satellites by diameter|eighth largest moon]] in the Solar System. The moons have relatively low albedos; ranging from 0.20 for Umbriel to 0.35 for Ariel (in green light).<ref name="Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" /> The moons are ice-rock conglomerates composed of roughly fifty percent ice and fifty percent rock. The ice may include ammonia and [[carbon dioxide]].<ref name=summary/><ref name=Hussmann2006>{{cite journal|last=Hussmann|first=Hauke|coauthors=Sohl, Frank; Spohn, Tilman|title=Subsurface oceans and deep interiors of medium-sized outer planet satellites and large trans-neptunian objects|journal=Icarus|volume=185|pages=258–273|year=2006|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2006.06.005| bibcode=2006Icar..185..258H}}</ref>
 
Among the satellites, Ariel appears to have the youngest surface with the fewest impact craters, while Umbriel's appears oldest.<ref name="Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" /><ref name=summary /> Miranda possesses fault canyons 20&nbsp;kilometers deep, terraced layers, and a chaotic variation in surface ages and features.<ref name="Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" /> Miranda's past geologic activity is believed to have been driven by [[tidal heating]] at a time when its orbit was more eccentric than currently, probably as a result of a formerly present 3:1 [[orbital resonance]] with Umbriel.<ref name="Tittemore Wisdom 1990" /> [[Rift|Extensional]] processes associated with upwelling [[diapir]]s are the likely origin of the moon's 'racetrack'-like [[Corona (planetary geology)|coronae]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Pappalardo, R. T., Reynolds, S. J., Greeley, R.
|title=Extensional tilt blocks on Miranda: Evidence for an upwelling origin of Arden Corona|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research|volume=102|issue=E6|pages=13,369–13,380|date= 1997
|url=http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/1997/97JE00802.shtml
|doi=10.1029/97JE00802|bibcode=1997JGR...10213369P}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last = Chaikin|first = Andrew| authorlink = Andrew Chaikin| title = Birth of Uranus' Provocative Moon Still Puzzles Scientists|work=Space.Com|publisher=ImaginovaCorp.|date = October 16, 2001
|url = http://web.archive.org/web/20080709020909/http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/miranda_creation_011016-1.html|accessdate = December 7, 2007}}</ref> Similarly, Ariel is believed to have once been held in a 4:1 resonance with Titania.<ref name="Tittemore 1990" />
 
== Exploration ==
 
[[File:Uranus Final Image.jpg|thumb|upright|Crescent Uranus as imaged by ''Voyager 2'' while departing for Neptune]]
{{main|Exploration of Uranus}}
 
In 1986, [[NASA]]'s ''Voyager 2'' interplanetary probe encountered Uranus. This flyby remains the only investigation of the planet carried out from a short distance, and no other visits are currently planned. Launched in 1977, ''Voyager 2'' made its closest approach to Uranus on January 24, 1986, coming within 81,500&nbsp;kilometers of the planet's cloudtops, before continuing its journey to Neptune. ''Voyager 2'' studied the structure and chemical composition of Uranus's atmosphere,<ref name=1986Tyler/> including the planet's unique weather, caused by its axial tilt of 97.77°. It made the first detailed investigations of its five largest moons, and discovered 10 new [[Uranus' natural satellites|moons]]. It examined all nine of the [[Rings of Uranus|system's known rings]], discovering two new ones.<ref name="Smith Soderblom et al. 1986" /><ref name=summary /><ref>{{cite web|title=Voyager: The Interstellar Mission: Uranus|work=JPL|url=http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/uranus.html|year=2004|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}</ref> It also studied the magnetic field, its irregular structure, its tilt and its unique corkscrew [[magnetosphere|magnetotail]] caused by Uranus's sideways orientation.<ref name="Ness Acuña et al. 1986" />
 
The possibility of sending the [[Cassini-Huygens|Cassini spacecraft]] to Uranus was evaluated during a mission extension planning phase in 2009.<ref name="spiker" /> It would take about twenty years to get to the Uranian system after departing Saturn.<ref name="spiker">
{{cite web
| author = Bob Pappalardo
| coauthors = Linda Spiker
| title = Cassini Proposed Extended-Extended Mission (XXM)
| date = 2009-03-09
| url = http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/march09/presentations/pappalardo.pdf
| format = PDF
| accessdate = 2011-08-20
}}
</ref> A [[Uranus orbiter and probe]] was recommended by the 2013–2022 [[Planetary Science Decadal Survey]] published in 2011;the proposal envisages launch during 2020–2023 and a 13-year cruise to Uranus.<ref name=uop>{{cite web | author=Space Studies Board | title=NRC planetary decadal survey 2013–2022 | publisher=NASA Lunar Science Institute | url=http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/2013decadal/ | accessdate=2011-08-05 }}</ref> A Uranus entry probe could use [[Pioneer Venus]] Multiprobe heritage and descend to 1–5 atmospheres.<ref name=uop/> The ESA evaluated a "medium-class" mission called [[Uranus Pathfinder]].<ref>[http://www.space.com/13248-nasa-uranus-missions-solar-system.html Michael Schirber – '&#39;'Missions Proposed to Explore Mysterious Tilted Planet Uranus'&#39;' (2011) – Astrobiology Magazine]. Space.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-02.</ref> A [[New Frontiers Uranus Orbiter]] has been evaluated and recommended in the study, ''The Case for a Uranus Orbiter''.<ref name=hof>[http://www.lpi.usra.edu/decadal/opag/UranusOrbiter_v7.pdf THE CASE FOR A URANUS ORBITER], Mark Hofstadter et al.</ref> Such a mission is aided by the ease with which a relatively big mass can be sent to the system{{mdash}}over 1500 kg with an Atlas 521 and 12 year journey.<ref name=hof2>[http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/march09/presentations/hofstadter.pdf To Uranus on Solar Power and Batteries]. (PDF) . Retrieved on 2012-04-02.</ref> For more concepts see [[Exploration of Uranus#Proposed missions|Proposed Uranus missions]].
 
== In culture ==
 
In [[astrology]], the planet Uranus ([[File:Uranus's astrological symbol.svg|22px]]) is the ruling planet of [[Aquarius (astrology)|Aquarius]]. Since Uranus is colored [[cyan]] and Uranus is associated with electricity, the color [[Electric blue (color)|electric blue]], a color close to cyan, is associated with the sign Aquarius.<ref>{{cite book
|title=Parker, Derek and Julia ''Aquarius''
|series=Planetary Zodiac Library|location=New York
|year=1972|publisher=Mitchell Beazley/Ballantine Book
|page=14}}</ref> (See [[Uranus (astrology)|Uranus in astrology]])
 
The [[chemical element]] [[uranium]], discovered in 1789 by the German chemist [[Martin Heinrich Klaproth]], was named after the newly discovered planet Uranus.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|edition=4th|title=Uranium|encyclopedia=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|url=http://www.answers.com/uranium|accessdate=April 20, 2010}}</ref> ''Uranus, the [[Magician (paranormal)|Magician]]'' is a movement in [[Gustav Holst]]'s ''[[The Planets]]'', written between 1914 and 1916. [[Operation Uranus]] was the successful [[military operation]] in [[World War II]] by the [[Soviet army]] to take back [[Stalingrad]] and marked the turning point in the land war against the [[Wehrmacht]].
 
The line, ''Then felt I like some watcher of the skies/When a new planet swims into his ken'', from [[John Keats]]'s ''[[On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer]]'' is a reference to Herschel's discovery of Uranus.<ref>{{cite web |title=On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer |url=http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/homer.html |publisher=City University of New York |year=2009 |accessdate=2011-10-29}}</ref>
 
 
 
 
== Παραπομπές ==
{{reflist|2}}
 
== Πηγές ==
{{commonscat|Uranus}}
{{Πύλη|Αστρονομία|P space.png}}
{{Πύλη|Διάστημα|P satellite dish.svg}}
* [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/uranusfact.html NASA's Uranus fact sheet]
* W.H. Smith World Atlas, εκδόσεις W.H. Smith, Λονδίνο 1979
* [http://www.solarviews.com http://www.solarviews.com]
* Windows to the Universe team. Uranus. Boulder, CO: (c) 2000-04 University Corporation of Atmospheric Research (UCAR), (c) 1995-1999, 2000 The Regents of the University of Michigan, Τελευταία τροποποίηση 28/10/2003. Διαδικτυακή πηγή: [http://www.windows.ucar.edu http://www.windows.ucar.edu]. Ανακτήθηκε στις 22/04/2006
 
 
{{Πρότυπο:Δορυφόροι του Ουρανού}}
{{ΚατωΣέλιδο_ΗλιακόΣύστημα}}
 
[[Κατηγορία:Πλανήτες του Ηλιακού Συστήματος]]
[[Κατηγορία:Ουρανός]]
 
{{Link FA|ar}}
{{Link FA|ca}}
{{Link FA|cs}}
{{Link FA|en}}
{{Link FA|ru}}
{{Link FA|sk}}
{{Link FA|sl}}
{{Link GA|es}}
 
[[af:Uranus (planeet)]]
[[als:Uranus (Planet)]]
[[am:ኡራኑስ]]
[[an:Urano (planeta)]]
[[ang:Uranus]]
[[ar:أورانوس]]
[[arz:اورانوس]]
[[as:ইউৰেনাচ]]
[[ast:Uranu (planeta)]]
[[az:Uran (planet)]]
[[bar:Uranus (Planet)]]
[[bat-smg:Orans]]
[[be:Планета Уран]]
[[be-x-old:Уран (плянэта)]]
[[bg:Уран (планета)]]
[[bn:ইউরেনাস গ্রহ]]
[[bo:སྐར་མ་གནམ་རྒྱལ།]]
[[br:Ouran (planedenn)]]
[[bs:Uran (planeta)]]
[[ca:Urà (planeta)]]
[[chr:ᏳᏪᏄ]]
[[ckb:ئۆرانۆس]]
[[cs:Uran (planeta)]]
[[csb:Ùran]]
[[cv:Уран (планета)]]
[[cy:Wranws (planed)]]
[[da:Uranus (planet)]]
[[de:Uranus (Planet)]]
[[diq:Uranus]]
[[eml:Uràn]]
[[en:Uranus]]
[[eo:Urano (planedo)]]
[[es:Urano (planeta)]]
[[et:Uraan (planeet)]]
[[eu:Urano (planeta)]]
[[ext:Uranu (praneta)]]
[[fa:اورانوس]]
[[fi:Uranus]]
[[fiu-vro:Uraan (hod'otäht)]]
[[fo:Uranus]]
[[fr:Uranus (planète)]]
[[frp:Urano (planèta)]]
[[frr:Uranus]]
[[fy:Uranus]]
[[ga:Úránas (pláinéad)]]
[[gan:天王星]]
[[gd:Urànus (planaid)]]
[[gl:Urano]]
[[gu:યુરેનસ (ગ્રહ)]]
[[gv:Uranus]]
[[haw:Hele‘ekela]]
[[he:אורנוס]]
[[hi:अरुण (ग्रह)]]
[[hif:Arungrah]]
[[hr:Uran (planet)]]
[[ht:Iranis]]
[[hu:Uránusz]]
[[hy:Ուրան (մոլորակ)]]
[[ia:Urano (planeta)]]
[[id:Uranus]]
[[ilo:Urano]]
[[io:Urano]]
[[is:Úranus (reikistjarna)]]
[[it:Urano (astronomia)]]
[[iu:ᐅᕌᓄᔅ]]
[[ja:天王星]]
[[jbo:uranos]]
[[jv:Uranus]]
[[ka:ურანი (პლანეტა)]]
[[kk:Уран (ғаламшар)]]
[[km:ភពអ៊ុយរ៉ានុស]]
[[kn:ಯುರೇನಸ್]]
[[ko:천왕성]]
[[ksh:Urranuß (Planneet)]]
[[ku:Ûranûs]]
[[kv:Уран (планет)]]
[[kw:Ouran (planet)]]
[[ky:Уран]]
[[la:Uranus (planeta)]]
[[lb:Uranus (Planéit)]]
[[li:Uranus (planeet)]]
[[lij:Oran (astronomia)]]
[[lt:Uranas (planeta)]]
[[lv:Urāns (planēta)]]
[[mdf:Уран (шары тяште)]]
[[mg:Uranus]]
[[mk:Уран (планета)]]
[[ml:യുറാനസ്]]
[[mn:Тэнгэрийн ван]]
[[mr:युरेनस ग्रह]]
[[ms:Uranus]]
[[mt:Uranu (pjaneta)]]
[[mwl:Ourano]]
[[my:ယူရေးနပ်စ်ဂြိုဟ်]]
[[mzn:اورانوس]]
[[nah:Ilhuicateōcītlalli]]
[[nds:Uranus (Planet)]]
[[ne:युरेनस]]
[[nl:Uranus (planeet)]]
[[nn:Planeten Uranus]]
[[no:Uranus]]
[[nov:Urane (planete)]]
[[nv:Yoowéinis]]
[[oc:Uranus (planeta)]]
[[or:ଇଉରେନ୍ସେ]]
[[os:Уран (планетæ)]]
[[pa:ਉਰਣ]]
[[pam:Uranus]]
[[pl:Uran]]
[[pms:Uran (pianeta)]]
[[pnb:یورینس]]
[[pt:Urano (planeta)]]
[[qu:Uranu (puriq quyllur)]]
[[rm:Uranus (planet)]]
[[ro:Uranus]]
[[ru:Уран (планета)]]
[[rue:Уран (планета)]]
[[sa:अरुणः (युरेनस्)]]
[[sah:Уранус]]
[[scn:Uranu (pianeta)]]
[[se:Uranus]]
[[sh:Uran (planeta)]]
[[si:යු‍රේනස්]]
[[simple:Uranus]]
[[sk:Urán (planéta)]]
[[sl:Uran (planet)]]
[[so:Uraano]]
[[sq:Urani (planet)]]
[[sr:Уран]]
[[st:Yuranese]]
[[stq:Uranus]]
[[su:Uranus]]
[[sv:Uranus]]
[[sw:Uranus]]
[[szl:Ůrůn]]
[[ta:யுரேனசு]]
[[te:యురేనస్]]
[[tg:Уран]]
[[th:ดาวยูเรนัส]]
[[tl:Urano]]
[[tpi:Yurenes (planet)]]
[[tr:Uranüs]]
[[ug:ئۇران (پلانىت)]]
[[uk:Уран (планета)]]
[[ur:یورینس]]
[[uz:Uran (sayyora)]]
[[vep:Uran (planet)]]
[[vi:Sao Thiên Vương]]
[[war:Urano]]
[[wo:Uraanus]]
[[yi:אוראנוס]]
[[yo:Úránù]]
[[zh:天王星]]
[[zh-classical:天王星]]
[[zh-min-nan:Thiⁿ-ông-chheⁿ]]
[[zh-yue:天王星]]
[[zu:U-Uranu]]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
''Αυτό το λήμμα είναι σχετικά με την πολιτεία Κολοράντο των ΗΠΑ. Για το πρώην έδαφος των ΗΠΑ, βλέπε [[Έδαφος του Κολοράντο]]. Για τον ποταμό, βλέπε [[Ποταμός Κολοράντο]]. Για την φυσιογραφική περιοχή, βλέπε [[Οροπέδιο του Κολοράντο]]. Για άλλες χρήσεις, βλέπε [[Κολοράντο (αποσαφήνιση)]].''
{{Πολιτεία ΗΠΑ
|Όνομα = Κολοράντο
|ΠλήρεςΌνομα = Πολιτεία του Κολοράντο
|Σημαία = Flag of Colorado.svg
|Flaglink = [[Σημαία του Κολοράντο|Σημαία]]
|Σφραγίδα = Seal of Colorado.svg
|Χάρτης = Colorado in United States.svg
|Ψευδώνυμο = [[Κατάλογος πολιτειακών ψευδωνύμων των ΗΠΑ|Η Εκατονταετής Πολιτεία]]
|Σύνθημα = [[Nil sine numine]]<br/>(Nothing without providence)
|Former = Territory of Colorado
|Πρωτεύουσα = [[Ντένβερ]]
|ΜεγαλύτερηΠόλη = πρωτεύουσα
|ΜεγαλύτερηΜητρο = [[Denver-Aurora-Broomfield MSA]]
|Κυβερνήτης = [[Τζον Χίκενλουπερ]] ([[Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Δ]])
|Αναπληρωτής Κυβερνήτης = [[Τζόζεφ Α. Γκαρσία]] (Δ)
|ΝομοθετικόΣώμα = [[Γενική Συνέλευση του Κολοράντο|Γενική Συνέλευση]]
|Άνωβουλή = [[Γερουσία του Κολοράντο|Γερουσία]]
|Κάτωβουλή = [[Βουλή των Αντιπροσώπων του Κολοράντο|Βουλή των Αντιπροσώπων]]
|Γερουσιαστές = [[Τάξη 2 της Γερουσίας των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών|2]] – [[Μάρκ Γιούνταλ]] (Δ) <br />[[Τάξη 3 της Γερουσίας των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών|3]] – [[Μάικλ Μπέννετ]] (Δ)
|Αντιπρόσωπος = 4 [[Ρεπουμπλικανικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Ρεπουμπλικανοί]] και 3 [[Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Δημοκρατικοί]]
|ΤαυδρομικήΣύντμηση = CO
|TradAbbreviation = Colo.
|ΈκτασηΚατάταξη = 8η
|ΣυνολικήΈκταση = 269.837
|ΣυνολικήΈκτασηUS = 104.094
|ΈκτασηΞηράς = 268.875
|ΈκτασηΞηράςUS = 103.718
|ΈκτασηΝερού = 962
|ΈκτασηΝερούUS = 376
|ΠοσοστόΝερό = 0,36%
|ΠληθΚατάταξη = 22η
|2000Πληθ = 5.116.796 (εκτίμηση 2011)<ref name=PopEstUS/>
|Δημώνυμο = Coloradan ή Coloradoan (παλαιότερο)
|ΠυκνότηταΚατάταξη = 37η
|2000Πυκνότητα = 19,0 <!-- = Population/LandArea -->
|2000ΠυκνότηταUS = 49,3 <!-- = Population/LandAreaUS -->
|ΔιάμεσοΟικογενειακόΕισόδημα = $56.993
|ΕισόδημαΚατάταξη = 13η
|ΣειράΕισόδου = 38η Πολιτεία
|ΗμερομηνίαΕισόδου = 1 Αυγούστου 1876
|ΖώνηΏρας = [[Mountain Standard Time|MST]]=UTC-07, [[Mountain Daylight Time|MDT]]=UTC-06
|ΓεωγραφικόΠλάτος = 37°Β έως 41°Β
|ΓεωγραφικόΜήκος = 102°03'Δ έως 109°03'Δ
|Πλάτος = 612
|ΠλάτοςUS = 380
|Μήκος = 451
|ΜήκοςUS = 280
|ΥψηλότεροΣημείο = [[Όρος Έλμπερτ]]<ref name=Mount_Elbert>{{cite ngs|id=KL0637|designation=Mount Elbert|accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name=USGS>{{cite web|url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html|title=Elevations and Distances in the United States|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|year=2001|accessdate=October 21, 2011}}</ref><ref name=NAVD88>Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]].</ref><ref>The summit of [[Mount Elbert]] is the highest point of the [[Rocky Mountains]] of [[North America]].</ref>
|ΥψηλότεροΥψομ = 4401,2
|ΥψηλότεροΥψομUS = 14440
|ΜέσοΥψομ = 2070
|ΜέσοΥψομUS = 6.800
|ΧαμηλότεροΣημείο = [[Arikaree River]]<ref name=USGS/><ref name=NAVD88/>
|ΧαμηλότεροΥψομ = 1011
|ΧαμηλότεροΥψομUS = 3.316
|ISOCode = US-CO
|Ιστοσελίδα = colorado.gov
}}
Το '''Κολοράντο''' (αγγλικά:''Colorado'') (προφέρεται {{Audio-IPA|ColoradanColorado.ogg|kɒləˈrædoʊ}})<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colorado?show=0&t=1307303426 |title=Colorado - Definition|publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2010-08-13 |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref> είναι μια [[πολιτεία των ΗΠΑ]] που περιλαμβάνει το μεγαλύτερο μέρος των [[Νότια Βραχώδη Όρη|Νότιων Βραχωδών Ορέων]] καθώς και το βορειοανατολικό τμήμα του [[Οροπέδιο του Κολοράντο|Οροπεδίου του Κολοράντο]] και την δυτική άκρη των [[Μεγάλες Πεδιάδες|Μεγάλων Πεδιάδων]]. Το Κολοράντο είναι μέρος των [[Δυτικές Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες|Δυτικών Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών]], των [[Νοτιοδυτικές Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες|Νοτιοδυτικών Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών]], και των [[Ορεινές Πολιτείες|Ορεινών Πολιτειών]]. Το Κολοράντο είναι η [[Κατάλογος πολιτειών και εδαφών των ΗΠΑ ανά έκταση|8η σε έκταση]] και η [[Κατάλογος πολιτειών και εδαφών των ΗΠΑ ανά πληθυσμό|22η σε πληθυσμό]] από τις [[50 Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες]].
 
Η πολιτεία πήρε το όνομα της από τον [[Ποταμός Κολοράντο|Ποταμό Κολοράντο]], τον οποίο οι πρώτοι [[Ισπανία|Ισπανοί]] εξερευνητές ονόμασαν τον ''Río Colorado'' λόγω της ερυθρόχρωμης ([[Ισπανική γλώσσα|Ισπανικά]]:colorado) λάσπης που ο ποταμός μετέφερε από τα βουνά. Στις 1 Αυγούστου 1876, ο Πρόεδρος των ΗΠΑ [[Οδυσσεύς Γκραντ]] υπέγραψε μια διακήρυξη που δεχόταν το Κολοράντο ως 38η πολιτεία. Το Κολοράντο αποκαλείται "[[Κατάλογος πολιτειακών ψευδωνύμων των ΗΠΑ|Εκατονταετής Πολιτεία (''Centennial State'')]]" επειδή έγινε δεκτή στην [[Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες|Ένωση]] το 1876, το [[αιώνας|εκατοστό έτος]] της [[Διακήρυξη Ανεξαρτησίας των ΗΠΑ|Διακήρυξης Ανεξαρτησίας των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών]].
 
Το Κολοράντο συνορεύει με την [[Βορειοδυτικές Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες|βορειοδυτική]] πολιτεία του [[Ουαϊόμινγκ]] στα βόρεια, τις [[Μεσοδυτικές Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες|μεσοδυτικές]] πολιτείες της [[Νεμπράσκα]] και του [[Κάνσας]] στα βορειοανατολικά και τα ανατολικά, στα νότια με το [[Νέο Μεξικό]] και ένα μικρό τμήμα της [[Νότιες Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες|νότιας]] πολιτείας της [[Οκλαχόμα]], και στα δυτικά με την [[Γιούτα]]. Οι τέσσερις πολιτειες του Κολοράντο, του [[Νέο Μεξικό|Νέου Μεξικού]], της [[Αριζόνα]], και της [[Γιούτα]] συναντώνται σε ένα κοινό σημείο γνωστό ως οι [[Τέσσερις Γωνίες]], το οποίο είναι γνωστό ως η καρδιά των [[Νοτιοδυτικές Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες|Αμερικανικών Μεσοδυτικών]]. Το Κολοράντο είναι μία από τις τρεις μόνο πολιτείες χωρίς [[φυσικό σύνορο|φυσικά σύνορα]], με τις άλλες δύο να είναι το [[Ουαϊόμινγκ]] και η [[Γιούτα]]. Το Κολοράντο είναι αξιοσημείωτο για το ζωντανό τοπίο του από [[βουνά]], δάση, τις [[Υψηλές Πεδιάδες (Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες)|υψηλές πεδιάδες]], τα[[μέσα]], τα [[φαράγγι|φαράγγια]], τα [[οροπέδιο|οροπέδια]], τους [[ποταμός|ποταμούς]], και τις [[Έρημος|ερήμους]].
 
Το [[Ντένβερ]] είναι η [[πρωτεύουσα (πολιτική)|πρωτεύουσα]] και η [[Δήμοι του Κολοράντο ανά πληθυσμοί|πολυπληθέστερη πόλη]] του Κολοράντο. Οι κάτοικοι της πολιτείας είναι γνωστοί τυπικά ως "[[κατάλογος δημωνύμων των πολιτειών των ΗΠΑ|Coloradans]]", αν και ο παλαιός όρος "Coloradoan" χρησιμοποιείται ακόμη.<ref name=statestyle>[http://ccs.colostate.edu/style_guide/style_guide_az.aspx#state_names Writers Style Guide], Colorado State University. Retrieved January 19, 2009.</ref><ref name=Coloradan>{{cite news|last=Quillen |first=Ed |url=http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_5447358 |title=Coloradoan or Coloradan |publisher=Denverpost.com |date=2007-03-18 |accessdate=2010-07-30}}</ref>
 
==Γεωγραφία==
Τα σύνορα του Κολοράντο ήταν αρχικά ορισμένα ως γραμμές γεωγραφικού πλάτους και μήκους, κάνοντάς το σχήμα του ένα τετράπλευρο γεωγραφικού πλάτους-γεωγρααφικού μήκους* το οποίο εκτείνεται από [[37ος βόρειος παράλληλος|37°Β]] έως [[41ος βόρειος παράλληλος|41°Β]] γεωγραφικό πλάτος [[25ος μεσημβρινός δυτικά της Ουάσινγκτον|102°03'Δ]] έως [[32οςμεσημβρινός δυτικά της Ουάσινγκτον|109°03'Δ]] γεωγραφικό μήκος ([[25th meridian west from Washington|25°W]] to [[32nd meridian west from Washington|32°W]] from the [[Washington Meridian]]).<ref name=Colorado_Enabling_Act/> Colorado, [[Wyoming]] and [[Utah]] are the only states which have boundaries defined solely by lines of latitude and longitude. When placing the border markers for the [[Territory of Colorado]], minor [[surveying]] errors resulted in several <!-- nearly imperceptible -->small kinks, most notably along the [http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=38.258671,-108.873138&spn=0.731113,1.235962&z=10 border] with the [[Territory of Utah]]. Once agreed upon by the federal, state, and territorial governments, those [[benchmark (surveying)|surveyors' benchmarks]], became the legal boundaries for the Colorado Territory, kinks and all.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maa.org/mathtourist/mathtourist_08_30_07.html |title=Rectangular States and Kinky Borders |publisher=Maa.org |date=2007-08-30 |accessdate=2010-07-30}}</ref>
 
===Όρη===
[[File:Tenmile Fletcher Group.jpg|thumb|left|Η [[Οροσειρά Τένμαιλ]] κοντά στο [[Λήντβιλ, Κολοράντο]]]]
Η κορυφή του [[Όρος Έλμπερτ|Όρους Έλμπερτ]] με 14.440 ft (4.401 m) υψόμετρο στην [[Κομητεία Λέικ, Κολοράντο|Κομητεία Λέικ]] είναι το υψηλότερο σημείο του Κολοράντο και των Βραχωδών Ορέων.<ref name=Mount_Elbert/> Το Κολοράντο είναι η μόνη πολιτεία των ΗΠΑ που βρίσκεται πάνω από 1.000 m (3.281 ft) υψόμετρο. Το σημείο όπου ο [[Arikaree River]] εκρέει από την [[Κομητεία Γιούμα, Κολοράντο)]], και εισρέει στην [[Κομητεία Τσεγιέν, Κάνσας]], είναι το χαμηλότερο σημείο στο Κολοράντο με 3.317 ft (1.011 m) υψόμετρο. Αυτό το σημείο φέρει την διάκριση του να είναι το υψηλότερο σημείο χαμηλότερο υψομέτρου από κάθε πολιτεία.<ref name=USGS>{{cite web| date = April 29, 2005 | url = http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest| title = Elevations and Distances in the United States| publisher = U.S. Geological Survey| accessdate = October 19, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=U.S. Geological Survey |title=Elevations and Distances |url=http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest |accessdate=September 8, 2006}}</ref>
[[File:Tenmile.JPG|thumb|right|Βουνά κοντά στο [[Μπρέκενριτζ, Κολοράντο]].]]
 
 
===Πεδιάδες===
Λίγο παραπάνω από το ένα τρίτο της έκτασης του Κολοράντο είναι επίπεδη και λοφώδης γη. Ανατολικά των Βραχωδών Ορέων είναι οι [[Ανατολικές Πεδιάδες του Κολοράντο]] των [[Υψηλές Πεδιάδες (Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες)|Υψηλών Πεδιάδων]], το τμήμα των Μεγάλων Πεδιάδων μέσα στο Κολοράντο με υψόμετρα που κυμαίνονται από περίπου 3.350 έως 7.360 ft (1.020 έως 2.240 m).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.summitpost.org/colorado-county-highpoints/532245|title=Colorado County Highpoints|accessdate=February 27, 2012}}</ref> Οι μεσοδυτικές πολιτείες με πεδιάδες του Κάνσας και της Νεμπράσκα συνορεύουν με το Κολοράντο tστα ανατολικά και βορειοανατολικά. Οι πεδιάδες του Κολοράντο συχνά θεωρούνται [[λιβάδι|λιβάδια]], αλλά ουσιαστικά μπορεί να περιέχουν τεμάχια [[δάση φυλλοβόλων]], [[butte]], και [[φαράγγι|φαράγγια]], παρομοίως με τις υψηλές πεδιάδες στο Νέο Μεξικό επίσης. Το Ανατολικό Κολοράντο καλύπτεται τώρα κυρίως από χωράφια, μαζι με μικρά αγροτκά χωριά και κωμοπόλεις. Οι [[κατακρημνίσεις]] είναι καλές, με μέσο όρο από 15 έως 25 in (380 έως 630 mm) ετησίως.<ref name=ccc>{{cite web|url=http://ccc.atmos.colostate.edu/climateofcolorado.php|title=Climate of Colorado |last=Doesken|first=Nolan J.|coauthors=[[Roger A. Pielke]], Sr., Odilia A.P. Bliss |date=January 2003|publisher=Colorado Climate Center – Department of Atmospheric Science – [[Colorado State University]]|accessdate=January 25, 2009}}</ref> Τα καλοκαίρια στις πεδιάδες είναι κανονικά ζεστά και ξηρά, ενώ οι χειμώνες είναι συχνά αρκετά κρύοι, με χιόνι, και παγωμένοι. Το [[καλαμπόκι]], το [[σιτάρι]], το [[σανό]], η [[σόγια]], και η [[βρώμη]] είναι τυπικά προϊόντα, και οι περισσότερες κωμοπόλεις και χωριά σε αυτή την περιοχή υπερηφανεύονται για έναν [[πύργος νερού|πύργο νερού]] και έναν [[ανελκυστήρας σιτηρών|ανελκυστήρα σιτηρών]]. Όπως και με την καλλιέργεια αγροτικών προϊόντων, το Ανατολικό Κολοράντο έχει καλή ανάπτυξη της κτηνοτροφίας, όπως τα ράντσα βοοειδών και τις [[Εντατικές φάρμες χοίρων|φάρμες χοίρων]] και νερό για [[άρδευση]] είναι διαθέσιμο από το South Platte, τον Ποταμό Αρκάνσας, και μερικά άλλα ρεύματα, και επίσης από υπόγειες πηγές, περιλαμβανομένων των [[αρτεσιανό πηγάδι|αρτεσιανών φρεάτων]]. Όμως, η εντατική χρήση νερού του εδάφους από πηγάδια για άρδευση έχει προκαλέσει την μείωση των αποθεμάτων υπόγειου νερού.
 
===Front range===
[[File:Co mount.JPG|thumb|Η οροσειρά Front δυτικά του Ντένβερ]]
Ο περισσότερος πληθυσμός του Κολοράντο κατοικεί κατά μήκος της ανατολικής άκρης των Βραχωδών Ορέων στον [[Αστικός Διάδρομος Οροσειράς Front]] μεταξύ του [[Τσεγιέν, Ουαϊόμινγκ]], και του [[Πουέμπλο, Κολοράντο]]. Αυτή η περιοχή προστατεύεται μερικώς από επικρατούσες θύελλες που φυδούν από την περιοχή του Ειρηνικού Ωκεανού από τα τα υψηλά Rockies στο μέσο του Κολοράντο. Τα μόνα άλλα σημαντικά κέντρα πληθυσμού είναι στο [[Γκραντ Τζάνκσιον, Κολοράντο|Γκραντ Τζάνκσιον]] και το [[Ντουράνγκο, Κολοράντο|Ντουράνγκο]] στο άκρο δυτικό Κολοράντο.
 
===Ηπειρωτικό Χώρισμα===
[[File:LovelandPass CMM.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Το [[Ηπειρωτικό Χώρισμα]] βυθίζεται μέχρι τα 11.990 ft (3.655 m) στο [[Loveland Pass]].]]
[[File:Sand Dunes CO.JPG|thumb|The tallest sand dunes in North America in [[Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve]] in southern Colorado.]]
[[File:Mountains of Colorado.jpg|thumb|left|View from near the summit of [[Mount Belford]] near the Continental Divide.]]
 
Το [[Ηπειρωτικό Χώρισμα]] εκτείνεται κατά μήκος της κορυφής των Βραχωδών Ορέων. Η περιοχή του Κολοράντο στα δυτικά του Ηπειρωτικού Χωρίσματος ονομάζεται [[Colorado Western Slope|Western Slope of Colorado]]. Το αποστραγγισμένο νερό δυτικά του Ηπειρωτικού Χωρίσματος ρέει στα νοτιοδυτικά μέσω του [[Ποταμός Κολοράντο (ΗΠΑ)|Ποταμού Κολοράντο]] και του [[Γκριν Ρίβερ (Γιούtα)|Γκριν Ρίβερ]] μέσα στον [[Κόλπος της Καλιφόρνια|Κόλπο της Καλιφόρνια]].
 
Στο εσωτερικό των Βραχωδών Ορέων υπάρχουν αρκετά μεγάλ επίσης καλούμενα "πάρκα" ή υψηλές ευρείες λεκάνες. Στα βόρεια, στην ανατολική πλευρά του Ηπειρωτικού Χωρίσματος βρίσκεται το [[North Park (λεκάνη του Κολοράντο)|North Park of Colorado]]. Το North Park αποστραγγίζεται από τον [[North Platte River]], ο οποίος ρέει βόρεια στο Ουαϊόμινγκ και τη Νεμπράσκα. Μόλις στα νότια του North Park, αλλά στην δυτική πλευρά του Ηπειρωτικού Χωρίσματος, is the [[Middle Park (Colorado basin)|Middle Park of Colorado]], which is drained by the Colorado River. The [[South Park (Colorado basin)|South Park of Colorado]] is the region of the [[headwater]]s of the South Platte River.
 
===Southern region===
In southmost Colorado is the large [[San Luis Valley]], where the headwaters of the [[Rio Grande]] are located. The valley sits between the [[Sangre De Cristo Mountains]] and [[San Juan Mountains]], and consists of large desert lands that eventually run into the mountains. The Rio Grande drains due south into New Mexico, Mexico, and Texas. Across the [[Sangre de Cristo Range]] to the east of the San Luis Valley lies the [[Wet Mountain Valley]]. These basins, particularly the San Luis Valley, lie along the [[Rio Grande Rift]], a major [[geological formation]] of the Rocky Mountains, and its branches.
 
===Peaks===
[[File:Mount Elbert2.JPG|thumb|[[Mount Elbert]] is the tallest peak in Colorado, and the Rocky Mountains.]]
[[File:Longs.jpg|thumb|left|[[Longs Peak]] in the [[Front Range]] is the tallest peak in [[Rocky Mountain National Park]].]]
To the west of Great Plains of Colorado rises the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. Notable peaks of the Rocky Mountains include [[Longs Peak]], [[Mount Evans]], [[Pikes Peak]], and the [[Spanish Peaks]] near [[Walsenburg, Colorado|Walsenburg]], in southern Colorado. This area drains to the east and the southeast, ultimately either via the [[Mississippi River]] or the [[Rio Grande]] into the [[Gulf of Mexico]].
 
The Rocky Mountains within Colorado contain about 54 peaks that are {{convert|14000|ft|m|0|sp=us}} or higher in elevation above sea level, known as [[Colorado fourteeners|fourteeners]].<ref>{{cite web |author=U.S. Forest Service |title=Rocky Mountain Region 14ers |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/recreation/14ers/ |accessdate=November 6, 2009}}</ref> These mountains are largely covered with trees such as [[conifer]]s and [[aspen]]s up to the [[tree line]], at an elevation of about {{convert|12140|ft|m|0|sp=us}} in southern Colorado to about {{convert|10500|ft|m|0|sp=us}} in northern Colorado. Above this only alpine vegetation grows. Only small parts of the Colorado Rockies are snow-covered year round. Much of the alpine snow melts by mid-August with the exception of a few snowcapped peaks and a few small glaciers. The [[Colorado Mineral Belt]], stretching from the [[San Juan Mountains]] in the southwest to [[Boulder, CO|Boulder]] and [[Central City, CO|Central City]] on the front range, contains most of the historic gold- and silver-mining districts of Colorado. [[Mount Elbert]] is the highest summit of the [[Rocky Mountains]]. The 30 [[Highest mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains|highest major summits]] of the [[Rocky Mountains]] of [[North America]] all lie within the state.
 
===Western slope===
<center>
[[File:Grand Mesa and Mt. Garfield.jpg|thumb|left|700px|[[Grand Mesa]] of the Western Slope is the largest mesa in the world]]</center>{{clear}}
The Western Slope of Colorado is drained by the Colorado River and its tributaries (primarily the [[Green River (Utah)|Green River]] and the [[San Juan River (California)|San Juan River]]), or by evaporation in its arid areas. Prominent in the southwestern area of the Western Slope is the [[Grand Mesa]] and the high San Juan Mountains, a rugged mountain range, and to the west of the San Juan Mountains, the [[Colorado Plateau]], a high arid region that borders Southern Utah. The city of [[Grand Junction, Colorado]], is the largest city on the Western Slope, Grand Junction and Durango are the only major centers of [[radio broadcasting|radio]] and [[television broadcasting]], [[newspaper]]s, and higher education on the Western Slope. The [[Mesa State College]] in Grand Junction, Western State College in Gunnison, and Fort Lewis College in Durango are the only four-year colleges in Colorado west of the [[Continental Divide]].
 
[[File:Glennwood.JPG|thumb|right|Canyon walls near [[Glenwood Springs, Colorado]].]]
Grand Junction is located along [[Interstate 70 in Colorado|Interstate 70]], the only major highway of Western Colorado. Grand Junction is also along the major railroad of the Western Slope, the [[Union Pacific]], which also provides the tracks for [[Amtrak]]'s [[California Zephyr]] passenger train, which crosses the Rocky Mountains between Denver and Grand Junction via a route on which there are no continuous highways.
[[File:Lake CO.JPG|thumb|left|[[Hanging Lake]] near [[Glenwood Springs, Colorado]].]]
 
To the southeast of Grand Junction is the [[Grand Mesa]], said to be the world's largest flat-topped mountain. Other towns of the Western Slope include [[Glenwood Springs, CO|Glenwood Springs]] with its resort hot springs, and the [[ski resort]]s of [[Aspen, CO|Aspen]], [[Breckenridge, CO|Breckenridge]], [[Vail, CO|Vail]], [[Crested Butte, CO|Crested Butte]], [[Steamboat Springs, CO|Steamboat Springs]], and [[Telluride, CO|Telluride]].
 
The northwestern corner of Colorado is a sparsely-populated region, and it contains part of the noted [[Dinosaur National Monument]], which is not only a [[paleontology|paleontological]] area, but is also a scenic area of high, rocky hills, canyons, and streambeads. Here, the Green River briefly crosses over into Colorado.
 
[[File:DNM Morrison.jpg|thumb|[[Dinosaur National Monument]]]]
From west to east, the land of Colorado consists of desert lands and desert plateaus, then alpine mountains with National Forests, then some scattered desert land in the southern mountain areas in the state, and then the relatively-flat grasslands and scattered forests of the [[Great Plains]]. The famous [[Pikes Peak]] is located just west of [[Colorado Springs, CO|Colorado Springs]]. Its isolated peak is visible from nearly the Kansas border on clear days, and also far to the north and the south.<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=5689 |name=Pikes Peak, Colorado |accessdate=October 10, 2009}}</ref> The desert lands in Colorado are located in and around areas such as, the [[Royal Gorge]], [[Pueblo, Colorado|Pueblo]], [[Canon City, Colorado|Canon City]], [[Florence, Colorado|Florence]], [[Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve]], [[San Luis Valley]], [[Cortez, Colorado|Cortez]], [[Canyon of the Ancients National Monument]], [[Hovenweep National Monument]], [[Ute Mountain]], [[Delta, Colorado|Delta]], [[Grand Junction, Colorado|Grand Junction]], [[Colorado National Monument]], [[Roan Plateau]], and other areas surrounding the [[Uncompahgre Plateau]] and [[Uncompahgre National Forest]].
 
Colorado is one of four states in the United States that share a common geographic point the [[Four Corners]], together with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. At this intersection, it is possible to stand in four states at once.
 
{{See also|Colorado cities and towns|Colorado counties|Colorado municipalities|Colorado rivers|Four Corners Monument}}
 
== Climate ==
[[File:Bearlakeinspring2.jpg|thumb|Spring melt at [[Bear Lake (Colorado)|Bear Lake]] in [[Rocky Mountain National Park]].]]
The [[climate]] of Colorado is quite complex compared to most of the United States. Unlike in other states, southern Colorado is not necessarily warmer than northern Colorado. Most of Colorado is made up of mountains, foothills, high plains, and desert lands. Mountains and surrounding valleys greatly affect local climate. As a general rule, with an increase in elevation comes a decrease in [[temperature]] and an increase in [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]]. Northeast, east, and southeast Colorado are mostly the high plains, while Northern Colorado is a mix of high plains, foothills, and mountains. Northwest and west Colorado are predominantly mountainous, with some desert lands mixed in. Southwest and southern Colorado are a complex mixture of desert and mountain areas.
 
=== Eastern Plains ===
[[File:PivotWithDrops.JPG|thumb|[[Center pivot irrigation]] of [[wheat]] growing in [[Yuma County, CO|Yuma County]].]]
 
The climate of the Eastern Plains is [[semi-arid climate|semi-arid]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''[[Cold semi-arid climate|''BSk'']]'') with low [[humidity]] and moderate [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]], usually from {{convert|15|to|25|in|mm}} annually. The area is known for its abundant sunshine and cool clear nights, which give this area a great average [[diurnal temperature variation|diurnal temperature range]]. In summer, this area can have many days above {{convert|95|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and sometimes {{convert|100|°F|°C|abbr=on}},.<ref name="Climate of Colorado">[http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/COLORADO.htm DRI.edu] Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved October 24, 2006.</ref> Although {{convert|105|°F|°C|abbr=on}} is the maximum in the front range cities above {{convert|5000|ft|m|abbr=on}}, front range cities sitting just below {{convert|5000|ft|m|abbr=on}} have reached {{convert|112|°F|°C|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Monthly Weather for Greeley">[http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USCO0170] Weather. Retrieved November 11, 2011.</ref> In the plains, the winter extremes can be from 0 °F (-18 °C) to {{convert|-10|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. About 75% of the precipitation falls within the growing season, from April to September, but this area is very prone to droughts. Most of the precipitation comes from [[thunderstorm]]s, which are often severe, and from major [[snowstorm]]s that occur most often in the early spring, late autumn, and winter. Otherwise, winters tend to be mostly dry and cold. In much of the region, March and April are the snowiest months. April and May are normally the rainiest months, while April is the wettest month overall. The Front Range cities closer to the mountains tend to be warmer in the winter due to [[chinook wind]]s which warm the area, sometimes bringing temperatures of {{convert|70|°F|°C|abbr=on}} or higher in the winter,.<ref name="Denver-Colorado-United-States-of-America">[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=096427&refer=&cityname=Denver-Colorado-United-States-of-America]</ref> The average July temperature is {{convert|55|°F|°C}} in the morning and close to {{convert|90|°F|°C}} in the afternoon. The average January temperature is {{convert|18|°F|°C}} in the morning and {{convert|45|°F|°C}} in the afternoon, although variation between consecutive days can be 40&nbsp;°F (22&nbsp;°C).
 
=== West of the plains and foothills ===
[[File:GrandJunctionTrip92007013.jpg|thumb|View of the [[Colorado Western Slope|Western Slope]] from [[Grand Junction, CO|Grand Junction]].]]
 
West of the plains and foothills, the weather of Colorado is much less uniform. Even places a few miles apart can experience entirely different weather depending on the topography of the area. Most valleys have a semi-arid climate, which becomes an [[alpine climate]] at higher elevations. Humid [[microclimate]]s also exist in some areas. Generally, the wettest season in western Colorado is winter while June is the driest month. This is the opposite of precipitation patterns in the east. The mountains have cool summers with many days of high temperatures around {{convert|60|°F|°C|abbr=on}} to {{convert|70|°F|°C|abbr=on}}, although frequent thunderstorms can cause sudden drops in temperature. Summer nights are cool or even cold at the highest elevations, which sometimes get snow even in the middle of the summer. The winters bring abundant, powdery snowfall to the mountains with plenty of sunshine in between major storms. The western slope has high summer temperatures similar to those found on the plains, while the winters tend to be slightly cooler due to the lack of warming winds common to the plains and Front Range. Other areas in the west have their own unique climate.
 
=== Extreme weather ===
[[File:October Snow in Colorado.jpg|thumb|Snow highlights the rugged mountains as well as the urban and agricultural landscapes of the Colorado plains.]]
 
Extreme weather is a common occurrence 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. The Eastern Plains have some of the biggest hail storms in North America.<ref name=ccc/> Also the Eastern Plains are part of [[Tornado Alley]] and produce some of the deadliest U.S. tornadoes. Some damaging tornadoes in the Eastern Plains include the 1990 [[Limon, CO|Limon]] [[Fujita scale|F3]] tornado and the 2008 [[Windsor, CO|Windsor]] [[Enhanced Fujita Scale|EF3]] tornado, which devastated the town.<ref>{{cite web
| last =Slater
| first =Jane
| title =Thursday's Tornado State's 4th Costliest Disaster
| publisher =[[KMGH]]
| date =May 28, 2008
| url =http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/16408116/detail.html }}</ref>
The plains are also susceptible to floods, which are caused both by [[Thunderstorm|thunderstorms]] and by the rapid melting of snow in the mountains during warm weather. Denver's record in 1921 for the number of consecutive days above {{convert|90|°F|°C}} was broken during the summer of 2008. The new record of 24 consecutive days surpassed the previous record by almost a week.<ref>{{cite web
| title =Denver's Consecutive 90 Degree Streaks
| publisher =[[National Weather Service]]
| accessdate =October 10, 2009
| url =http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/?n=consec90 }}</ref> Much of Colorado is a relatively dry state averaging only {{convert|17|in|mm}} of rain per year statewide and rarely experiences a time when some portion of the state is not in some degree of drought.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ccc.atmos.colostate.edu/pdfs/ahistoryofdrought.pdf |title=A History of Drought |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2010-07-30}}</ref> The lack of precipitation contributes to the severity of [[wildfire]]s in the state such as the [[Hayman Fire]], one of the largest wildfires in American history, and the [[Fourmile Canyon#Fourmile Canyon Fire|Fourmile Canyon Fire]] of 2010, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado's recorded history.
 
However, there are some of the mountainous regions of Colorado which receive a huge amount of moisture via winter snowfalls. The spring melts of these snows often cause great waterflows in such rivers as the [[Yampa River]], the [[Colorado River|Grand River]], the Colorado River, the Rio Grande, the Arkansas River, [[Cherry Creek (Colorado)|Cherry Creek]], the North Platte River, and the South Platte River. Water flowing out of the Colorado Rocky Mountains is a very significant source of water for the farms, towns, and cities of fellow southwest states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, as well as midwest like Nebraska and Kansas, and also southern states like Oklahoma and Texas. A significant amount of water is also diverted for use in California; occasionally (formerly naturally and consistently) the flow of water reaches northern Mexico.
 
=== Ρεκόρ ===
Η υψηλότερη θερμοκρασία που έχει καταγραφεί στο Κολοράντο είναι 118 °F (48 °C) στις 11 Ιουλίου 1888, στο [[Μπέννετ, Κολοράντο|Μπέννετ]], ενώ η χαμηλότερη είναι −61 °F (−52 °C) στις 1 Φεβρουαρίου 1985, στο [[Μέιμπελ, Κολοράντο|Μέιμπελ]].<ref name=StateMaxTemps>{{cite web | url = http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/pub/data/special/maxtemps.pdf | title = Record Highest Temperatures by State | format = PDF | publisher = [[National Climatic Data Center]] | date = January 1, 2004 | accessdate = January 11, 2007 }}</ref><ref name=StateMinTemps>{{cite web | url = http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/pub/data/special/mintemps.pdf | title = Record Lowest Temperatures by State | format = PDF | publisher = [[National Climatic Data Center]] | date = January 1, 2004 | accessdate = January 11, 2007 }}</ref>
<center>
{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|
|+ Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various Colorado cities (°F)<ref>[http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-colorado/ UStravelweather.com]{{Dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref>
|-
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000; height:17px;"| Πόλη
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Ιαν
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Φεβ
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Μαρ
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Απρ
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Μάι
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Ιουν
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Ιουλ
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Αυγ
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Σεπ
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Οκτ
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Νοε
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Δεκ
|-
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Αλαμόζα
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 35/−2
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 40/6
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 51/17
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 60/24
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 70/33
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 79/41
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 83/47
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 80/46
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 73/37
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 62/25
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 47/12
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 36/1
|-
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Κολοράντο Σπρινγκς
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 43/18
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 45/20
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 52/26
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 60/33
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 69/43
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 79/51
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 85/57
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 82/56
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 75/47
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 63/36
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 51/25
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 42/18
|-
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Ντένβερ
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 44/19
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 46/21
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 54/27
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 61/35
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 71/44
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 82/53
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 89/59
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 86/58
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 78/49
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 65/37
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 52/26
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 43/18
|-
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Γκραντ Τζάνκτιον
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 38/18
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 46/25
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 57/32
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 66/39
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 76/48
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 88/57
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 94/64
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 90/62
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 81/53
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 67/41
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 51/29
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 39/19
|-
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Πουέμπλο
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 47/14
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 51/18
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 60/26
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 68/34
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 77/44
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 88/53
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 93/59
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 90/58
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 82/48
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 70/34
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 57/23
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 46/14
|}
</center>
 
===Earthquakes===
On August 22, 2011, a 5.3 [[Seismic scale|magnitude]] [[earthquake]] occurred nine miles [[Boxing the compass|WSW]] of the city of [[Trinidad, Colorado|Trinidad]].<ref>http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/36.38.-106.-104.php</ref> No casualties and only small damage was reported. It was the second largest earthquake in Colorado since a magnitude 5.7 earthquake was recorded in 1973.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-08-23/Largest-Colorado-quake-since-1973-shakes-homes/50102314/1?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+usatoday-NewsTopStories+%28News+-+Top+Stories%29 |title=Largest Colorado quake since 1973 shakes homes |accessdate=August 23, 2011 | work=USA Today |date=August 23, 2011}}</ref>
 
== History ==
[[File:Mesa-Verde---Cliff-Palace-in 1891 - edit1.jpg|thumb|The ruins of the [[Cliff Palace]] at [[Mesa Verde National Park|Mesa Verde]] as photographed by [[Gustaf Nordenskiöld]] in 1891.]]
{{Main|History of Colorado|Timeline of Colorado history}}
The region that is today the state of Colorado has been inhabited by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] for more than 13,000 years. The [[Lindenmeier Site]] in [[Larimer County, CO|Larimer County]] contains [[artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]] dating from approximately 11200 BCE to 3000 BCE. The eastern edge of the [[Rocky Mountains]] was a [[Human migration|major migration route]] that was important to the spread of early peoples throughout the [[Americas]]. The [[Ancient Pueblo Peoples]] lived in the [[valley]]s and [[mesa]]s of the [[Colorado Plateau]].<ref>"[http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/genocide-native-americans-ethnic-cleansing.html Genocide Wiped Out Native American Population ]", Discovery News, September 20, 2010.</ref> The [[Ute Nation]] inhabited the mountain valleys of the [[Southern Rocky Mountains]] and the [[Western Rocky Mountains]]. The [[Arapaho Nation]] and the [[Cheyenne Nation]] moved west to hunt across the [[High Plains (United States)|High Plains]].
 
The United States acquired a territorial claim to the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains with the [[Louisiana Purchase]] from France in 1803. This U.S. claim conflicted with the claim of Spain to a huge region surrounding its [[colony]] of [[Santa Fé de Nuevo Méjico]] as its [[sovereignty|sovereign]] trading zone with native peoples. [[Zebulon Pike]] led a [[Pike expedition|U.S. Army reconnaissance expedition]] into the disputed region in 1806. Colonel Pike and his men were arrested by Spanish cavalrymen in the [[San Luis Valley]] the following February, taken to [[Chihuahua, Chihuahua|Chihuahua]], and then expelled from Mexico the following July.
 
[[File:Beol court25.jpg|thumb|[[Bent's Old Fort]] along the [[Arkansas River]] operated from 1833 to 1849.]]
The United States relinquished its claim to all land south and west of the [[Arkansas River]] and south of [[42nd parallel north]] and west of the [[100th meridian west]] as part of its purchase of Florida from Spain with the [[Adams-Onís Treaty]] of 1819. The treaty took effect February 22, 1821. Having settled its border with Spain, the United States admitted the southeastern portion of the [[Territory of Missouri]] to the [[United States|Union]] as the [[state of Missouri]] on August 10, 1821. The remainder of the [[Missouri Territory]], including what would become northeastern Colorado, became unorganized territory, and would remain so for 33 years over the [[Slavery in the United States|question of slavery]]. After 11 years of war, Spain finally recognized the independence of Mexico with the [[Treaty of Córdoba]] signed on August 24, 1821. Mexico eventually ratified the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1831. The [[Texian Revolt]] of 1835–1836 fomented a dispute between the United States and Mexico which eventually erupted into the [[Mexican-American War]] in 1846. Mexico surrendered its northern territory to the United States with the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]] at the conclusion of the war in 1848.
 
Most American [[settler]]s traveling overland west to the [[Oregon Country]], the new goldfields of California, or the new [[Mormon]] settlements of [[State of Deseret|Deseret]] in the [[Salt Lake Valley]], avoided the rugged [[Southern Rocky Mountains]], and instead followed the [[North Platte River]] and [[Sweetwater River (Wyoming)|Sweetwater River]] to [[South Pass]], the lowest crossing of the [[Continental Divide]] between the Southern Rocky Mountains and the Central Rocky Mountains. In 1849, the Mormons of the Salt Lake Valley organized the extralegal [[State of Deseret]], claiming the entire [[Great Basin]] and all lands drained by the [[Green River (Utah)|Green]], [[Colorado River|Grand]], and [[Colorado River|Colorado]] rivers. The federal government of the United States flatly refused to recognize the new Mormon government, because it was [[History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints#Brigham Young's early theocratic leadership|theocratic]] and sanctioned [[Mormonism and polygamy|plural marriage]]. Instead, the [[Compromise of 1850]] divided the [[Mexican Cession]] and the northwestern claims of Texas into a new state and two new territories, the [[state of California]], the [[Territory of New Mexico]], and the [[Territory of Utah]]. On April 9, 1851, [[Mexican American]] settlers from the area of [[Taos, New Mexico|Taos]] settled the village of [[San Luis, Colorado|San Luis]], then in the [[New Mexico Territory]], later to become Colorado's first permanent [[European American|Euro-American]] [[settlement (migration)|settlement]].
 
In 1854, Senator [[Stephen A. Douglas]] persuaded the [[U.S. Congress]] to divide the unorganized territory east of the [[Continental Divide]] into two new organized territories, the [[Territory of Kansas]] and the [[Territory of Nebraska]], and an unorganized southern region known as the [[Indian territory]]. Each new territory was to decide the fate of slavery within its boundaries, but this compromise merely served to fuel animosity between [[free soil]] and [[Proslavery in the antebellum United States|pro-slavery]] factions.
 
===Pike's Peak Gold Rush===
[[File:Denver 1859.jpg|thumb|A [[lithograph]] of the [[Denver, CO|Denver City]] mining camp in 1859.]]
[[Gold]] was discovered along the [[South Platte River]] then in western [[Kansas Territory]] in July 1858, precipitating the [[Pike's Peak Gold Rush]].<ref name=PikesPeakGold>{{cite web | url = http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Falls/2000/index.html | title = The Pike's Peak Gold Rush | author = Gehling, Richard | publisher = Richard Gehling | year = 2006 | accessdate = June 12, 2007|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080628172253/http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Falls/2000/index.html|archivedate=2008-06-28}}</ref> The [[placer deposit|placer gold deposits]] along the rivers and streams of the region rapidly played out, but [[prospecting|prospectors]] soon discovered far more valuable seams of [[Underground mining (hard rock)|hard rock]] gold in the nearby mountains.
 
The gold seekers organized the [[Jefferson Territory|Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson]] on August 24, 1859, but this new territory failed to secure approval from the [[Congress of the United States]] embroiled in the debate over slavery. The election of [[Abraham Lincoln]] for the President of the United States on November 6, 1860, led to the [[secession]] of nine southern [[slave states]] and the threat of [[American Civil War|civil war among the states]]. Seeking to augment the political power of the [[free state (United States)|Union states]], the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] dominated Congress quickly admitted the eastern portion of the [[Territory of Kansas]] into the [[United States|Union]] as the free [[Kansas|State of Kansas]] on January 29, 1861, leaving the western portion of the Kansas Territory, and its gold-mining areas, as unorganized territory.
 
===Territory act===
[[File:Wpdms kansas nebraska utah territories 1860 idx.png|thumb|left|The territories of [[New Mexico Territory|New Mexico]], [[Utah Territory|Utah]], [[Kansas Territory|Kansas]], and [[Nebraska Territory|Nebraska]] before the creation of the [[Territory of Colorado]].]]
Thirty days later on February 28, 1861, outgoing U.S. President [[James Buchanan]] signed an Act of Congress organizing the [[Free state (United States)|free]] [[Territory of Colorado]].<ref name=ColoradoTerritory>{{cite web | url = http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/territory.pdf | title = An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Colorado | format = PDF | publisher = [[Thirty-sixth United States Congress]] | date = February 28, 1861 | accessdate = June 12, 2007}}</ref> The original boundaries of Colorado remain unchanged today. The name Colorado was chosen because it was commonly believed that the [[Colorado River]] originated in the territory.<ref name=Colorado_River>Early explorers identified the [[Gunnison River]] in Colorado as the [[headwaters]] of the Colorado River. The [[Colorado River|Grand River]] in Colorado was later tentively identified as the primary headwaters of the river. Finally in 1916, [[E.C. LaRue]], the Chief Hydrologist of the [[United States Geological Survey]], identified the Green River in southwestern Wyoming as the proper headwaters of the actual, overall Colorado River.</ref> In 1776, Spanish priest [[Silvestre Vélez de Escalante]] recorded that [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] in the area knew the river as [[:es:Rio Colorado|''el Rio Colorado'']] for the red-brown silt that the river carried from the mountains.<ref>{{cite web |author=State of Colorado – Division of Information Technologies |url=http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/history/symbemb.htm#Name|title=State Names and Nicknames |accessdate=November 15, 2006}}</ref> In 1859, a [[U.S. Army]] [[Topography|topographic]] expedition led by Captain [[John Navarre Macomb, Jr.|John Macomb]] located the confluence of the [[Green River (Utah)|Green River]] with the [[Grand River (Colorado)|Grand River]] in what is now [[Canyonlands National Park]] in [[Utah]].<ref name=Macomb>Report of the exploring expedition from Santa Fé, New Mexico, to the junction of the Grand and Green Rivers of the great Colorado of the West, in 1859: under the command of Capt. J. N. Macomb, Corps of topographical engineers, Volume 1 [http://www.archive.org/stream/reportofexplorin00unitrich#page/n5/mode/2up @ archive.org]</ref> The Macomb party designated the confluence as the source of the Colorado River.
 
On April 12, 1861, [[South Carolina]] artillery opened fire on [[Fort Sumter]] to start the [[American Civil War]]. While many gold seekers held sympathies for the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], the vast majority remained fiercely loyal to the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] cause.
[[File:The-Battle-of-Glorieta-Pass.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Glorieta Pass]], 1862]]
In 1862, a force of Texas cavalry invaded the [[Territory of New Mexico]] and captured [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] on March 10. The object of this [[New Mexico Campaign|Western Campaign]] was to seize or disrupt the gold fields of Colorado and California and to seize ports on the Pacific Ocean for the Confederacy. A hastily organized force of Colorado volunteers force-marched from [[Denver City, Colorado Territory]], to [[Glorieta Pass]], New Mexico Territory, in an attempt to block the Texans. On March 28, the Coloradans and local New Mexico volunteers stopped the Texans at the [[Battle of Glorieta Pass]], destroyed their cannon and supply wagons, and ran off 500 head of their horses and mules. The Texans were forced to retreat to Santa Fe. Having lost the supplies for their campaign and finding little support in New Mexico, the Texans abandoned Santa Fe and returned to [[San Antonio]] in defeat. The Confederacy made no further attempts to seize the [[Southwestern United States]].
 
In 1864, [[Governor of Colorado|Territorial Governor]] [[John Evans (governor)|John Evans]] appointed the Reverend [[John Chivington]] as Colonel of the Colorado Volunteers with orders to protect white settlers from [[Cheyenne]] and [[Arapaho]] warriors who were accused of stealing cattle. Colonel Chivington ordered his men to attack a band of Cheyenne and Arapaho encamped along [[Sand Creek massacre|Sand Creek]]. Chivington reported that his troops killed more than 500 warriors. The militia returned to Denver City in triumph, but several officers reported that the so called battle was a blatant [[Sand Creek massacre|massacre]] of Indians at peace, that most of the dead were women and children, and that bodies of the dead had been mutilated and desecrated in hideous manner. Three U.S. Army inquiries condemned the action, and incoming [[U.S. President|President]] [[Andrew Johnson]] asked Governor Evans for his resignation, but none of the perpetrators was ever punished.
 
[[File:Mount of the Holy Cross.jpeg|thumb|[[Mount of the Holy Cross]] was photographed by [[William Henry Jackson]] in 1874]]
In the midst and aftermath of Civil War, many discouraged prospectors returned to their homes, but a determined few stayed on to develop mines, mills, farms, ranches, roads, and towns in the Territory. On September 14, 1864, James Huff discovered [[silver]] near [[Argentine Pass]], the first of many silver strikes. In 1867, the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] laid its tracks west to [[Julesburg, Colorado|Weir]], now [[Julesburg, Colorado|Julesburg]], in the northeast corner of the Territory. The Union Pacific linked up with the [[Central Pacific Railroad]] at [[Promontory Summit, Utah]], on May 10, 1869, to form the [[First Transcontinental Railroad]]. The [[Denver Pacific Railway]] reached Denver in June of the following year, and the [[Kansas Pacific]] arrived two months later to forge the second line across the continent. In 1872, rich veins of silver were discovered in the [[San Juan Mountains]] on the [[Ute tribe|Ute Indian]] reservation in southwestern Colorado. The Ute people were removed from the San Juans the following year.
 
===Statehood===
The [[United States Congress]] passed an enabling act on March 3, 1875, specifying the requirements for the [[Territory of Colorado]] to become a state.<ref name=Colorado_Enabling_Act>{{cite web|url=http://www.i2i.org/Publications/ColoradoConstitution/cnenable.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080507151300/http://www.i2i.org/Publications/ColoradoConstitution/cnenable.htm|archivedate=2008-05-07|title=An Act to Enable the People of Colorado to Form a Constitution and State Government, and for the Admission of the Said State into the Union on an Equal Footing with the Original States|format=PDF|author=[[Forty-third United States Congress]]|date=March 3, 1875|accessdate=April 14, 2008}}</ref> On August 1, 1876 (28 days after the [[Centennial of the United States]]), U.S. President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] signed a proclamation admitting Colorado to the [[United States|Union]] as the [[U.S. state|38th state]] and earning it the moniker "Centennial State".<ref name=Colorado_Statehood_Proclamation>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=70540|title=Proclamation of the Admission of Colorado to the Union|format=[[php]]|author=President of the United States of America|date=August 1, 1876|publisher=The American Presidency Project|accessdate=April 14, 2008}}</ref>
 
[[File:Georgetown loop 1899.jpg|thumb|The [[Georgetown Loop]] of the [[Colorado Central Railroad]] as photographed by [[William Henry Jackson]] in 1899]]
The discovery of a major [[silver]] lode near [[Leadville, CO|Leadville]] in 1878, triggered the [[Colorado Silver Boom]]. The [[Sherman Silver Purchase Act]] of 1890 invigorated silver mining, and Colorado's last, but greatest, gold strike at [[Cripple Creek, Colorado|Cripple Creek]] a few months later lured a new generation of gold seekers. Colorado women were granted the [[suffrage|right to vote]] beginning on November 7, 1893, making Colorado the second state to grant [[universal suffrage]] and the first one by a [[popular vote]] (of Colorado men). The repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893 led to a staggering collapse of the mining and agricultural economy of Colorado, but the state slowly and steadily recovered.
 
Colorado became the first western state to host a major political convention when the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] met in Denver in 1908. By the [[United States Census, 1930|U.S. Census in 1930]], the population of Colorado first exceeded one million residents. Colorado suffered greatly 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. [[Tourism]] became a mainstay of the state economy, and [[high technology]] became an important economic engine. The [[United States Census Bureau]] estimated that the population of Colorado exceeded five million in 2009.
 
Three [[warship]]s of the [[U.S. Navy]] have been named the USS ''[[USS Colorado|Colorado]]''. The first USS ''Colorado'' was named for the Colorado River. The later two ships were named in honor of the state, including the [[battleship]] USS ''[[USS Colorado (BB-45)|Colorado]]'' which served in [[War in the Pacific|World War II in the Pacific]] beginning in 1941. At the time of the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]], this USS ''Colorado'' was located at the naval base in [[San Diego, CA|San Diego, Calif.]] and hence went unscathed.
{{Clear}}
 
== Δημογραφικά ==
[[File:Colorado population map.png|thumb|left|300px|Χάρτης Πυκνότητας Πληθυσμού του Κολοράντο]]
{{US Census population
|1860 = 34277
|1870 = 39864
|1880 = 194327
|1890 = 413249
|1900 = 539700
|1910 = 799024
|1920 = 939629
|1930 = 1035791
|1940 = 1123296
|1950 = 1325089
|1960 = 1753947
|1970 = 2207259
|1980 = 2889964
|1990 = 3294394
|2000 = 4301262
|2010 = 5029196
|2011 = 6023453
|footnote = Sources: 1910-2010<ref>{{cite web|author=Resident Population Data |url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php |title=Resident Population Data - 2010 Census |publisher=2010.census.gov |date= |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref>
}}
Το [[Γραφείο Απογραφών των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών]] εκτιμά ότι ο πληθυσμός του Κολοράντο ήταν 5.116.796 στις 1 Ιουλίου 2011, αυξημένος κατά 1,74% από την [[Απογραφή των Ηνωνένων Πολιτειών 2010]].<ref name=PopEstUS>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2011/tables/NST-EST2011-01.csv|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=2011 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=December 2011|accessdate=December 21, 2011}}</ref> Η πολυπληθέστερη πόλη του Κολοράντο, κα πρωτεύουσα, είναι το[[Ντένβερ, Κολοράντο|Ντένβερ]]. Η [[Συνδυασμένη Στατιστική Περιοχή Ντένβερ-Αουρόρα-Μπάουλντερ]] με εκτιμώμενο πληθυσμό 3.110.436 το 2009, είναι τόπος κατοικίας του 61,90% του πληθυσμού της πολιτείας.
 
Το 2005, το Κολοράντο έχει εκτιμώμενο πληθυσμό 4.665.177, κάτι που δείχνει αύξηση κατά 63.356, ή 1,4%, από το προηγούμενο έτος και αύξηση 363.162, ή 8,4%, από το έτος 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 205,321 people (that is 353,091 births minus 147,770 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 159,957 people into the state. [[Immigration to the United States|Immigration]] from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 112,217 people, and [[Human migration|migration]] within the country produced a net increase of 47,740 people.
 
The largest increases are expected in the [[Front Range Urban Corridor]], especially in the [[Denver metropolitan area]]. The state's fastest-growing counties are [[Douglas County, CO|Douglas]] and [[Weld County, CO|Weld]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epodunk.com/top10/countyPop/coPop6.html |title=Population growth - Colorado counties |publisher=Epodunk.com |date= |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref> The [[center of population]] of Colorado is located just north of the village of Critchell in [[Jefferson County, CO|Jefferson County]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Population and Population Centers by State – 2000 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = December 4, 2008 | url = http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt}}</ref>
 
According to the [[2010 U.S. Census]], Colorado had a population of 5,029,196. In terms of race and ethnicity, the state was 81.3% [[White American|White]] (70.0% Non-Hispanic White Alone), 4.0% [[African American|Black]] or African American, 1.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 7.2% from Some Other Race, and 3.4% from Two or More Races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics]] and Latinos of any race made up 20.7% of the population.<ref>http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table</ref> According to the 2000 Census, the largest ancestry groups in Colorado are [[German American|German]] (22%) including of Swiss and [[Austrians|Austrian]] nationalities, [[Mexican-American|Mexican]] (18%), Irish (12%), and English (12%). Persons reporting [[German American|German ancestry]] are especially numerous in the Front Range, the Rockies (west-central counties) and Eastern parts/High Plains.
 
Colorado has a high proportion of [[Hispanic]], mostly [[Mexican-American]], citizens in Metropolitan Denver, Colorado Springs, as well as the smaller cities of Greeley and Pueblo, and in many other smaller cities and towns all throughout the state. Colorado is well known for its strong [[Latino]] culture and presence. Southern, Southwestern, and Southeastern Colorado has a large number of [[Hispanos]], the descendants of the early Mexican settlers of colonial Spanish origin. In 1940, Hispanics made up 8.2% of the state's population.<ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html|accessdate=January 3, 2012}}</ref> The [[2000 United States Census]] found that 10.5% of people aged five and over in Colorado speak only Spanish at home, with the 2009 estimate being roughly 14%. Colorado also has a large immigration presence all throughout the state, which has led to Colorado cities being referred to as "Sanctuary Cities" for illegal immigrants as well. Colorado has the 4th highest percentage of undocumented people in the U.S., only behind Nevada, Arizona, California, and tied with Texas. An estimated 5.5-6.0% of the state's population is composed of illegal immigrants. Also, over 20% of the state's prisoners are undocumented inmates.<ref>{{cite web|author=Fred Elbel, CAIR |url=http://www.cairco.org/issues/issues_crime_colorado.html |title=Crime and illegal aliens in Colorado - CAIR - Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform |publisher=Cairco.org |date=2005-05-19 |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=8&mode=state_tops&order=r |title=Language Map Data Center |publisher=Mla.org |date=2007-07-17 |accessdate=2010-07-30}}</ref> Colorado, like New Mexico, is very rich in archaic Spanish idioms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elcastellano.org/palabra.php?id=946 |title=talking about Colorado in "nada" |publisher=Elcastellano.org |date=2007-06-30 |accessdate=2010-07-30}}</ref>
 
Colorado also has some African-American communities located in Denver, in the neighborhoods of Montbello, Green Valley Ranch, Park Hill, Five Points, Whittier, and many other East Denver areas. A decent amount of African Americans are also found in Colorado Springs on the east and southeast side of the city. The state has sizable numbers of [[Asian-Americans]] of [[Mongolian American|Mongolian]], [[Chinese American|Chinese]], [[Filipino American|Filipino]], [[Koreans|Korean]], [[Southeast Asian]] and [[Japanese American|Japanese]] descent. The highest population of Asian Americans can be found on the south and southeast side of Denver, as well as some on Denver's southwest side. The Denver metropolitan area is considered more liberal and diverse than much of the state when it comes to political issues and environmental concerns.
 
There were a total of 70,331 births in Colorado in 2006. (Birth Rate of 14.6). In 2007, non-Hispanic whites were involved in 59.1% of all the births.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_12.pdf |title=National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 57, Number 12, (3/18/2009) |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2010-07-30}}</ref> Some 14.06% of those births involved a non-Hispanic white person and someone of a different race, most often with a couple including one Hispanic. A birth where at least one Hispanic person was involved counted for 43% of the births in Colorado.<ref>[http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/scripts/htmsql.exe/cohid/natalityPub.hsql CDPHE.state.co.us], COHID Birth Data Request</ref> As of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 Census]], Colorado has the seventh highest percentage of Hispanics (20.7%) in the U.S. behind [[New Mexico]] (46.3%), [[California]] (37.6%), [[Texas]] (37.6%), [[Arizona]] (29.6%), [[Nevada]] (26.5%), and [[Florida]] (22.5%). Per the 2000 census, the Hispanic population is estimated to be 918,899 or approximately 20% of the state total population. Colorado has the 4th largest population of [[Mexican-Americans]] behind California, Texas, and Arizona. In percentages, Colorado has the 6th highest percentage of Mexican-Americans behind New Mexico, California, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada.<ref>[http://www.statemaster.com/state/CO-colorado/peo-people], Statemaster Colorado</ref>
 
=== Θρησκεία ===
[[File:Colorado Rocky Mtn Church.jpg|thumb|Το [[Chapel on the Rock]] στο Camp Saint Malo κοντά στο [[Άλλενσπαρκ, Κολοράντ|Άλλενσπαρκ]].]]
[[File:USAFA Chapel from terrazzo.JPG|thumb|Το Cadet Chapel στην [[United States Air Force Academy]] κοντά στο [[Κολοράντο Σπρινγκς, Κολοράντο|Κολοράντο Σπρινγκς]].]]
Οι μεγάλες θρησκευτικές ομάδες των κατοίκων του Κολοράντο είναι:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://religions.pewforum.org/maps |title=U.S. Religion Map and Religious Populations – U.S. Religious Landscape Study – Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life |publisher=Religions.pewforum.org |date= |accessdate=2010-07-30}}</ref>
* Χριστιανοί — 64%
** [[Προτεσταντισμός|Προτεστάντες]] — 44%
*** [[Ο Ευαγγελικαλισμός στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες|Ευαγγελιστές]] — 23%
*** [[Mainline (Protestant)|Mainline]] — 19%
*** Άλλοι Προτεστάντες — 2%
** [[Ο Ρωμαιοκαθολικισμός στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες|Ρωμαιοκαθολικοί]] — 19%
** [[Εκκλησία του Ιησού Χριστού των Αγιών των Τελευταίων Ημερών|Άγιοι των Τελευταίων Ημερών]] / Μορμόνοι — 2%
** Ορθόδοξοι — 1%
* Εβραίοι — 2%
* [[Μουσουλμάνοι]] — 1%
* Άλλες Θρησκείες — 5%
* Unaffiliated — 25%
 
Τα μεγαλύτερα δόγματα σε αριθμό πιστών το 2000 ήταν η Ρωμαιοκαθολική Εκκλησία με 752.505· η Εκκλησία του Ιησού Χριστού των Αγίων των Τελευταίων Ημερών με 92.326 (133.727 year-end 2007) · και οι [[Βαπτιστές]] με 85.083.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/08_2000.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; Maps & Reports |publisher=Thearda.com |date= |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref>
 
Με 25%, το Κολοράντο έχει επίσης μία άνω του μέσου όρου αναλογία πολιτών που δεν ανήκουν σε καμία θρησκεία. Ο μέσος όρος των ΗΠΑ είναι 17%.
 
=== Υγεία ===
Το Κολοράντο έχει επίσης τη φήμη μιας πολιτείας δραστήριων και αθλητικών ανθρώπων. Σύμφωνα με αρκετές έρευνες, οι Coloradans έχουν τα χαμηλότερα επίπεδα παχυσαρκίας από κάθε πολιτεία στις ΗΠΑ.<ref>http://calorielab.com/news/wp-images/post-images/fattest-states-2007-big.gif</ref> Το 2007, το 18% του πληθυσμού θεωρείτο ιατρικώς παχύσαρκο και παρότι ήταν το χαμηλότερο στη χώρα, το ποσοστό είχε αυξηθεί από17% το 2004. Ο κυβερνήτης του Κολοράντο Μπιλ Ρίττερ σχολίασε: “Ως μανιώδης αλιέας και ποδηλάτης, ξέρω από πρώτο χέρι ότι το Κολοράντο παρέχει ένα υπέροχο περιβάλλον γα δραστήριο, υγιεινό τρόπο ζωής,” αν και υπογράμμισε την ανάγκη για συνεχιζόμενη εκπαίδευση και υποστήριξη για να να επιβραδυνθεί η αύξηση της παχυσαρκίας στην πολιτεία.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://calorielab.com/news/2007/08/06/fattest-states-2007/ |title=Fattest States 2010: CalorieLab's Annual Obesity Map - State Obesity Rankings &#124; CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog |publisher=CalorieLab |date=2010-06-28 |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref>
 
== Πολιτισμός ==
[[File:ColoradoHistoryMuseum.jpg|thumb|[[Colorado History Museum]] in Denver]]
[[File:Denver Colorado Art.jpg|thumb|Street art in Denver]]
* [[Κατάλογος μουσείων στο Κολοράντο]]
 
=== Καλές τέχνες ===
* [[Μουσική του Κολοράντο]]
* [[Το Θέατρο στο Κολοράντο]]
 
=== Κουζίνα ===
Colorado is known for its [[Cuisine of the Southwestern United States|Southwest]] and [[Rocky Mountain cuisine]]. Mexican restaurants are throughout the state.
 
[[Boulder, Colorado]] was named America’s Foodiest Town 2010 by [[Bon Appétit]].<ref name="Bon Appétit">{{cite web|last=Knowlton |first=Andrew |url=http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2010/10/americas_foodiest_town_2010_boulder |title=America's Foodiest Town 2010: Boulder, Colorado: In the Magazine |publisher=bonappetit.com |date= |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref> Boulder, and Colorado in general, is home to a number of national food and beverage companies, top-tier restaurants and farmers' markets. [[Boulder, Colorado]] also has more Master [[Sommelier]]s per capita than any other city, including San Francisco and New York.<ref name="Denver Magazine">[http://www.denvermagazine.com/March-2011/Colorado-039s-Master-Sommeliers/ ]{{dead link|date=June 2011}}</ref>
 
The [[Food & Wine Classic]] held annually each June in [[Aspen, Colorado]]. Aspen also has a reputation as the culinary capital of the Rocky Mountain region.<ref>{{cite news|last=Arnold |first=Katie |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/travel/08Choice.html |title=As Skiers Depart Aspen, Chowhounds Take Their Place|location=Aspen (Colo) |publisher=Travel.nytimes.com |date=2008-06-08 |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref>
 
[[Denver, Colorado]] is known for steak, but now has a diverse culinary scene with many top-tier restaurants.<ref name="Travel + Leisure">{{cite web|url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/guides/colorado |title=Colorado Travel Guide|publisher=Travelandleisure.com |date= |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref>
 
=== Οίνος ===
{{κύριο|Οίνος του Κολοράντο}}
[[Colorado wine]]s include award-winning varietals that have attracted favorable notice from outside the state.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jackenthal |first=Stefani |url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/travel/05biking.html |title=Biking Colorado’s Wine Country |location=Colorado |publisher=Travel.nytimes.com |date=2008-10-05 |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref> With wines made from traditional ''[[Vitis vinifera]]'' grapes along with wines made from cherries, peaches, plums and honey, Colorado wines have won top national and international awards for their quality.<ref name="Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition">{{cite web|url=http://www.thejeffersoncup.com |title=The Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition |publisher=Thejeffersoncup.com |date=2010-11-24 |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref> Colorado's grape growing regions contain the highest [[elevation]] [[vineyard]]s in the United States,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=features&content=48734 |title=Wine Industry Feature Articles - Is Colorado the New Washington? |publisher=Winesandvines.com |date= |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref> with most [[viticulture]] in the state practiced between {{convert|4000|ft|m|0}} and {{convert|7000|ft|m|0}} feet [[above sea level]]. The [[mountain]] [[climate]] ensures warm summer days and cool nights. Colorado is home to two designated [[American Viticultural Area]]s of the [[Grand Valley AVA]] and the [[West Elks AVA]],<ref name="Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau">http://www.ttb.gov/appellation/us_by_ava.pdf</ref> where most of the vineyards in the state are located. However, an increasing number of wineries are located along the [[Front Range]].<ref name="Colorado Wine Industry Development Board">{{cite web|url=http://www.coloradowine.com/overview.html |title=Colorado Wine Industry Development Board |publisher=Coloradowine.com |date= |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref>
 
== Οικονομία ==
[[File:Denver CO DT WTC AMH 322.JPG|thumb|upright|right|[[Denver World Trade Center]].<br />
The Denver financial district along 17th Street is known as the ''Wall Street of the West''.]]
{{main|Economy of Colorado}}
CNBC's list of "Top States for Business for 2010" has recognized Colorado as the third best state in the nation, falling short to only Texas and Virginia.<ref>America's Top States for Business 2010." CNBC Special Report (2010): 1. Web. 9 May 2011. <http://www.cnbc.com/id/37516043/>.</ref>
[[File:2006 CO Proof.png|thumb|left|upright|The United States quarter dollar coin released June 14, 2006, in honor of the state of Colorado.]]
[[File:Corn production in Colorado.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Maize|Corn]] growing in [[Larimer County, CO|Larimer County]]]]
[[File:DSCN2549 beevesnearwalden 600.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Cattle ranching]] in [[Jackson County, CO|Jackson County]]]]
[[File:Grand Junction Trip 92007 131.JPG|thumb|upright|right|An [[oil well]] in western Colorado]]
The [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]] estimates that the total state product in 2010 was $257.6 billion.<ref>{{cite web|title=GDP by State|url=http://greyhill.com/gdp-by-state|publisher=Greyhill Advisors|accessdate=7 September 2011}}</ref> [[List of U.S. states by GDP per capita (nominal)|Per capita personal income]] in 2010 was $51 940, ranking Colorado 11th in the nation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/spi/2009/pdf/spi0309.pdf |title=References |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2010-07-30}}</ref> The state's economy broadened from its mid-19th century roots in mining when irrigated agriculture developed, and by the late 19th century, raising livestock had become important. Early industry was based on the extraction and processing of minerals and agricultural products. Current agricultural products are [[cattle]], [[wheat]], [[dairy product]]s, [[maize|corn]], and [[hay]].
 
The [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] is also a major economic force in the state with many important federal facilities including [[NORAD]] (North American Aerospace Defense Command, [[United States Air Force Academy]], Schriever Air Force Base located approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of [[Peterson Air Force Base]], and Fort Carson, both located in [[Colorado Springs]] within El Paso County; [[NOAA]], the National Renewable Energy Laboratory ([[NREL]]) in Golden, and the [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] in [[Boulder, CO|Boulder]]; [[U.S. Geological Survey]] and other government agencies at the Denver Federal Center near [[Lakewood, CO|Lakewood]]; the [[Denver Mint]], [[Buckley Air Force Base]], and [[United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit|10th Circuit Court of Appeals]] in Denver; and a federal [[ADX Florence|Supermax Prison]] and other federal [[prisons]] near [[Cañon City, CO|Cañon City]]. In addition to these and other [[Independent Agencies of the United States Government|federal agencies]], Colorado has abundant [[United States National Forest|National Forest]] land and four [[List of National Parks of the United States|National Parks]] that contribute to federal ownership of {{convert|24615788|acre|km2|0}} of land in Colorado, or 37% of the total area of the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ag.state.co.us/resource/documents/TotalCOLandOwnership.xls |title=Colorado Land Ownership by County (acres) |year=1997 |month=January |author=Tony Frank |format=Excel |publisher=Colorado Department of Agriculture |accessdate=July 15, 2007|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060116094720/http%3A//www.ag.state.co.us/resource/colorado_land_ownership.html |archivedate = January 16, 2006}} [http://www.ag.state.co.us/resource/colorado_land_ownership.html Colorado Department of Agriculture: Land Ownership]{{Dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref>
In the second half of the 20th century, the industrial and service sectors have expanded greatly. The state's economy is diversified and is notable for its concentration of scientific research and high-technology industries. Other industries include [[food processing]], transportation equipment, [[Mechanical engineering|machinery]], [[chemical engineering|chemical products]], the extraction of metals such as gold (see [[Gold mining in Colorado]]), [[silver]], and [[molybdenum]]. Colorado now also has the largest annual production of beer of any state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/nov/24/reuteman-colorado-rides-on-fat-tire-to-beer/ |title=Colorado rides on Fat Tire to beer heights |publisher=Rockymountainnews.com |date=2007-11-24 |accessdate=2011-06-05}}</ref> Denver is an important financial center.
 
A number of nationally known brand names have originated in Colorado factories and laboratories. From [[Denver#Economy|Denver]] came the forerunner of telecommunications giant [[Qwest Corporation|Qwest]] in 1879, [[Samsonite]] luggage in 1910, [[Gates Corporation|Gates]] belts and hoses in 1911, and [[Russell Stover Candies]] in 1923. Kuner canned vegetables began in [[Brighton, CO|Brighton]] in 1864. From [[Golden, CO|Golden]] came [[Coors Brewing Company|Coors]] beer in 1873, [[CoorsTek]] industrial ceramics in 1920, and [[Jolly Rancher]] candy in 1949. [[Colorado Fuel and Iron|CF&I]] railroad rails, wire, nails and pipe debuted in [[Pueblo, CO|Pueblo]] in 1892. [[Imperial Sugar|Holly Sugar]] was first milled from beets in [[Holly, CO|Holly]] in 1905, and later moved its headquarters to Colorado Springs. The present-day [[Swift & Company|Swift]] packed meat of [[Greeley, CO|Greeley]] evolved from Monfort of Colorado, Inc., established in 1930. [[Estes Industries|Estes]] model rockets were launched in [[Penrose, CO|Penrose]] in 1958. [[Fort Collins, CO|Fort Collins]] has been the home of [[Woodward Governor Company]]'s motor controllers (governors) since 1870, and [[Oral irrigator|Waterpik]] dental water jets and showerheads since 1962. [[Celestial Seasonings]] herbal teas have been made in [[Boulder, CO|Boulder]] since 1969. [[Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory]] made its first candy in [[Durango, CO|Durango]] in 1981.
 
Colorado has a flat 4.63% [[income tax]], regardless of income level. Unlike most states, which calculate taxes based on federal ''adjusted gross income'', Colorado taxes are based on ''taxable income'' – income after federal exemptions and federal itemized (or standard) deductions.<ref>Colorado individual income tax return (2005) [http://www.revenue.state.co.us/PDF/05104f.pdf Revenue.state.co.us]. Retrieved September 26, 2006.</ref><ref>U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (2005) [http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdf#search=%22form%201040%20site%3Airs.gov%22 online copy]. Retrieved September 26, 2006.</ref> Colorado's state [[sales tax]] is 2.9% on retail sales. When state revenues exceed state constitutional limits, full-year Colorado residents can claim a sales tax refund on their individual state income tax return. Many counties and cities charge their own rates in addition to the base state rate. There are also certain county and special district taxes that may apply.
 
[[Real estate]] and personal business property are taxable in Colorado. The state's senior property tax exemption was temporarily suspended by the Colorado Legislature in 2003. The tax break is scheduled to return for assessment year 2006, payable in 2007.
 
As of September 2010, the state's unemployment rate is 8.2%.<ref>[http://www.bls.gov/lau/ Bls.gov]; Local Area Unemployment Statistics</ref>
 
=== Philanthropy ===
Major [[philanthropic]] organizations based in Colorado, including the [[Daniels Fund]], the Anschutz Family Foundation, the [[Gates Family Foundation]], the El Pomar Foundation and the [[Boettcher Foundation]], grant approximately $400 million<ref>[http://www.coloradofunders.org/docs/2007%20Giving%20Study%20PublishedFinal_1.pdf Coloradofunders.org]{{Dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> each year from approximately $7 billion<ref>http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/Government/StateGiving/CO.pdf</ref> of assets.
 
=== Φυσικοί πόροι ===
Το Κολοράντο έχει σημαντικά αποθέματα [[υδρογονάνθρακας|υδρογονανθράκων]]. According to the [[Energy Information Administration]], Colorado hosts seven of the Nation’s 100 largest [[natural gas]] fields and two of its 100 largest [[oil field]]s. Conventional and unconventional natural gas output from several Colorado basins typically account for more than 5 percent of annual U.S. natural gas production. Colorado’s [[oil shale]] deposits hold an estimated {{convert|1|Toilbbl|km3}} of oil – nearly as much oil as the entire world’s proven oil reserves; the economic viability of the oil shale, however, has not been demonstrated.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=CO |title= EIA State Energy Profiles: Colorado |date=June 12, 2008 |accessdate=June 24, 2008
}}</ref> Substantial deposits of [[bituminous coal|bituminous]], [[sub-bituminous coal|subbituminous]], and [[lignite]] coal are found in the state. [[Kimberlite]] [[volcanic pipe]]s have been found in Colorado; the [[Kelsey Lake Diamond Mine]] operated for several years, recovering gem quality [[diamond]]s.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}}
 
Colorado's high Rocky Mountain ridges and eastern plains offer [[wind power]] potential, and geologic activity in the mountain areas provides potential for [[geothermal power]] development. Much of the state is sunny and could produce [[solar power]]. Major rivers flowing from the Rocky Mountains offer [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric power]] resources. Corn grown in the flat eastern part of the state offers potential resources for [[ethanol]] production.
 
== Μεταφορές ==
{{κύριο|Οι μεταφορές στο Κολοράντο}}
[[File:Colorado.JPG|thumb|upright|Πινακίδα καλωσορίσματος στο Κολοράντο]]
Το σύστημα μεταφορών του Κολοράντο συνδέει τις πόλεις του, τους κατοίκουςτου και τους επισκέπτες του μέσω ενός πολυποίκιλου και καλά ρυθμισμένου τρόπου.
 
Colorado's primary method of transportation is its highway system. [[Interstate 25]] is the primary North/South highway in the state, connecting Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins, and Greeley, and [[Interstate 70]] is the primary East/West route connecting Denver with the mountain communities and Grand Junction. The state is home to a network of US highways and state highways that provide access to much of the state, while smaller communities are only accessibly through county roads.
[[Image:DIA.jpg|thumb|left|The Teflon-coated fiberglass roof of [[Denver International Airport|DIA]] resembles the area's famous [[Rocky Mountains]]]]
[[Denver International Airport]] (DIA) is the fifth busiest airport in the world and handles the bulk of non-military or commercial air traffic in and out of Colorado. Regional airports are located throughout Colorado.
 
Rail traffic is important for industrial use, but typical Colorado residents do not use rail transportation. [[AMTRAK]] services Colorado outside of the [[light rail]] mass transit system in the [[Denver Metropolitan Area]], which is operated the [[Regional Transportation District]]. Other public transportation services offer both intra-city and inter-city bus services.
 
== Κυβέρνηση και πολιτικά ==
=== Πολιτειακή κυβέρνηση ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:10px"
|+ '''Αποτελέσματα εκλογών κυβερνήτη'''
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Έτος
! [[Ρεπουμπλικανικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Ρεπουμπλικανικό]]
! [[Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Δημοκρατικό]]
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States gubernatorial elections, 2010|2010]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|11.3% ''199,034
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''51.0%''' ''912,005
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States gubernatorial elections, 2006|2006]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|40.16% ''625,886
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''56.98%''' ''888,096
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States gubernatorial elections, 2002|2002]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''62.62%''' ''884,584
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|33.65% ''475,373
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States gubernatorial elections, 1998|1998]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''49.06%''' ''648,202
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|48.43% ''639,905
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States gubernatorial elections, 1994|1994]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|38.70% ''432,042
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''55.47%''' ''619,205
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States gubernatorial elections, 1990|1990]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|35.43% ''358,403
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''61.89%''' ''626,032
|}
{{Κύριο|Νόμος και κυβέρνηση του Κολοράντο}}
[[File:Denver capital.jpg|thumb|left|Το [[Πολιτειακό Καπιτώλιο του Κολοράντο]] στο [[Ντένβερ]]]]
 
Όπως όλες οι πολιτείες, το [[πολιτειακό σύνταγμα]] του Κολοράντο προβλέπει τρεις κλάδους κυβέρνησης: τον νομοθετικό, τον εκτελεστικό, και τον δικαστικό κλάδο. Ο [[Κατάλογος Κυβερνητών του Κολοράντο|Κυβερνήτης]] είναι επικεφαλής του εκτελεστικού κλάδου της πολιτείας. Το [[Ανώτατο Δικαστήριο του Κολοράντο]] είναι το ανώτατο δικαστήριο στην πολιτεία. Το πολιτειακό νομοθετικό σώμα είναι η [[Γενική Συνέλευση του Κολοράντο]], η οποία αποτελείται από δύο σώματα, την [[Βουλή των Αντιπροσώπων του Κολοράντο|Βουλή των Αντιπροσώπων]] και την [[Γερουσία του Κολοράντο|Γερουσία]].
 
Η Βουλή έχει 65 μέληκαι η Γερουσία έχει 35. Τρεχόντως, η Βουλή ελέγχεται από το [[Ρεπουμπλικανικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Ρεπουμπλικανικό Κόμμα]] με μια πλειοψηφία μίας έδρας και η Γερουσία ελέγχεται από το [[Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα]]. Η Γενική Συνέλευση του Κολοράντο του 2005ήταν η πρώτη που ελεγχόταν από τους Δημοκρατικούς σε σαράντα χρόνια. Ο παρών κυβερνήτης είναι ο Δημοκρατικός [[Τζο Χίκενλουπερ]].
 
Most Coloradans are originally native to other states (nearly 60% according to the 2000 census),<ref>{{cite web
| title =State of Residence in 2000 by State of Birth
| publisher =[[US Census Bureau]]
| accessdate =October 10, 2009
| url =http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t38/index.html }}</ref> and this is illustrated by the fact that the state did not have a native-born governor from 1975 (when [[John David Vanderhoof]] left office) until 2007, when Bill Ritter took office; [[Colorado gubernatorial election, 2006|his election]] the previous year marked the first electoral victory for a native-born Coloradan in a gubernatorial race since 1958 (Vanderhoof had ascended from the Lieutenant Governorship when [[John Arthur Love]] was given a position in [[Richard Nixon]]'s administration in 1973). {{Clear}}
 
 
 
=== Κομητείες ===
[[image:Map of Colorado counties, labelled.svg|thumb|Ένας μεγεθύνσιμος χάρτης των [[Κατάλογος κομητειών στο Κολοράντο|64 κομητειών]] της πολιτείας του Κολοράντο]]
{{Κύριο|Κομητείες του Κολοράντο}}
''Βλέπε επίσης:[[Κατάλογος κομητειών στο Κολοράντο]]''
Η πολιτεία του Κολοράντο διαιρείται σε 64 [[Κομητεία (Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες)|κομητείες]].<ref name= CountiesCO>{{cite web | date = January 8, 2007 | url = http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/counties.html | title = Colorado Counties | publisher = State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs | accessdate = January 30, 2007 }}</ref> Οι κομητείες είναι σημαντικές μονάδες διοίκησης στο Κολοράντο αφότου η πολιτεία δεν έχει δευτερεύουσες πολιτικές υποδιαιρέσεις όπως οι δήμοι. Δύο από αυτές τις κομητείες, η [[Denver|City and County of Denver]] and the [[Broomfield, Colorado|City and County of Broomfield]], have [[consolidated city-county|consolidated city and county governments]].
 
Nine Colorado counties have a population in excess of 250,000 each, while eight Colorado counties have a population of less than 2,500 each. The ten most populous Colorado counties are located in the [[Front Range Urban Corridor]].
{{clear}}
<center>
 
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+'''The 25 Most Populous Colorado Counties 2010'''<br/><br/>
!Pop Rank
!County
!2010 Census
!2000 Census
!Pop Change
|-
{{rank|1}}
|[[El Paso County, Colorado|El Paso County]]
{{noc|622263|516929}}
|-
{{rank|2}}
|[[Denver|City and County of Denver]]
{{noc|600158|554636}}
|-
{{rank|3}}
|[[Arapahoe County, Colorado|Arapahoe County]]
{{noc|572003|487967}}
|-
{{rank|4}}
|[[Jefferson County, Colorado|Jefferson County]]<ref name=Broomfield/>
{{noc|534543|527056}}
|-
{{rank|5}}
|[[Adams County, Colorado|Adams County]]<ref name=Broomfield/>
{{noc|441603|363857}}
|-
{{rank|6}}
|[[Larimer County, Colorado|Larimer County]]
{{noc|299630|251494}}
|-
{{rank|7}}
|[[Boulder County, Colorado|Boulder County]]<ref name=Broomfield/>
{{noc|294567|291288}}
|-
{{rank|8}}
|[[Douglas County, Colorado|Douglas County]]
{{noc|285465|175766}}
|-
{{rank|9}}
|[[Weld County, Colorado|Weld County]]<ref name=Broomfield/>
{{noc|252825|180936}}
|-
{{rank|10}}
|[[Pueblo County, Colorado|Pueblo County]]
{{noc|159063|141472}}
|-
{{rank|11}}
|[[Mesa County, Colorado|Mesa County]]
{{noc|146723|116255}}
|-
{{rank|12}}
|[[Garfield County, Colorado|Garfield County]]
{{noc|56389|43791}}
|-
{{rank|13}}
|[[Broomfield, Colorado|Broomfield City and County]]<ref name=Broomfield>The [[Broomfield, Colorado|City and County of Broomfield, Colorado]] was created on November 15, 2001, from portions of [[Boulder County, Colorado|Boulder County]], [[Adams County, Colorado|Adams County]], [[Jefferson County, Colorado|Jefferson County]], and [[Weld County, Colorado]].</ref>
{{noc|55889|NA}}
|-
{{rank|14}}
|[[Eagle County, Colorado|Eagle County]]
{{noc|52197|41659}}
|-
{{rank|15}}
|[[La Plata County, Colorado|La Plata County]]
{{noc|51334|43941}}
|-
{{rank|16}}
|[[Fremont County, Colorado|Fremont County]]
{{noc|46824|46145}}
|-
{{rank|17}}
|[[Montrose County, Colorado|Montrose County]]
{{noc|41276|33432}}
|-
{{rank|18}}
|[[Delta County, Colorado|Delta County]]
{{noc|30952|27834}}
|-
{{rank|19}}
|[[Morgan County, Colorado|Morgan County]]
{{noc|28159|27171}}
|-
{{rank|20}}
|[[Summit County, Colorado|Summit County]]
{{noc|27994|23548}}
|-
{{rank|21}}
|[[Montezuma County, Colorado|Montezuma County]]
{{noc|25535|23830}}
|-
{{rank|22}}
|[[Routt County, Colorado|Routt County]]
{{noc|23509|19690}}
|-
{{rank|23}}
|[[Teller County, Colorado|Teller County]]
{{noc|23350|20555}}
|-
{{rank|24}}
|[[Elbert County, Colorado|Elbert County]]
{{noc|23086|19872}}
|-
{{rank|25}}
|[[Logan County, Colorado|Logan County]]
{{noc|22709|20504}}
|}</center>
 
 
==== Metropolitan areas ====
[[File:Colorado census statistical areas.svg|thumb|Map of the 14 [[Core Based Statistical Area]]s in the state of Colorado.]]
{{Main|Colorado metropolitan areas|Colorado census statistical areas}}
The [[United States Office of Management and Budget]] (OMB) has defined one [[Combined Statistical Area]] (CSA),<ref name=CSA>The [[United States Office of Management and Budget]] defines a [[Combined Statistical Area]] (CSA) as an aggregate of adjacent [[Core Based Statistical Area]]s that are linked by commuting ties.</ref> seven [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]]s (MSAs),<ref name=MSA>The [[United States Office of Management and Budget]] defines a [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]] (MSA) as a [[Core Based Statistical Area]] having at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.</ref> and seven [[Micropolitan Statistical Area]]s (μSAs)<ref name="μSA">The [[United States Office of Management and Budget]] defines a [[Micropolitan Statistical Area]] (μSA) as a [[Core Based Statistical Area]] having at least one urban cluster of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.</ref> in the state of Colorado.<ref name=OMB_10-02>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/bulletins/b10-02.pdf|title=OMB Bulletin No. 10-02: Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses|publisher=[[United States Office of Management and Budget]]|date=December 1, 2009|accessdate=January 7, 2010}}</ref>
 
The most populous of the 14 [[Core Based Statistical Area]]s in Colorado is the [[Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. This area had a population of 2,543,482 at the [[2010 United States Census]], an increase of 17.88% since the [[2000 United States Census]].<ref name=AF>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/main.html|title=American Factfinder|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=May 10, 2011}}</ref>
 
The more extensive [[Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO Combined Statistical Area]] had a population of 3,090,874 at the 2010 United States Census, an increase of +17.52% since the 2000 United States Census.<ref name=AF/>
 
The most populous extended metropolitan region in Rocky Mountain Region is the [[Front Range Urban Corridor]] along the northeast face of the [[Southern Rocky Mountains]]. This region with [[Denver]] at its center had a population of 4,333,742 at the 2010 United States Census, an increase of +17.50% since the 2000 United States Census.<ref name=AF/>
{{clear}}
 
=== Municipalities ===
{{main|Colorado municipalities}}
The state of Colorado currently has 271 active [[municipal corporation|incorporated municipalities]], including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.<ref name=COmuniStatus>{{cite web | url = http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html | title = Active Colorado Municipalities | publisher = State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs | accessdate = May 11, 2011}}</ref><ref name=COgovTypes>{{cite web | url = http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/lgtypes.html | title = Colorado Local Government by Type | publisher = State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs | date = February 27, 2007 | accessdate = May 11, 2011}}</ref>
 
Colorado municipalities operate under one of five types of municipal governing authority. Colorado has one town with a [[Colorado municipalities#Territorial Charter Municipality|territorial charter]], 160 [[Colorado municipalities#Statutory Town|statutory towns]], 12 [[Colorado municipalities#Statutory City|statutory cities]], 96 [[Colorado municipalities#Home Rule Municipality|home rule municipalities]] (61 cities and 35 towns), and 2 [[Colorado municipalities#Consolidated City and County|consolidated city and county governments]].
<center>
{{wide image|2006-07-14-Denver Skyline Midnight.jpg|847px|The skyline of downtown [[Denver]] with Speer Boulevard in the foreground}}
 
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+The 25 Most Populous Colorado Municipalities 2010<br/><br/>
!Pop Rank
!Municipality
!2010 Census
!2000 Census
!Pop Change
|-
{{rank|1}}
|[[Denver|City and County of Denver]]
{{noc|600158|554636}}
|-
{{rank|2}}
|[[Colorado Springs, Colorado|City of Colorado Springs]]
{{noc|416427|360890}}
|-
{{rank|3}}
|[[Aurora, Colorado|City of Aurora]]
{{noc|325078|276393}}
|-
{{rank|4}}
|[[Fort Collins, Colorado|City of Fort Collins]]
{{noc|143986|118652}}
|-
{{rank|5}}
|[[Lakewood, Colorado|City of Lakewood]]
{{noc|142980|144126}}
|-
{{rank|6}}
|[[Thornton, Colorado|City of Thornton]]
{{noc|118772|82384}}
|-
{{rank|7}}
|[[Pueblo, Colorado|City of Pueblo]]
{{noc|106595|102121}}
|-
{{rank|8}}
|[[Arvada, Colorado|City of Arvada]]
{{noc|106433|102153}}
|-
{{rank|9}}
|[[Westminster, Colorado|City of Westminster]]
{{noc|106114|100940}}
|-
{{rank|10}}
|[[Centennial, Colorado|City of Centennial]]<ref>The [[Centennial, Colorado|City of Centennial, Colorado]] was incorporated on February 7, 2001</ref>
{{noc|100377|NA}}
|-
{{rank|11}}
|[[Boulder, Colorado|City of Boulder]]
{{noc|97385|94673}}
|-
{{rank|12}}
|[[Greeley, Colorado|City of Greeley]]
{{noc|92889|76930}}
|-
{{rank|13}}
|[[Longmont, Colorado|City of Longmont]]
{{noc|86270|71093}}
|-
{{rank|14}}
|[[Loveland, Colorado|City of Loveland]]
{{noc|66859|50608}}
|-
{{rank|15}}
|[[Grand Junction, Colorado|City of Grand Junction]]
{{noc|58566|41986}}
|-
{{rank|16}}
|[[Broomfield, Colorado|City and County of Broomfield]]<ref name=Broomfield/>
{{noc|55889|38272}}
|-
{{rank|17}}
|[[Castle Rock, Colorado|Town of Castle Rock]]
{{noc|48231|20224}}
|-
{{rank|18}}
|[[Commerce City, Colorado|City of Commerce City]]
{{noc|45913|20991}}
|-
{{rank|19}}
|[[Parker, Colorado|Town of Parker]]
{{noc|45297|23558}}
|-
{{rank|20}}
|[[Littleton, Colorado|City of Littleton]]
{{noc|41737|40340}}
|-
{{rank|21}}
|[[Northglenn, Colorado|City of Northglenn]]
{{noc|35789|31575}}
|-
{{rank|22}}
|[[Brighton, Colorado|City of Brighton]]
{{noc|33352|20905}}
|-
{{rank|23}}
|[[Englewood, Colorado|City of Englewood]]
{{noc|30255|31727}}
|-
{{rank|24}}
|[[Wheat Ridge, Colorado|City of Wheat Ridge]]
{{noc|30166|32913}}
|-
{{rank|25}}
|[[Fountain, Colorado|City of Fountain]]
{{noc|25846|15197}}
|}</center>
 
 
==== Unincorporated communities ====
{{main|Colorado census designated places}}
In addition to its 271 municipalities, Colorado has 187 [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated]] [[United States Census Bureau|United States]] [[Census-designated place|census designated places]] and many other small communities.
{{clear}}<center>
 
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+The 15 Most Populous Census Designated Places in Colorado 2010<br/><br/>
!Pop Rank
!Census Designated Place
!2010 Census
!2000 Census
!Pop Change
|-
{{rank|1}}
|[[Highlands Ranch, Colorado|Highlands Ranch]]
{{noc|96713|70931}}
|-
{{rank|2}}
|[[Security-Widefield, Colorado|Security-Widefield]]
{{noc|32882|29845}}
|-
{{rank|3}}
|[[Ken Caryl, Colorado|Ken Caryl]]
{{noc|32438|30887}}
|-
{{rank|4}}
|[[Dakota Ridge, Colorado|Dakota Ridge]]
{{noc|32005|NA}}
|-
{{rank|5}}
|[[Pueblo West, Colorado|Pueblo West]]
{{noc|29637|16899}}
|-
{{rank|6}}
|[[Columbine, Colorado|Columbine]]
{{noc|24280|24095}}
|-
{{rank|7}}
|[[Clifton, Colorado|Clifton]]
{{noc|19889|17345}}
|-
{{rank|8}}
|[[Sherrelwood, Colorado|Sherrelwood]]
{{noc|18287|17657}}
|-
{{rank|9}}
|[[Cimarron Hills, Colorado|Cimarron Hills]]
{{noc|16161|15194}}
|-
{{rank|10}}
|[[Welby, Colorado|Welby]]
{{noc|14846|12973}}
|-
{{rank|11}}
|[[Fort Carson, Colorado|Fort Carson]]
{{noc|13813|10566}}
|-
{{rank|12}}
|[[Black Forest, Colorado|Black Forest]]
{{noc|13116|13247}}
|-
{{rank|13}}
|[[Berkley, Colorado|Berkley]]
{{noc|11207|10743}}
|-
{{rank|14}}
|[[Cherry Creek, Colorado|Cherry Creek]]
{{noc|11120|NA}}
|-
{{rank|15}}
|[[The Pinery, Colorado|The Pinery]]
{{noc|10517|7253}}
|}</center>
 
{{see also|List of cities and towns in Colorado|Places in Colorado}}
 
===Special districts ===
The state of Colorado has more than 3,000 districts with taxing authority. These districts may provide schools, law enforcement, fire protection, water, sewage, drainage, irrigation, transportation, recreation, infrastructure, cultural facilities, business support, redevelopment, or other services.
 
Some of these districts have authority to levy sales tax and well as property tax and use fees. This has led to a hodgepodge of sales tax and property tax rates in Colorado. There are some street intersections in Colorado with a different sales tax rate on each corner, sometimes substantially different.
 
Some of the more notable Colorado districts are:
* The [[Regional Transportation District]] (RTD), which affects the counties of Denver, Boulder, Jefferson, and portions of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, and Douglas Counties
* The [[Scientific and Cultural Facilities District]] (SCFD), a special regional tax district with physical boundaries contiguous with county boundaries of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties
** It is a 0.1% retail sales and use tax (one penny on every $10).
** According to the Colorado statute, the SCFD distributes the money to local organizations on an annual basis. These organizations must provide for the enlightenment and entertainment of the public through the production, presentation, exhibition, advancement or preservation of art, music, theater, dance, zoology, botany, natural history or cultural history.
** As directed by statute, SCFD recipient organizations are currently divided into three "tiers" among which receipts are allocated by percentage.
*** Tier I includes regional organizations: the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Denver Zoo, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. It receives 65.5%.
*** Tier II currently includes 26 regional organizations. Tier II receives 21%.
*** Tier III has over 280 local organizations such as small theaters, orchestras, art centers, and natural history, cultural history, and community groups. Tier III organizations apply for funding to the county cultural councils via a grant process. This tier receives 13.5%.
** An 11-member board of directors oversees the distributions in accordance with the Colorado Revised Statutes. Seven board members are appointed by county commissioners (in Denver, the Denver City Council) and four members are appointed by the Governor of Colorado.
* The Football Stadium District (FD or FTBL), approved by the voters to pay for and help build the [[Denver Broncos]]' stadium [[INVESCO Field at Mile High]]
* Local Improvement Districts (LID) within designated areas of southeast Jefferson and Boulder counties
* Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) taxes at varying rates in Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, Gunnison County
 
=== Ομοσπονδιακά πολιτικά ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:10px"
|+ '''Αποτελέσματα προεδρικών εκλογών'''
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Έτος
! [[Ρεπουμπλικανικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Ρεπουμπλικανικό]]
! [[Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Δημοκρατικό]]
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Προεδρικές εκλογές των ΗΠΑ 2008|2008]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|44,71% ''1.073.584
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''53,66%''' ''1.288.568
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Προεδρικές εκλογές των ΗΠΑ 2004|2004]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''51,69%''' ''1.101.255
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|47,02% ''1.001.732
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Προεδρικές εκλογές των ΗΠΑ 2000|2000]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''50,75%''' ''883.745
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|42,39% ''738.227
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Προεδρικές εκλογές των ΗΠΑ 1996|1996]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''45,80%''' ''691.848
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|44,43% ''671.152
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|[[Προεδρικές εκλογές των ΗΠΑ 1992|1992]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|35,87% ''562.850
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|'''40,13%''' '' ''629.681
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|[[Προεδρικές εκλογές των ΗΠΑ 1988|1988]]
| style="text-align:center; background:#fff3f3;"|'''53,06%''' ''728.177
| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0ff;"|45,28% ''621.453
|}
{{Κύριο|Πολιτικά του Κολοράντο}}
 
Το Κολοράντο θεωρείται [[αμφιταλαντευόμενη πολιτεία]] στις πολιτειακές και ομοσπονδιακές εκλογές. Οι κάτοικοι του Κολοράντο έχουν εκλέξει 17 [[Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Δημοκρατικούς]] και 12 [[Ρεπουμπλικανικό Κόμμα (ΗΠΑ)|Ρεπουμπλικανούς]] στο αξίωμα του κυβερνήτη τα τελευταία 100 έτη. Στα προεδρικά πολιτικά, το Κολοράντο υποστήριξε τους Δημοκρατικούς [[Μπιλ Κλίντον]] το 1992 και [[Μπάρακ Ομπάμα]] το 2008, και υποστήριξε τους Ρεπουμπλικανούς [[Μπομπ Ντόουλ|Ρόμπερτ Τζ. Ντόουλ]] το 1996 και [[Τζορτζ Μπους (νεότερος)|Τζορτζ Μπους]] το [[Προεδρική εκλογή των ΗΠΑ 2000|2000]] και το [[Προεδρική εκλογή των ΗΠΑ 2004|2004]]. Το αποτέλεσμα της προεδρικής εκλογής το 2008 ήταν το δεύτερο πλησιέστερο στα εθνικά ποσοστά της ψηφοφορίας, μετά τη Βιρτζίνια.<ref>{{cite web
| last =Goodman
| first =Josh
| title =Move Over Missouri, Iowa Is the New Bellwether State
| publisher =Governing.com
| accessdate =October 10, 2009
| url =http://ballotbox.governing.com/2008/11/move-over-missouri-iowa-is-the-bellwether-state.html }}</ref>
 
Colorado politics has the contrast of conservative cities such as Colorado Springs and liberal cities such as Boulder. Democrats are strongest in [[Denver Metropolitan Area|metropolitan Denver]], the college towns of [[Fort Collins, CO|Fort Collins]] and [[Boulder, CO|Boulder]], southern Colorado (including Pueblo), and a few western ski resort counties. The Republicans are strongest in the Eastern Plains, Colorado Springs, Greeley, and far Western Colorado near Grand Junction.
 
Former Colorado senator and attorney general [[Ken Salazar]] is the current [[United States Secretary of the Interior]] (as of January 20, 2009).
 
The state of Colorado is represented by its two [[United States Senator]]s:
*[[Classes of United States Senators|United States Senate Class 2]] – [[Mark Emery Udall]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]) 2009–
*[[Classes of United States Senators|United States Senate Class 3]] – [[Michael Farrand Bennet]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]])<ref name=Bennet>[[Governor of Colorado|Governor]] [[Bill Ritter]] appointed [[Michael Bennet]] to serve the remaining two years of [[United States Senator]] [[Ken Salazar]] term of office which was left vacant on January 20, 2009, when new United States President [[Barack Obama]] appointed the Colorado Senator to serve in his [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet]] as [[United States Secretary of the Interior]].</ref> 2009–
Colorado is represented by seven [[United States House of Representatives|Representatives]] to the [[United States House of Representatives]]:
*[[Colorado's 1st congressional district]] - [[Diana Louise DeGette]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]) 1997-
*[[Colorado's 2nd congressional district]] - [[Jared Schutz Polis]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]) 2009-
*[[Colorado's 3rd congressional district]] - [[Scott Tipton]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]) 2011–
*[[Colorado's 4th congressional district]] - [[Cory Gardner]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]) 2011–
*[[Colorado's 5th congressional district]] - [[Douglas L. Lamborn|Douglas L. "Doug" Lamborn]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]) 2007-
*[[Colorado's 6th congressional district]] - [[Michael "Mike" Coffman]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]) 2009-
*[[Colorado's 7th congressional district]] - [[Edwin George Perlmutter|Edwin George "Ed" Perlmutter]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]) 2007-
{{See also|United States presidential election, 2004, in Colorado |Colorado's congressional elections, 2006|Colorado gubernatorial election, 2006|Political party strength in Colorado}}
{{clear}}
 
== Education ==
[[image:Cadet chapel.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The [[United States Air Force Academy]].]]
Colleges and universities in Colorado:
[[image:Norlin Library - Colorado.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The [[University of Colorado at Boulder]].]]
[[image:University of Denver campus pics 003.jpg|upright|right|thumb|The [[University of Denver]].]]
 
{{Columns |width=320px
|col1 =
*[[Adams State College]]
*[[Aims Community College]]
*[[Arapahoe Community College]]
*[[Art Institute of Colorado]]
*[[Belleview College]]
*[[Colorado Christian University]]
*[[Colorado College]]
*[[Colorado Mesa University]]
*[[Colorado Mountain College]]
*[[Colorado Northwestern Community College]]
*[[Colorado School of Mines]]
*[[Colorado State University|Colorado State University System]]
**[[Colorado State University]]
**[[Colorado State University-Pueblo]]
*[[Colorado Technical University]]
*[[Community College of Aurora]]
*[[Community College of Denver]]
*[[Denver Seminary]]
*[[DeVry University]]
*[[Emily Griffith Opportunity School]]
*[[Fort Lewis College]]
*[[Front Range Community College]]
*[[Iliff School of Theology]]
*[[Johnson & Wales University]]
*[[Jones International University]]
*[[Lamar Community College]]
|col2 =
*[[Metropolitan State College of Denver]]
*[[Morgan Community College]]
*[[Naropa University]]
*[[National Technological University]]
*[[Nazarene Bible College]]
*[[Northeastern Junior College]]
*[[Otero Junior College]]
*[[Pikes Peak Community College]]
*[[Pueblo Community College]]
*[[Red Rocks Community College]]
*[[Redstone College]]
*[[Regis University]]
*[[Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design]]
*[[Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine]]
*[[Trinidad State Junior College]]
*[[United States Air Force Academy]]
*[[University of Colorado System]]
**[[University of Colorado at Boulder]]
**[[University of Colorado at Colorado Springs]]
**[[University of Colorado Denver]]
***[[Anschutz Medical Campus]]
***[[Auraria Campus]]
*[[University of Denver]]
*[[University of Northern Colorado]]
*[[Western State College]]
}}
 
{{See also|List of colleges and universities in Colorado|Table of Colorado school districts|Table of Colorado charter schools}}
{{Clear}}
 
== Military installations ==
[[image:PetersonAFB.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Peterson Air Force Base]]]]
Colorado is currently the home of nine major military bases and installations. Past base have closed over the years, e.g. [[Lowry Air Force Base]] and [[Fitzsimons Army Medical Center|Fitzsimons Army Hospital]].
*[[Air Reserve Personnel Center]]
*[[Buckley Air Force Base]]
*[[Fort Carson]] (U.S. Army)
**[[Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site]]
*[[Peterson Air Force Base]]
**[[Cheyenne Mountain Directorate]]
*[[Pueblo Chemical Depot]] (U.S. Army)
*[[Schriever Air Force Base]]
*[[United States Air Force Academy]]
 
== Protected areas ==
[[image:Coloradodunes.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve]]]]
[[image:SpruceTreeHouseLong.jpg|thumb|upright|Spruce Tree House in [[Mesa Verde National Park]]]]
{{main|List of federal lands in Colorado|Colorado State Parks}}
Colorado is home to [[List of national parks in Colorado|four national parks]], [[National monuments of Colorado|six national monuments]], [[National recreation areas of Colorado|two national recreation areas]], [[National historic sites of Colorado|two national historic sites]], [[National historic trails of Colorado|three national historic trails]], [[National scenic trail of Colorado|a national scenic trail]], [[National forests of Colorado|11 national forests]], [[National grasslands of Colorado|two national grasslands]], [[National wilderness areas of Colorado|41 national wilderness areas]], [[List of federal lands in Colorado#National Conservation Areas|two national conservation areas]], [[National wildlife refuges of Colorado|eight national wildlife refuges]], [[List of Colorado state parks|44 state parks]], [[Colorado Division of Wildlife|307 state wildlife areas]], and numerous other scenic, historic, and recreational areas.
 
Units of the National Park System in Colorado:
*[[Arapaho National Recreation Area]]<ref name=NFS>Managed by the [[United States Department of Agriculture]], [[National Forest Service]].</ref>
*[[Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site]]
*[[Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park]]
*[[Canyons of the Ancients National Monument]]<ref name=BLM>Managed by the [[United States Department of the Interior]], [[Bureau of Land Management]].</ref>
*[[Colorado National Monument]]
*[[Continental Divide National Scenic Trail]]<ref name=NFSNPSBLM>Jointly managed by the [[United States Department of Agriculture]], [[National Forest Service]], and the [[United States Department of the Interior]], [[National Park Service]] and [[Bureau of Land Management]].</ref>
*[[Curecanti National Recreation Area]]
*[[Dinosaur National Monument]]
*[[Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument]]
*[[Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve]]
*[[Hovenweep National Monument]]
*[[Mesa Verde National Park]] and [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]
*[[Old Spanish National Historic Trail]]
*[[Pony Express National Historic Trail]]
*[[Rocky Mountain National Park]]
*[[Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site]]
*[[Santa Fe National Historic Trail]]
*[[Yucca House National Monument]]
{{See also|Colorado trails|Colorado scenic and historic byways}}
{{clear}}
 
== Sports ==
[[image:Coors field 1.JPG|thumb|upright|The [[Colorado Rockies]] [[National League]] baseball club at [[Coors Field]] in Denver.]]
[[image:Denver invesco stadium 1.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sports Authority Field at Mile High]], home of the [[Denver Broncos]] [[National Football League]] club and the [[Denver Outlaws]] [[Major League Lacrosse]] club.]]
[[image:Pepsi Center.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Pepsi Center]] in Denver, home of the [[Denver Nuggets]] [[National Basketball Association]] club, the [[Colorado Avalanche]] [[National Hockey League]] club, and the [[Colorado Mammoth]] [[National Lacrosse League]] club.]]
[[image:Dick's Park.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dick's Sporting Goods Park]] in [[Commerce City, CO|Commerce City]], home of the [[Colorado Rapids]] [[Major League Soccer]] club.]]
{{main|Sports in Colorado}}
{{see also|Colorado Sports Hall of Fame}}
Colorado is the least populous state with a franchise in each of the [[major professional sports league]]s.
 
=== Professional sports teams ===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+Professional Sports Clubs based in Colorado<br/><br/>
!Club
!Home
!First game
!Sport
!League
|-
|[[Denver Broncos]]
|[[Denver]]
|align=center|{{nk|19600909|September 9, 1960}}
|[[American football|Football]]
|[[National Football League]]
|-
|[[Denver Barbarians]]
|[[Denver]]
|align=center|{{nk|19670501|Spring 1967}}
|[[Rugby Union]]
|[[Rugby Super League (US)|Rugby Super League]]
|-
|[[Denver Nuggets]]
|[[Denver]]
|align=center|{{nk|19670927|September 27, 1967}}
|[[Basketball]]
|[[National Basketball Association]]
|-
|[[Colorado Springs Sky Sox]]
|[[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]]
|align=center|{{nk|19880618|June 18, 1988}}
|[[Baseball]]
|[[Minor League Baseball]] (AAA)
|-
|[[Colorado Rockies]]
|[[Denver]]
|align=center|{{nk|19930405|April 5, 1993}}
|[[Baseball]]
|[[Major League Baseball]]
|-
|[[Colorado Avalanche]]
|[[Denver]]
|align=center|{{nk|19951006|October 6, 1995}}
|[[Ice hockey]]
|[[National Hockey League]]
|-
|[[Colorado Rapids]]
|[[Commerce City, Colorado|Commerce City]]
|align=center|{{nk|19960413|April 13, 1996}}
|[[Soccer]]
|[[Major League Soccer]]
|-
|[[Colorado Mammoth]]
|[[Denver]]
|align=center|{{nk|20030103|January 3, 2003}}
|[[Lacrosse]]
|[[National Lacrosse League]]
|-
|[[Colorado Eagles]]
|[[Loveland, Colorado|Loveland]]
|align=center|{{nk|20031017|October 17, 2003}}
|[[Ice hockey]]
|[[ECHL]]
|-
|[[Denver Outlaws]]
|[[Denver]]
|align=center|{{nk|20060520|May 20, 2006}}
|[[Lacrosse]]
|[[Major League Lacrosse]]
|}
 
=== College athletics ===
{{main|List of college athletic programs in Colorado}}
The following universities and colleges participate in the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]].
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|+NCAA Division I athletic programs in Colorado<br/><br/>
! Team !! School !! City !! Conference
|-
| [[Air Force Falcons]] || [[United States Air Force Academy]] || [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]] || [[Mountain West Conference|Mountain West]]
|-
| [[Colorado Buffaloes]] || [[University of Colorado at Boulder]] || [[Boulder, Colorado|Boulder]] || [[Pacific-12 Conference|Pac 12]]
|-
| [[Colorado College Tigers]] || [[Colorado College]] || [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]] || [[Western Collegiate Hockey Association|WCHA]]<ref name=WCHA>The [[Western Collegiate Hockey Association]] is a [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]] [[ice hockey]]-only conference.</ref>
|-
| [[Colorado State Rams]] || [[Colorado State University]] || [[Fort Collins, Colorado|Fort Collins]] || [[Mountain West Conference|Mountain West]]
|-
| [[Denver Pioneers]] || [[University of Denver]] || [[Denver]] || [[Western Collegiate Hockey Association|WCHA]]<ref name=WCHA/> and [[Sun Belt Conference|Sun Belt]]
|-
| [[Northern Colorado Bears]] || [[University of Northern Colorado]] || [[Greeley, Colorado|Greeley]] || [[Big Sky Conference|Big Sky]]
|}
{{clear}}
 
==State symbols==
{{Infobox U.S. state symbols
|Boxwidth = 25em
|Flag = Flag of Colorado.svg
|Name = Colorado
|Amphibian =
|Bird = [[Lark Bunting]]<br />''Calamospiza&nbsp;melanocoryus''
|Butterfly =
|Crustacean =
|Fish = [[Greenback Cutthroat Trout]]<br />''Oncorhynchus&nbsp;clarki&nbsp;somias''
|Flower = [[Rocky Mountain Columbine]]<br />''Aquilegia&nbsp;caerules''
|Grass = [[Blue Grama Grass]]<br />''Bouteloua&nbsp;gracilis''
|Insect = [[Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly]]<br />''Hypaurotis&nbsp;cysaluswas''
|Mammal = [[Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep]]<br />''Ovis&nbsp;canadensis''
|Reptile = [[Western Painted Turtle]]<br />''Chrysemys&nbsp;picta&nbsp;bellii''
|Tree = [[Colorado Blue Spruce]]<br />''Picea&nbsp;pungens''
|Beverage =
|Colors =
|Dance = [[Square Dance]]
|Dinosaur =
|Food =
|Fossil = [[Stegosaurus]]
|Gemstone = [[Aquamarines|Aquamarine]]
|Instrument =
|Mineral = [[Rhodochrosite]]
|Poem =
|StateRock = [[Yule Marble]]
|Shell =
|Ships =
|Slogan =
|Soil = [[Seitz (soil)|Seitz]]
|Song = ''[[Where the Columbines Grow]]<br />[[Rocky Mountain High]]''
|Sport =
|Tartan = [[Colorado State Tartan]]
|Toy =
|Route Marker = Colorado 5.svg
|Quarter = Colorado quarter, reverse side, 2006.jpg
|QuarterReleaseDate = 2006
}}
{{Main|List of Colorado state symbols}}
{{clear}}
 
==See also==
{{satop|Geography|North America|Northern America|United States|Colorado|Rocky Mountains|Mountains}}
*[[List of federal lands in Colorado]]
*[[List of people from Colorado]]
*[[List of places in Colorado: A–D|List of places in Colorado]]
*[[List of U.S. states]]
*[[Mountain peaks of Colorado]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Colorado]]
*[[Southern Rocky Mountains]]
*[[U.S. state]]
{{clear}}
 
 
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
 
== Περαιτέρω ανάγνωση ==
* <cite>Explore Colorado, A Naturalist's Handbook</cite>, The Denver Museum of Natural History and Westcliff Publishers, 1995, ISBN 1-56579-124-X for an excellent guide to the ecological regions of Colorado.
* <cite>The Archeology of Colorado, Revised Edition</cite>, E. Steve Cassells, Johnson Books, Boulder, Colorado, 1997, trade paperback, ISBN 1-55566-193-9.
* <cite>Chokecherry Places, Essays from the High Plains</cite>, Merrill Gilfillan, Johnson Press, Boulder, Colorado, trade paperback, ISBN 1-55566-227-7.
* <cite>[[The Tie That Binds (novel)|The Tie That Binds]]</cite>, [[Kent Haruf]], 1984, hardcover, ISBN 0-03-071979-8, a fictional account of farming in Colorado.
* <cite>Railroads of Colorado: Your Guide to Colorado's Historic Trains and Railway Sites</cite>, Claude Wiatrowski, Voyageur Press, 2002, hardcover, 160 pages, ISBN 0-89658-591-3
 
== External links ==
{{Sisterlinks}}
{{Wikinewshas|news about [[wikinews:Portal:Colorado|Colorado]]}}
{{osmrelation|161961}}
'''State government'''
*[http://www.Colorado.gov/ Colorado state government website]
***[http://www.dot.state.co.us/ Colorado Department of Transportation]
****[http://www.dot.state.co.us/App_DTD_DataAccess/Maps/index.cfm?fuseaction=MapsMain&MenuType=Maps Colorado highway maps]
*****[http://dtdexternal.dot.state.co.us/travelmap/ Colorado Travel Map]
**[http://dola.colorado.gov/dlg/local_governments/counties.html Colorado counties]
**[http://dola.colorado.gov/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html Colorado municipalities]
**[http://dola.colorado.gov/dlg/local_governments/lgov_a.html Colorado special districts]
**[http://www.colorado.com/ Colorado tourism]
* [http://www.n2genealogy.com/colorado.html#government Colorado State and County Government Websites]
*[http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Colorado List of searchable databases produced by Colorado state agencies] hosted by the [http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Main_Page American Library Association Government Documents Roundtable].
'''Federal government'''
* [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=CO Energy & Environmental Data for Colorado]
* [http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=CO USGS Colorado state facts, real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Colorado]
* [http://www.census.gov/ United States Census Bureau]
** [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html Colorado QuickFacts]
** [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP3&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&geo_id=04000US08 Colorado economic data]
** [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP4&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&geo_id=04000US08 Colorado housing data]
** [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&geo_id=04000US08 Colorado social data]
* [http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/co.htm USDA ERS Colorado state facts]
'''Other'''
* {{Wikitravel|Colorado}}
* [http://www.stanwyck.com/cogenweb/cocounties.html Colorado County Evolution]
* [http://www.askcolorado.org/ Ask Colorado]
* [http://www2.census.gov/census_2000/datasets/demographic_profile/Colorado/2kh08.pdf 2000 Census of Population and Housing for Colorado]
* [http://swcoloradowildflowers.com/ Mountain and Desert Plants of Colorado and the Southwest],
* [http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/COLORADO.htm Climate of Colorado]
* {{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Colorado}}
{{Coord|39|N|105.5|W|region:US-CO_type:adm1st_scale:3000000|display=title}}
{{Γεωγραφική θέση
| Βορειοδυτικά = [[αρχείο:Flag of Idaho.svg|30px]] [[Αϊντάχο]]
| Βόρεια = [[αρχείο:Flag of Wyoming.svg|30px]] [[Ουαϊόμινγκ]]
| Βορειοανατολικά = [[αρχείο:Flag of Nebraska.svg|30px]] [[Νεμπράσκα]]
| Δυτικά = [[αρχείο:Flag of Utah.svg|30px]] [[Γιούτα]]
| Κέντρο = ''Colorado'' : [[Outline of Colorado|Outline]] • [[Index of Colorado-related articles|Index]]
| Ανατολικά = [[αρχείο:Flag of Kansas.svg|30px]] [[Κάνσας]]
| Νοτιοδυτικά = [[αρχείο:Flag of Arizona.svg|30px]] [[Αριζόνα]]
| Νότια = [[αρχείο:Flag of New Mexico.svg|30px]] [[Νέο Μεξικό]]
| Νοτιοανατολικά = [[αρχείο:Flag of Oklahoma.svg|30px]] <br> [[αρχείο:Flag of Texas.svg|30px]] [[Οκλαχόμα]]<br>[[Τέξας]]
}}
 
== Παραπομπές ==
{{Παραπομπές}}
 
{{Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες}}
 
[[Κατηγορία:Πολιτείες των ΗΠΑ]]
[[Κατηγορία:Κολοράντο| ]]
 
 
{{Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες-επέκταση}}
 
[[af:Colorado]]
[[an:Colorado]]
[[ang:Colorado]]
[[ar:كولورادو]]
[[arc:ܟܘܠܘܪܐܕܘ]]
[[arz:كولورادو]]
[[ast:Colorado]]
[[az:Kolorado]]
[[bar:Colorado]]
[[bat-smg:Kolorads (valstėjė)]]
[[bcl:Colorado]]
[[be:Штат Каларада]]
[[be-x-old:Каларада]]
[[bg:Колорадо]]
[[bi:Colorado]]
[[bn:কলোরাডো]]
[[bo:ཁོ་ལོ་ར་ཌོ།]]
[[bpy:কলোরাডো]]
[[br:Colorado]]
[[bs:Colorado]]
[[ca:Colorado]]
[[chy:Colorado]]
[[ckb:کۆلۆرادۆ]]
[[cs:Colorado]]
[[cv:Колорадо]]
[[cy:Colorado]]
[[da:Colorado]]
[[de:Colorado]]
[[diq:Colorado]]
[[en:Colorado]]
[[eo:Koloradio]]
[[es:Colorado]]
[[et:Colorado]]
[[eu:Colorado]]
[[fa:کلرادو]]
[[fi:Colorado]]
[[fo:Colorado]]
[[fr:Colorado]]
[[frp:Colorado]]
[[frr:Colorado]]
[[fy:Kolorado]]
[[ga:Colorado]]
[[gag:Kolorado]]
[[gd:Colorado]]
[[gl:Colorado, Estados Unidos de América]]
[[gv:Colorado]]
[[hak:Khô-lò-là-tô]]
[[haw:Kololako]]
[[he:קולורדו]]
[[hi:कॉलराडो]]
[[hif:Colorado]]
[[hr:Colorado]]
[[ht:Kolorado]]
[[hu:Colorado]]
[[hy:Կոլորադո]]
[[ia:Colorado]]
[[id:Colorado]]
[[ie:Colorado]]
[[ig:Colorado]]
[[ik:Colorado]]
[[ilo:Colorado]]
[[io:Kolorado]]
[[is:Colorado]]
[[it:Colorado]]
[[iu:ᑰᓘᕌᑑ]]
[[ja:コロラド州]]
[[jbo:kolorados]]
[[jv:Colorado]]
[[ka:კოლორადო (შტატი)]]
[[kk:Колорадо]]
[[ko:콜로라도 주]]
[[ku:Colorado]]
[[kw:Kolorado]]
[[la:Coloratum]]
[[lad:Colorado]]
[[lb:Colorado (Bundesstaat)]]
[[li:Colorado]]
[[lij:Colorado]]
[[lmo:Colorado]]
[[lt:Koloradas (valstija)]]
[[lv:Kolorādo]]
[[mg:Kolorado]]
[[mi:Colorado]]
[[mk:Колорадо]]
[[ml:കൊളറാഡോ]]
[[mn:Колорадо]]
[[mr:कॉलोराडो]]
[[mrj:Колорадо]]
[[ms:Colorado]]
[[my:ကော်လိုရာဒိုပြည်နယ်]]
[[nah:Colorado]]
[[nds:Colorado]]
[[new:कोलोर्‍याडो]]
[[nl:Colorado (staat)]]
[[nn:Colorado]]
[[no:Colorado]]
[[nv:Dibé Nitsaa Hahoodzo]]
[[oc:Colorado (estat)]]
[[os:Колорадо]]
[[pa:ਕੋਲੋਰਾਡੋ]]
[[pam:Colorado]]
[[pap:Colorado]]
[[pl:Kolorado]]
[[pms:Colorado]]
[[pnb:کولوراڈو]]
[[pt:Colorado]]
[[qu:Colorado suyu]]
[[rm:Colorado]]
[[ro:Colorado]]
[[ru:Колорадо]]
[[sa:कोलोराडो]]
[[sah:Колорадо (штаат)]]
[[scn:Coloradu]]
[[sh:Colorado]]
[[simple:Colorado]]
[[sk:Colorado (štát USA)]]
[[sl:Kolorado]]
[[sq:Colorado]]
[[sr:Колорадо]]
[[sv:Colorado]]
[[sw:Colorado]]
[[szl:Kolorado]]
[[ta:கொலராடோ]]
[[te:కొలరాడో]]
[[th:รัฐโคโลราโด]]
[[tl:Kolorado]]
[[tpi:Kolorado]]
[[tr:Colorado]]
[[tt:Колорадо (штат)]]
[[ug:Kolorado Shitati]]
[[uk:Колорадо]]
[[ur:کولوراڈو]]
[[uz:Kolorado]]
[[vec:Colorado]]
[[vi:Colorado]]
[[vo:Colorado]]
[[war:Colorado]]
[[xal:Коларад]]
[[yi:קאלאראדא]]
[[yo:Colorado]]
[[zh:科羅拉多州]]
[[zh-min-nan:Colorado]]
Ανακτήθηκε από "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/Χρήστης:Ιων/αμμοδοχείο"