The geography of theU.S.State of Colorado is diverse, encompassing rugged mountainous terrain, vast plains, desert lands, desert canyons, andmesas. Colorado is a landlocked U.S. state. In 1861, theUnited States Congress defined the boundaries of the newTerritory of Colorado exclusively by lines oflatitude andlongitude, stretching from37°N to41°N latitude, and from102°02'48"W to109°02'48"W longitude (25°W to32°W from theWashington Meridian).^[1] Starting in 1868, official surveys demarcated the boundaries, deviating from the parallels and meridians in several places. Later surveys attempted to correct some of these mistakes but in 1925 theU.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the earlier demarcation was the official boundary.^[2] The borders of Colorado are now officially defined by 697boundary markers connected bystraight boundary lines, forming a shape called ahexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon.^[3][4] Colorado,Wyoming, andUtah are the only states that have their borders defined solely by straight boundary lines with no natural features.^[5] The southwest corner of Colorado is theFour Corners Monument at36°59'56"N,109°2'43"W.^[6][7] This is the only place in the United States where four states meet: Colorado,New Mexico,Arizona, and Utah.^[5]

The summit ofMount Elbert at 14,440 feet (4,401.2 m) elevation inLake County is the state's highest point and the highest point in theRocky Mountains ofNorth America.^[8] Colorado has approximately 550 mountain peaks that exceed 10,000 feet (4,000 metres) elevation. The state's lowest elevation is 3,317 feet (1,011 m) at the point on the eastern boundary ofYuma County where theArikaree River flows into thestate of Kansas.^[9] This is the highest low point of any state, and Colorado and Wyoming are the only two states that lie entirely above 3000 feet (1000 m) elevation.^[10]

As is common in mountainous and adjacent areas,microclimates exist and weather is strongly influenced byorography. A notable regional atmospheric phenomenon is theDenver Convergence Vorticity Zone (DCVZ) and related Denver Cyclone occurring on the High Plains just east ofDenver. The Rocky Mountains as a whole induce significant changes in weather afar, such as theColorado low.

To the east of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado are theColorado Eastern Plains/High Plains, the section of theGreat Plains within Colorado at elevations ranging from 3,500 to 7,000 feet (1,100 to 2,100 metres). TheMidwest states of Kansas andNebraska border Colorado to the east and northeast.

The plains are sparsely settled with most population along theSouth Platte and theArkansas rivers. Rainfall is meager, averaging about 15 inches (380 mm) annually. There is some irrigated farming, but much of the land is used fordryland farming orranching.Winter wheat is a typical crop and most small towns in the region boast both awater tower and agrain elevator.

The bulk of Colorado's population lives along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in theFront Range Urban Corridor. This region is partially protected from prevailing storms by the high mountains to the west.

To the west lies the eastern slope of theRocky Mountains with notable peaks such asLongs Peak,Mount Blue Sky,Pikes Peak, and theSpanish Peaks nearWalsenburg in the south. This area drains to the east, is forested, and partially urbanized. With urbanization, utilization of the forest for timbering and grazing resulted in accumulation of fuel. During the drought of 2002 devastatingforest fires swept this area.

TheContinental Divide stretches along the crest of the Rocky Mountains. To the west of the Continental Divide is theWestern Slope. Water west of the Continental Divide drains west into thePacific Ocean via theColorado River. Western Colorado is made up of mountains, mesas, desert canyons, and desert lands.

Within the interior of the Rocky Mountains are several large parks or high broad basins. In the north, on the east side of the Continental Divide isNorth Park. North Park is drained by theNorth Platte River, which flows north into thenorthwest state of Wyoming. Just south but on the west side of the Continental Divide isMiddle Park, drained by the Colorado River.South Park is theheadwaters of the South Platte River. To the south lies theSan Luis Valley, the headwaters of theRio Grande, which drains into New Mexico. Across theSangre de Cristo Range to the east of the San Luis Valley lies theWet Mountain Valley. These basins, particularly the San Luis Valley, lie along theRio Grande Rift, a major tectonic feature. SeeRift.

The Rocky Mountains within Colorado contain 54 peaks that are 14,000 ft (4,300 m) or higher, known asfourteeners.^[11] The mountains are timbered withconifers andaspen to thetree line, at an elevation of about 12,000 ft (3,700 m) in southern Colorado to about 10,500 ft (3,200 m) in northern Colorado; above this only alpine vegetation grows. The Rockies are snow-covered only in the winter; most snow melts by mid-August with the exception of a few small glaciers. TheColorado Mineral Belt, stretching from theSan Juan Mountains in the southwest toBoulder andCentral City on the front range, contains most of the historic gold and silvermining districts of Colorado.

The Western Slope is generally drained by the Colorado River and its tributaries. Notable to the south are theSan Juan Mountains, an extremely rugged mountain range, and to the west of the San Juans, theColorado Plateau, a high desert extending into neighboring states.Grand Junction is the largest city on the Western Slope. Grand Junction is served byInterstate Highway 70. To the southeast of Grand Junction isGrand Mesa, a large flat-topped desert mountain. Further east are theski resort communities ofAspen,Vail,Crested Butte, andSteamboat Springs. The northwestern corner of Colorado bordering Northern Utah and Western Wyoming is mostly sparsely populated rangeland.

From west to east, the state consists of desert basins, desert canyons and mesas, turning into desert plateaus, then alpine mountains, and then the grasslands of the High Plains. Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains of North America. The famousPikes Peak is just west ofColorado Springs. Its lone peak is visible from near the Kansas border on clear days.

• Index of Colorado-related articles
• Colorado geographic regions
  • Southern Rocky Mountains
• List of cities and towns in Colorado
• List of Colorado fourteeners
• List of counties in Colorado
• List of drainage basins in Colorado
• List of mountain passes in Colorado
• List of mountain peaks of Colorado
• List of mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains
• List of mountain ranges of Colorado
• List of rivers of Colorado
• List of waterfalls of Colorado

• State of Colorado website
• Geography of Colorado

• Geography of Colorado

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with excerpts