Colorado, ranked the 8th largest state in terms of area, is located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It shares borders with Wyoming in the north, Nebraska and Kansas in the east, New Mexico and Oklahoma to the south, Arizona at the southwest corner, and Utah to the west. Its capital and largest city is Denver. It is actually one of the three states that have only the longitude and latitude lines as boundaries in the absence of natural borders.

The state is well known for its breathtaking mountains, rivers and plains. Natural and historical sites that are declared nationally protected areas include: Arapaho National Recreation Area, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado National Monument, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Hovenweep National Monument, Old Spanish National Historic Trail, Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Yucca House National Monument.

Visitors to Colorado can be immersed in its natural and historic beauty by taking scenic train rides. Two of these are the Royal Gorge Route Railroad (travel through spectacular canyons, pass at the bottom of a gorge to look up to the Royal Gorge Bridge) and the Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad (a site developed by merchants and miners in the 1800s).