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New Mexico - The Land of Enchantment.

New Mexico

New Mexico was admitted to the Union on the 6th of January 1912, making it the 47th state of the USA.

The Latin phrase Crescit Eundo is New Mexico's motto. Crescit Eundo translates into English as It Grows As It Goes.

New Mexico has an average elevation of 5,700 feet or 1,740 metres, making it the 4th highest state in the USA. Its highest point is Wheeler Peak which stands some 13,167 feet or 4,013 metres above sea level.

The notorious outlaw and killer, Henry McCarty, also known as Billy the Kid, was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett at Fort Sumner, New Mexico on the 14th of July 1881.

New Mexico's state insect is the tarantula hawk, a species of wasp which hunts tarantulas! They are one of the largest kinds of wasp and their sting is said to be the second most painful insect sting after that of a bullet ant.

New Mexico covers an area of 121,589 square miles or 315,194 square km, making it the 5th largest state in the USA. It is roughly the same size as Poland!

There is a city in New Mexico called Truth or Consequences. It was originally named Hot Springs but changed in 1950 to the title of a popular radio programme!

The founder of the Hilton Hotels chain, Conrad Hilton, was born in San Antonio, New Mexico on Christmas Day 1887. Other famous New Mexicans include the actress Demi Moore and the musician John Denver.

With an estimated 2,085,572 inhabitants, New Mexico has the 36th highest population of all the states in the USA.

Land of Enchantment is the nickname used on New Mexican licence plates, but the state also has a few more monikers. Have a go at this fun quiz and test your knowledge of The Colourful State, The Land of Sunshine and The Outer Space State!

Click on the pictures for a closer look.

1 .

What is the largest city in new Mexico, with a population of around 560,000

Albuquerque

Las Cruces

Rio Rancho

Santa Fe

Albuquerque is named after the Spanish town of Albuquerque (note the additional letter r) which is thought to get its name from the Latin phrase albus quercus which means white oak

2 .

The flag of New Mexico shows a red Zia symbol on a field of yellow. What does the symbol represent?

The Moon

A spider

The Sun

A flower

The Zia are a Native American tribe indigenous to New Mexico. The flag, which uses the same colours as that of the Spanish viceroys in colonial America, was adopted by the state in 1925

3 .

Shiprock, in New Mexico, plays an important part in Navaho religion and myth. Its Navaho name is Tsé Bitʼaʼí. What does Tsé Bitʼaʼí. translate into English as?

Rock With Oars

Rock With Teeth

Rock With Sails

Rock With Wings

English speakers named the rock The Needle when they first encountered it. It was renamed in the 1870s due ti its resemblance to clipper ships of the time

4 .

Adopted in 1927, what is the state flower of New Mexico?

The Yucca Flower

Indian paintbrush

Sagebrush

Indian blanket

There are 49 recognised species of yucca, from the Joshua tree to the Spanish bayonet, but which one represents new Mexico is not specified by the state

5 .

The first ever detonation of a nuclear weapon took place in New Mexico on the 16th of July 1945. What was the code name for this test?

Holy

Trinity

Mercy

Union

Trinity was a part of the Manhattan Project, the aim of which was to produce atom bombs for use in war. Three weeks later the Japanese city of Hiroshima killing 146,000 civilians

6 .

New Mexico's capital, Santa Fe, is the highest state capital in the United States? How high up is it?

8,699 feet or 2,651 metres above sea level

8,199 feet or 2,499 metres above sea level

7,699 feet or 2,347 metres above sea level

7,199 feet or 2,194 metres above sea level

The city's original name was La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís which translates from Spanish to English as The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi. It was understandably shortened to Santa Fe (Holy Faith)

7 .

San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe is thought to be the oldest church in the United States. Which year does it date from?

1560

1610

1660

1710

Work began on the church in 1610 and it was completed in 1626. It has been repaired and rebuilt several times after sustaining damage in wars, but its original walls are still intact - though hidden by later works

8 .

In a surveillance balloon crashed near which town in New Mexico, leading to claims the crash was of an alien spaceship?

Hobbs

Carlsbad

Roswell

Clovis

In the 1990s, the US military made public reports on the true nature of the crashed Operation Mogul balloon but conspiracy theories involving alien spacecraft, and even alien life forms, still persist to this day

9 .

Also known as the Chaparral Cock, what is the state bird of New Mexico?

The Greater Roadrunner

The Ruffed Grouse

The Lesser Roadrunner

The Greater Prairie Chicken

In addition to chaparral cock, the greater roadrunner is also known as the ground cuckoo and the snake killer. Its Latin name, geococcyx californianus, means Californian earth-cuckoo!

10 .

Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe is the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States. In which year was it built?

1910

1810

1710

1610

The Palace was the seat of government of the Spanish colony of Nuevo Mexico. After the Mexican War of Independence, the Mexican province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México was administered from the building. When New Mexico was annexed by the U.S.A., the Palace became New Mexico's capitol

Author: Graeme Haw