Which States Border Colorado?
Of the 50 states in the United States, 48 are considered contiguous states, meaning that they are next to one another with some sharing borders. The other two (Alaska which is the most extensive by area, and Hawaii which is an isolated archipelago) are non-contiguous states, meaning that they are located far from the rest of the states and do not share borders with the other 48 states. Colorado is one of the contiguous states. Colorado is bordered by seven states: Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona.
Wyoming
The state of Wyoming is located in the mountain region of the western US. The boundary line that separates Colorado from Wyoming is located on the northern part of Colorado. The boundary line is relatively straight, making the state to appear as a rectangle. However, the northern boundary is shorter than its southern boundary which Colorado shared with New Mexico.
Nebraska
Colorado is bordered by Nebraska to the northeast. Colorado’s border with Nebraska was established following an agreement with Colorado and Kansas when the Congress set their common borders. The Congress seemed determined to make Colorado rectangular and also saw the state as unproductive area since it was not arable. The Congress also wanted to give Colorado large tracks of land with the hope that the state will eventually support itself without necessarily relying on agriculture.
Kansas
Kansas is a Midwestern state named after the Kaw Nation. It borders the state of Colorado to the west.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is situated in the South Central portion of the US and borders Colorado to the southeast. When the Kansas Territory was established by Congress in 1854, the southern boundary was proposed to be put at the 36th degree but was later changed to 37th parallel.
New Mexico
Colorado is bordered by New Mexico to the south. The state of New Mexico is located in the Southwestern region of the US and is one of the Mountain States. When the Congress placed the southern boundary of Kansas at the 37th parallel, the boundary line was stretched to the 103rd meridian and proceeded north to the 38th parallel and continued west to the crest of the Rocky Mountains. Those responsible for the creation of the territory of Colorado put the southern boundary at 37th parallel, slightly reducing the size of New Mexico.
Utah
Colorado is bordered by Utah to the west. The bill to create the Colorado Territory introduced in 1861 placed the western boundary at the Green and Colorado River, located west of the current Utah-Colorado boundary. Later amendment saw the boundary line placed at 33rd meridian west of Washington. The Utah-Colorado boundary was placed far west of the Rocky Mountain possibly to accommodate miners since the Congress wanted to include mining in the state of Colorado.
Arizona
Arizona is located in the southwestern region of the US and only borders the state of Colorado on the southwest at the Four Corners. The Four Corners is an area in the US that consist of the southeastern tip of Utah, northwestern corner of New Mexico, northeastern corner of Arizona, and the southwestern tip of Colorado. It is the only area in the US where four states converge.
