City in Arizona (USA).
Resort city in the Sonora Desert in SE Arizona, US; It stands 760 m/2,500 ft above sea level, and the Santa Catalina Mountains to the NE rise to about 2,750 m/9,000 ft. Industries include aircraft, electronics, and copper smelting. Tucson passed from Mexico to the US 1853 and was the territorial capital 1867–77.
The University of Arizona is here, and Kitt Peak National Observatory is in the area. An Indian village was on the site when a Jesuit mission was founded about 1700. A Spanish fort, and eventually a settlement, grew around the mission. Growth has been rapid since World War II.