10 quick facts about Albuquerque

1. Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States.
2. Albuquerque, founded in 1706, is one of the oldest inland cities in the U.S.
3. The city population was 528,497 as of July 1, 2009, according to U.S. census estimates
4. Albuquerque's average elevation is 5,314 ft. (1,590 meters), the highest metropolitan city on the American mainland.
5. Albuquerque hosts the largest international hot air balloon competition in the world and draws crowds of more than 1.5 million people.
6. Roughly half the people in New Mexico live in the Albuquerque area.
7. The sun shines an average of 310 days a year.
8. Nine national monuments are located within a day’s drive of Albuquerque.
9. It is generally believed that the growing village was named by the provincial governor Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes in honour of Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, viceroy of New Spain from 1653 to 1660. One of de la Cueva's aristocratic titles was Duke of Alburquerque, referring to the Spanish town of Alburquerque.
10. The name of the New Mexico city of Albuquerque follows the Portuguese spelling with only one 'r'.