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When the 111th Congress is sworn in today, it will mark some interesting and important changes for Arizona and the country.

● Southern Arizona Democrat Gabrielle Giffords will be sworn in for her second term, meaning she'll shed that "freshman" title she's had the last two years. Neighboring Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva will be sworn in for his fourth term.

● A majority of the state's House delegation is Democratic for the first time since 1966. Just four years ago, six of the state's eight representatives were Republican. Now, only three are.

● For the first time in state history, Arizona will have two female members of Congress: Giffords and Flagstaff Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, who was elected in November.

● Giffords is the first Arizona woman since the 1930s who will serve more than one term. In the 1990s, Karan English served only one term before being defeated in a 1994 re-election bid.

● On Thursday, Congress is scheduled to meet in joint session to count and certify the results of the presidential election.

● The state's two Republican senators — John McCain and Jon Kyl — will play prominent roles in the new Congress. As Senate minority whip, Kyl is now the second-highest-ranking Republican in the Senate. McCain is one of two former presidential nominees in Congress. The other is Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts.

● The 111th Congress is among the oldest in recent history. The average age for senators is 63, and the average age for members of the House is 57.

● The new Congress includes some members with interesting careers. There are four ministers, four sheriffs, two probation officers, a radio talk-show host, three organic farmers, a casino dealer, a toll booth collector, a taxicab driver, a coroner — and with Al Franken apparently the winner in his Senate race in Minnesota — one former "Saturday Night Live" writer.

● Twenty-eight members of the House and one senator completed no education beyond a high school diploma. Thirty years ago, more than 50 members of Congress had just a high school diploma.

● The 111th Congress has a record number of Hispanic members: 31. That's one more member than previously.

● There are more women than ever: 95 — or about 18 percent of Congress.