|
North Carolina was the 12th state to join the union; it became a state on November 21, 1789. North Carolina is located in the South Eastern United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the East, South Carolina and Georgia to the South, Tennessee to the West, and Virginia to the North.
 State Abbreviation - NC
State Capital - Raleigh
Largest City - Charlotte
Area - 53,821 square miles [North Carolina is the 28th biggest state in the USA]
Population - 8,049,313 (as of 2000) a 21.4% increase since the 1990 census. [North Carolina is the 11th most populous state in the USA]
Name for Residents - North Carolinians
Major Industries - farming (tobacco, poultry), textiles, furniture
Presidential Birthplaces
James Knox Polk was born in Mecklenburg County on November 2, 1795 (he was the 11th US President, serving from 1845 to 1849).
Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh on December 29, 1808 (he was the 17th US President, serving from 1865 to 1869).
Major Rivers - Neuse River, Roanoke River, Yadkin River, Cape Fear River
Major Lakes - Lake Mattamuskeet, Lake Phelps, Lake Waccamaw
Highest Point - Mt. Mitchell - 6,684 feet (2,037 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
Origin of the Name North Carolina - North Carolina was named to honor King Charles I (Carolus is Latin for Charles).
State Nickname - Tar Heel State
State Motto - "Esse Quam Videri" (To Be Rather Than to Seem)
State Song - The Old North State
State bird - Cardinal.
State flower - Dogwood.
State tree - Long Needle Pine.
Dinosaur Fossils Found in North Carolina - Hypsibema, Lophorhothon, Zatomus 
North Carolina, in the warm temperate zone, has a generally mild climate, with abundant and well distributed rainfall. The state's congenial climate, its many miles of beaches, and its beautiful mountains attract large numbers of visitors and vacationers each year. Chief among the tourist attractions are the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Cape Lookout National Seashore, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Great Smoky Mts. National Park. Wildlife abounds in national forests (the state has four) and in the Dismal Swamp. Places of historic interest include Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, on Roanoke Island; the Wright Brothers National Memorial, at Kitty Hawk; Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, at Flatrock; and Guilford Courthouse and Moores Creek national military parks.
 North Carolina leads the nation in the production of tobacco and is a major producer of textiles and furniture. It grows 40% of all U.S. tobacco, but the continuing trend is toward diversification. Broilers, hogs, turkeys, greenhouse products, sweet potatoes, corn, soybeans, peanuts, and eggs are important. Plentiful forests supply the thriving furniture and lumber industries. The state has long been a major textile manufacturer, producing cotton, synthetic, and silk goods as well as various kinds of knit items. Other leading manufactures are electrical machinery, computers, and chemicals; the Research Triangle complex near Chapel Hill has spurred high-tech manufacturing, as well as bringing federal jobs into the state. The state also has mineral resources: It leads the nation in the production of feldspar, mica, and lithium materials and produces substantial quantities of olivine, crushed granite, talc, clays, and phosphate rock. There are valuable coastal fisheries, with shrimp, menhaden, and crabs the principal catches. Charlotte developed in the 1980s into a major U.S. banking center, and related businesses have flourished in the area.
*Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Copyright (c) 2003.
|