Global InformationDelaware information
Delaware | |
|---|---|
State | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname(s): The First State; The Small Wonder;[1] Blue Hen State; The Diamond State | |
| Motto: Liberty and Independence | |
| Anthem: "Our Delaware" | |
 Map of the United States with Delaware highlighted | |
| Country | United States |
| Before statehood | Delaware Colony, New Netherland, New Sweden |
| Admitted to the Union | December 7, 1787 (1st) |
| Capital | Dover |
| Largest city | Wilmington |
| Largest county or equivalent | New Castle |
| Largest metro and urban areas | Delaware Valley |
| Government | |
| • Governor | John Carney (D) |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Bethany Hall-Long (D) |
| Legislature | General Assembly |
| • Upper house | Senate |
| • Lower house | House of Representatives |
| Judiciary | Delaware Supreme Court |
| U.S. senators | Tom Carper (D) Chris Coons (D) |
| U.S. House delegation | Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) (list) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,489[2] sq mi (6,450 km2) |
| • Rank | 49th |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 96 mi (154 km) |
| • Width | 30 mi (48 km) |
| Elevation | 60 ft (20 m) |
| Highest elevation (Near the Ebright Azimuth[3][a][4]) | 447.85 ft (136.50468 m) |
| Lowest elevation (Atlantic Ocean[3]) | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (July 1, 2023) | |
| • Total | 1,031,890[5] |
| • Rank | 45th[7] |
| • Density | 500/sq mi (190/km2) |
| • Median household income | $69,100[6] |
| • Income rank | 19th |
| Demonym | Delawarean |
| Language | |
| • Official language | None |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| USPS abbreviation | DE |
| ISO 3166 code | US-DE |
| Traditional abbreviation | Del. |
| Latitude | 38° 27′ N to 39° 50′ N |
| Longitude | 75° 3′ W to 75° 47′ W |
| Website | delaware |
| List of state symbols | |
|---|---|
 Flag of Delaware | |
 Seal of Delaware | |
| Slogan | Endless Discoveries—[10] Formerly: It's Good Being First |
| Living insignia | |
| Bird | Delaware Blue Hen |
| Butterfly | Eastern tiger swallowtail |
| Fish | Weakfish |
| Flower | Peach blossom |
| Insect | 7-spotted ladybug |
| Tree | American holly |
| Wildlife animal | Grey fox |
| Inanimate insignia | |
| Beverage | Milk |
| Color(s) | Colonial blue, buff |
| Food | Strawberry, peach custard pie |
| Fossil | Belemnite |
| Mineral | Sillimanite |
| Soil | Greenwich |
| State route marker | |
 | |
| State quarter | |
 Released in 1999 | |
| Lists of United States state symbols | |
Delaware (/ˈdɛləwɛər/ ⓘ DEL-ə-wair)[11] is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.[12] It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey to its northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state's name derives from the adjacent Delaware Bay, which in turn was named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and the Colony of Virginia's first colonial-era governor.[13]
Delaware occupies the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, and some islands and territory within the Delaware River. It is the 2nd smallest and 6th least populous state, but also the 6th most densely populated. Delaware's most populous city is Wilmington, and the state's capital is Dover, the 2nd most populous city in Delaware. The state is divided into three counties, the fewest number of counties of any of the 50 U.S. states;[b] from north to south, the three counties are: New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County. The southern two counties, Kent and Sussex counties, historically have been predominantly agrarian economies. New Castle is more urbanized and is considered part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan statistical area that surrounds and includes Philadelphia, the nation's sixth most populous city. Delaware is considered part of the Southern United States by the U.S. Census Bureau, but the state's geography, culture, and history are a hybrid of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the country.[14]
Before Delaware coastline was explored and developed by Europeans in the 16th century, the state was inhabited by several Native Americans tribes, including the Lenape in the north and Nanticoke in the south. The state was first colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael, near present-day Lewes, Delaware, in 1631. Delaware was one of the Thirteen Colonies that participated in the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War, in which the American Continental Army, led by George Washington, defeated the British, ended British colonization and established the United States as a sovereign and independent nation. On December 7, 1787, Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, earning it the nickname "The First State".[15]
Since the turn of the 20th century, Delaware has become an onshore corporate haven whose corporate laws are deemed appealing to corporations; over half of all New York Stock Exchange-listed corporations and over three-fifths of the Fortune 500 are legally incorporated in the state.
- ^ Nann Burke, Melissa (January 5, 2015). "Delaware a Small Wonder no more?". Delaware Online. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates".
- ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
- ^ "Highest point in Delaware". The Delaware Geological Survey. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ "Growth in U.S. Population Shows Early Indication of Recovery Amid COVID-19 Pandemic". Census Bureau QuickFacts. December 22, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "US Census Bureau QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ State Policy Reports (PDF). Washington, DC: State Policy Research. March 2021. ISSN 8750-6637. OCLC 1117839667. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022 – via Office of the Governor of Alabama.
- ^ "State of Delaware Community Characteristics". State of Delaware – My Healthy Community. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ USGS, Howard Perlman. "Area of each state that is water". water.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ Molly Murray (January 6, 2015). "Delaware's new tourism brand: Endless Discoveries". Delaware Online. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ Random House Dictionary
- ^ "Mid-Atlantic Home : Mid–Atlantic Information Office : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics". bls.gov. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ "Delaware". Online Etymology Dictionary. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
- ^ "Census Regions and Divisions of the United States" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. June 17, 2016. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "The First to Ratify" would be more accurate, as the beginnings of the states themselves date back to the Declaration of Independence, celebrated July 4, 1776, when what was to become the State of Delaware was still the three lower counties of Pennsylvania with the governor in Philadelphia, and not establishing independence from that body until September 20, 1776. According to Delaware's own website, "Delaware became a state in 1776, just two months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence." (ref-pdf Archived December 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine) Delaware was the last of the Thirteen Colonies to establish itself as a state following the end of the Revolutionary War. The Delaware State Quarter is minted with this nickname, but shows Caesar Rodney on horseback in commemoration of his role as the final delegate to arrive at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia for the historic vote for independence on July 4, 1776, which was adopted unanimously by the 56 delegates. Delaware was the 12th of the 13 states to ratify the Articles of Confederation, which pre-dated the United States Constitution.
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