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Georgia




Georgia is a southern state of the
United States and its U.S. postal
abbreviation is GA. Georgia was one]
of the thirteen colonies that
revolted against British rule in the      State motto: Wisdom, Justice,
American Revolution. It was the                    Moderation
thirteenth colony and became the           State nickname: Peach State
fourth state, ratifying the United
States Constitution on January 2,     [Map of USA highlighting Georgia.png]
1788. Georgia's population in 2000
was 8,186,453 (U. S. Census Bureau).            Other U.S. States
It is also known as the Peach State.
                                      Capital             Atlanta
The state song, "Georgia On My Mind"                      Ranked 24th
by Hoagy Carmichael was originally    Area                154,077 km2
written about a woman of that name,   Ê- Total            150,132 km2
but after Georgia native Ray Charles  Ê- Land             3,945 km2
sang it, the state legislature voted  Ê- Water            2.6%
in the state song. Ray Charles sang   Ê- % water
it on the legislative floor when the
bill passed.
                                      Population          Ranked 10th
The state tree is the live oak        Ê- Total (2000)     8,186,453
(Quercus virginiana), the state bird  Ê- Density          53/km2
is the brown thrasher (Toxostoma      Admittance into
rufum), and the state flower is the   Union               4th
cherokee rose (Rosa laerigata).       Ê- Order
                                      Ê- Date             January 2, 1788
Several US Navy ships have been named
USS Georgia in honor of this state.   Time zone           Eastern: UTC-5/-4
                                      Latitude            30¡31'N to 35¡N
                                      Longitude           81¡W to 85¡53'W
                                      Width               370 km
                                      Length              480 km
                                      Elevation           Ê
                                      Ê-Highest           1458 meters
                                      Ê-Mean              180 meters
                                      Ê-Lowest            0 meters
                                      ISO 3166-2:         US-GA

History

At the time of European colonization of the Americas, Cherokee and Creek
Indians lived in what is now Georgia. Though it is unknown exactly who was
the first European to sight Georgia, it is possible that Juan Ponce de Leon
sailed along the coast during his exploration of Florida. In 1526, Lucas
Vasquez de Ayllon attempted to establish a colony there, possibly near St.
Catherine's Island.

Over the next few decades, a number of Spanish explorers visited the inland
region, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. The local moundbuilder
culture, described by Hernando de Soto in 1540, had completely disappeared
by 1560.

The conflict between Spain and England over control of Georgia began in
earnest in about 1670, when the English, moving south from their Carolina
colony in present-day South Carolina met the Spanish moving north from their
base in Florida. In 1724, it was first suggested that what was by then a
British colony be called Georgia in honor of King George II.

Massive British settlement began in the early 1730s with James Oglethorpe,
an Englishman in the British parliament, who promoted the idea that the area
be used to settle people in debtor prison. On February 1, 1733, the first
settlers landed in what was to become the city of Savannah.

On January 18, 1861 Georgia joined the Confederacy in the American Civil War
and on July 15, 1870 after Reconstruction Georgia became the last former
Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union. During this time, much of
the state was destroyed in Sherman's March To the Sea, part of the setting
for the book and movie Gone With the Wind.

On February 19, 1953 Georgia became the first U.S. state to approve a
literature censorship board in the United States.

Georgia has had five "permanent" state capitals: Savannah, Augusta,
Louisville, Milledgeville, and Atlanta. (Louisville is pronounced like Lewis
[loo-iss], not like Louie [loo-ee].) The legislature has also met in other
places temporarily.

Law and Government

The state capital is Atlanta and the current governor is Sonny Perdue
(Republican). Georgia's two U.S. senators are Saxby Chambliss (Republican)
and former governor Zell Miller (Democrat). As of the 2001 reapportionment,
the state has 13 congressmen and women in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Georgia also has 159 counties, the most of any state except Texas (256).
Prior to 1932, there were 161, with Milton and Campbell being merged into
Fulton at the end of 1931, during the Great Depression. Gwinnett County was
named after Button Gwinnett, one of the delegates from Georgia who signed
the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

Geography

Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida, on the east by the Atlantic
Ocean and South Carolina, on the west by Alabama, and on the north by
Tennessee and North Carolina. It is the largest state east of the
Mississippi River. The northern part of the state is in the Blue Ridge
Mountains, a mountain range in the mountain system of the Appalachians. The
central piedmont extends from the foothills to the fall line, where the
rivers cascade down in elevation to the continental coastal plain of the
southern part of the state. The highest point in Georgia is Brasstown Bald,
4784 feet (1458 m); the lowest point is sea level.

The capital is Atlanta, in the central part of northern Georgia, and the
peach is a symbol of the state. The state is an important producer of
cotton, tobacco, and forest products, notably the so-called "naval stores"
such as turpentine and rosin from the pine forests.

Economy

Georgia's 1999 total gross state product was $275 billion, placing it 10th
in the nation. Its per capita personal income for 2000 was $28,145, 23rd in
the nation. Georgia's agricultural outputs are poultry and eggs, peanuts,
cattle, hogs, dairy products, and vegetables. Its industrial outputs are
textiles and apparel, transportation equipment, food processing, paper
products, chemical products, electric equipment, and tourism.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, the population of Georgia is 8,186,453. Its
population grew 26.4% (1,708,304) from its 1990 levels. According to the
2000 census, 65.1% (5,327,281) identified themselves as White, 28.7%
(2,349,542) as black, 5.3% (435,227) as Hispanic or Latino, 2.1% (173,170)
as Asian, 0.3% (21,737) as American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.1% (4,246) as
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 2.4% (196,289) as other, and 1.4%
(114,188) identified themselves as belonging to two or more races.

7.3% of its population were reported as under 5, 26.5% under 18, and 9.6%
were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.8% of the population.

Nearly half of the state's population lives in the Atlanta metro area.

Important Cities and Towns

    * Atlanta     * Macon
    * Savannah    * Columbus
    * Augusta     * Athens
    * Athens      * Valdosta
    * Rome

Education

Colleges and Universities

Private schools                        University System of Georgia [32]

   * Agnes Scott College in Decatur [1]   * Albany State University in
   * American Intercontinental              Albany [33]
     University [2]                       * Armstrong Atlantic State
        o in Dunwoody [3]                   University in Savannah [34]
        o in Buckhead (Atlanta) [4]       * Augusta State University in
   * Art Institute of Atlanta in            Augusta [35]
     Atlanta [5]                          * Clayton College and State
   * Atlanta Christian College†      University in Morrow [36]
     in Atlanta [6]                       * Columbus State University in
   * Atlanta College of Art in Atlanta      Columbus [37]
     [7]                                  * Dalton State College in Dalton
   * Berry College in Mount Berry [8]       [38]
   * Brenau University in Gainesville     * Fort Valley State University in
     [9]                                    Fort Valley [39]
   * Brewton-Parker College in Mount      * Floyd College in Rome [40]
     Vernon [10]                          * Georgia College and State
   * Clark Atlanta University in            University in Milledgeville
     Atlanta [11]                           [41]
   * Covenant College† in          * Georgia Institute of
     Lookout Mountain [12]                  Technology, or Georgia Tech in
   * Emmanuel College (Georgia)†     Atlanta [42]
     in Franklin Springs [13]             * Georgia Southern University in
   * Emory University in Atlanta [14]       Statesboro [43]
   * Institute of Paper Science and       * Georgia Southwestern State
     Technology in Atlanta [15]             University in Americus[44]
   * LaGrange College in LaGrange [16]    * Georgia State University in
   * Life University in Marietta [17]       Atlanta [45]
   * Mercer University in Atlanta [18]    * Kennesaw State University in
   * Morehouse College in Atlanta [19]      Kennesaw [46]
   * Morris Brown College in Atlanta      * Macon State College in Macon
     [20]                                   [47]
   * Oglethorpe University in Atlanta     * Medical College of Georgia in
     [21]                                   Augusta [48]
   * Paine College in Augusta [22]        * Middle Georgia College in
   * Piedmont College in Demorest and       Cochran and Dublin [49]
     Athens [23]                          * North Georgia College and State
   * Reinhardt College in Waleska [24]      University in Dahlonega [50]
   * Savannah College of Art and Design   * Savannah State University in
     in Savannah [25]                       Savannah [51]
   * Shorter College in Rome [26]         * Southern Polytechnic State
   * South University in Savannah (and      University in Marietta [52]
     in other states) [27]                * State University of West
   * Spelman College in Atlanta [28]        Georgia in Carrollton [53]
   * Thomas University in Thomasville     * University of Georgia in Athens
     [29]                                   [54]
   * Toccoa Falls College† in      * Valdosta State University in
     Toccoa Falls [30]                      Valdosta [55]
   * Wesleyan College in Macon [31]       * (incomplete list, 34 total,
                                            plus tech colleges)
     † denotes religious schools

Radio and Television

Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) operates nine major educational television
stations across the state as Georgia Public Television (GPTV). It also
operates, in whole or in part, several radio stations as Georgia Public
Radio (GPR).

Professional Sports Teams

    * Atlanta Falcons, National Football      * Minor League baseball teams
      League                                       o Savannah Sand Gnats
    * Atlanta Hawks, National Basketball           o Augusta Green Jackets
      Association                                  o South Georgia Waves
    * Atlanta Thrashers, National Hockey           o Columbus RedStixx
      League                                       o Rome Braves
    * Atlanta Braves, Major League
      Baseball
    * Atlanta Beat, Women's United Soccer
      Association

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