Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $65,984 million (2012 U.S. Department of Commerce)
Key Industries: Agriculture including soybeans, dairy products, poultry, and corn
Pharmaceuticals, healthcare, automotive, chemicals, and apparel
How Delaware got its name: The state was named after a governor of Virginia named Lord De La Warr.
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Delaware State Symbols
State Nickname: First State
State Slogan: It's Good Being First
State Motto: Liberty and independence
State flower: Peach blossom
State bird: Blue Hen Chicken
State fish: Weakfish
State tree: American Holly
State mammal: Grey Fox
State foods: Milk
Becoming a State
Date admitted: Friday, December 7, 1787
Number admitted: 1
Prior Name: Lower Counties on Delaware, then sovereign state in Confederation
Postal Abbreviation: DE
The Geography of Delaware
Total Size: 1,954 sq. miles (source: 2003 Census)
Geographical Low Point: Atlantic Ocean at Sea Level (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Geographical High Point: On Ebright Road at Delaware-Pennsylvania State line at 448 feet, located in the county/subdivision of New Castle (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Central Point: Located in Kent County approx. 11 miles south of Dover (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Counties: 3 (source: National Association of Counties)
Bodies of Water: Delaware River, Delaware Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean
Famous People
Joe Biden - 46th President of the United States and a former Senator from Delaware
Annie Jump Cannon - Astronomer who helped develop the classification of stars
Mary Ann Shadd Cary - Civil rights activist
E.I. du Pont - Frenchman who founded the DuPont Chemical Company in Delaware
Henry Heimlich - Doctor who developed the Heimlich maneuver used to save people from choking
Daniel Nathans - Biologist and winner of the Nobel Prize for medicine
Howard Pyle - Author of the Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Judge Reinhold - Actor
Fun Facts
Delaware is called the 'First State' because it was the first state to join the Union.
The state's chemical industry was founded by DuPont's gunpowder factory in Wilmington in 1802.
It has the fewest number of counties of any US state with only three.
Delaware is only 35 miles across at its widest point. It is the second smallest US state.
The nickname the Diamond State doesn't come from there being a lot of diamonds. It comes from Thomas Jefferson who called Delaware a small, valuable jewel.
Delaware is the only state without any National Parks, historic sites, or memorials.
The official state insect is the lady bug.
The state has no major league sports teams, but it does have a major auto racing track where two NASCAR races are held each year.
Sussex County is famous for chicken farms as well as the World Championship Punkin' Chunkin contest, where people see how far they can launch a pumpkin.
Professional Sports Teams
There are no major professional sports teams in Delaware.
