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Capital: Atlanta
Population: 10,519,475 (Source: 2012 U.S. Census)
Major Cities: Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, Athens
Borders: Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and the Atlantic Ocean
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $433,569 million (2012 U.S. Department of Commerce)
Key Industries:
Agriculture including peanuts, peaches, cotton, and poultry
Timber, carpet, textiles, and paper products
How Georgia got its name: Georgia was named for King George II who signed the charter for James Oglethorpe to start the colony.
Click on map for larger view
Georgia State Symbols
State Nickname: Peach StateState Slogan: Georgia on My Mind; also its state song
State Motto: Wisdom, justice, and moderation
State flower: Cherokee Rose
State bird: Brown Thrasher
State fish: Largemouth bass
State tree: Live Oak
State mammal: Right whale
State foods: Grits, Peaches, Vidalia Sweet Onions
Becoming a State
Date admitted: Wednesday, January 2, 1788Number admitted: 4
Prior Name: Province of Georgia, then sovereign state in Confederation
Postal Abbreviation: GA
The Geography of Georgia
Total Size: 57,906 sq. miles (source: 2003 Census)Geographical Low Point: Atlantic Ocean at Sea Level (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Geographical High Point: Brasstown Bald at 4,784 feet, located in the county/subdivision of Towns-Union (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Central Point: Located in Twiggs County approx. 18 miles southeast of Macon (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Counties: 159 (source: National Association of Counties)
Bodies of Water: Chattahoochee River, Savannah River, Lake Lanier, Lake Hartwell, and the Atlantic Ocean
Famous People
- Jim Brown - Professional football player
- Jimmy Carter - 39th President of the United States
- Ray Charles - Singer, songwriter, and piano player
- Ty Cobb - Professional baseball player
- Jeff Foxworthy - Comedian and actor
- Hulk Hogan - Professional wrestler
- Dwight Howard - Professional basketball player
- Calvin Johnson - Professional football player
- Martin Luther King Jr. - Civil rights activist
- Spike Lee - Film director and actor
- Julia Roberts - Actress
- Jackie Robinson - First African-American to play in the MLB
- Ryan Seacrest - Host of American Idol and TV personality
- Clarence Thomas - U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Fun Facts
- Atlanta, GA hosted the 1996 Centennial Summer Olympic Games.
- It is the largest state east of the Mississippi River.
- There is a giant carving (3 acres large!) on the side of Stone Mountain of Confederate leaders Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis. You can see a laser show projected onto the carving at night during the summer.
- There are over 50 streets with the word 'Peachtree' in their name in Atlanta, Georgia.
- It is also called the Goober State because of all the peanuts they grow there.
- Georgia Tech once beat Cumberland University 222 - 0 in a football game. This was the worst defeat in the history of college football.
- The first woman US Senator, Rebecca Latimer Felton, was from Georgia.
- Why didn't the chicken cross the road in Quitman, Georgia? Because it is illegal there!
- The world's largest college campus is Berry College.
- President Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, GA.
Professional Sports Teams
- Atlanta Braves - MLB (Baseball)
- Atlanta Falcons - NFL (Football)
- Atlanta Dream - WNBA (Basketball)
- Atlanta Hawks - NBA (Basketball)
- Atlanta United FC - MLS (Soccer)
Geography >> US States>> Georgia History
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