- The great seal of Delaware was originally designed by a government committee in 1777 and remains …
In 1610 when Englishman Samuel Argall sailed into what is now known as Delaware Bay, he named it after Sir Thomas West, Lord De la Warr (or Warre), who was the governor of the Virginia colony, where Argall lived. The name was later given to the nearby river and to the state. Because it was the first colony to ratify, or pass, the United States Constitution, Delaware earned the nickname First State. It entered the Union on December 7, 1787. GeographyOf the 50 states, Delaware is the second smallest in size; only Rhode Island is smaller. Its total area is 2,057 square miles (5,328 square kilometers). At its widest, Delaware is 35 miles (56 kilometers); its greatest length is 96 miles (154 kilometers). Delaware is a Middle Atlantic state located on the East coast of the United States. Delaware is bordered on the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean. The Delaware River and Delaware Bay separate it in the northeast from New Jersey. To the north is Pennsylvania. To the south and west is Maryland. - Brandywine Creek flows through the Piedmont Province in northern Delaware.
The state has two natural regions. In the far northern part of the state is the Piedmont Province of the Appalachian Highlands. It runs into the foothills of Pennsylvania. This region contains Ebright Road. At 442 feet (135 meters) above sea level, Ebright Road is the highest point in the state. Most of Delaware is part of the Coastal Plain, a region of sandy soil that is good for farming. Plants and animalsDelaware has more than 300,000 acres (121,400 hectares) of forestland. Trees that grow there include pine, gum, oak, hickory, sycamore, walnut, tulip, beech, maple, ash, plum, and cedar. Deer, foxes, raccoons, opossums, and muskrats are among the animals commonly found in Delaware. Many waterfowl flock to the beaches and marshes during the winter. People and cultureThe first people in the state were the Delaware Indians, who called themselves Lenni-Lenape. The first European settlers were the Dutch in the 1600s; they were followed by the Swedes and then the English. Most of the modern immigrants came from the British Isles, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Canada. In the early 21st century, African Americans made up about a fifth of the state's population. CitiesDelaware's largest city, Wilmington, had slightly more than 72,500 residents in 2000. The city is located in the northeastern part of the state. Delaware's capital is Dover. It is located in the middle of the state. RecreationDelaware's mild climate makes it a popular place for vacationers. Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach, and Woodland Beach Wildlife Area are popular spots. There are also some state parks and a number of inland lakes for fishing and swimming. The Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes was built in 1931 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the first Dutch settlement in 1631. The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum at Winterthur has more than 100 rooms furnished in styles from the 1600s to the 1800s. In Wilmington stands Old Swedes (now Holy Trinity) Church, which dates back to 1698. The Grand Opera House in Wilmington was built in 1871. It serves as Delaware's center for the performing arts. The Fort Christina Monument in Wilmington honors the Swedish colonists who formed the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. The cities of New Castle and Dover also have many historical sites. EducationPublic education was established in Delaware in 1829. The University of Delaware, the state's largest, began as a small private academy in 1743. It became a college (then called Newark College) in 1833. Other colleges and universities are Delaware State University and Wesley College in Dover, Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington, and Wilmington College. EconomyIndustryWilmington was called the world's chemical capital because of the Du Pont Company's long connection with the state. Du Pont began in 1802 as a company that made gunpowder. The company went out of the dynamite business in the 1970s, but it is a world leader in production of plastics, synthetic fibers, dyes, paints, and varnishes. The port of Wilmington ships products all over the world. Besides chemical products, Delaware manufactures food products, paper products, rubber and plastics products, primary metals, and printed materials. AgricultureDelaware has good soil for farming. In Kent and Sussex counties are poultry, fruit, and vegetable farms. Most of the dairy and grain farms are in New Castle County. The main crops are corn and soybeans. Vegetable crops include potatoes, beans, squash, spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, peas, cucumbers, pumpkins, and cantaloupe. The state also produces apples, peaches, wheat, oats, hay, barley, rye, eggs, turkeys, hogs, and beef cattle. FishingA large variety of fish are caught in Delaware Bay, the Delaware River, and the Atlantic Ocean. Weakfish, summer flounder, blue fish, and the Atlantic croaker are important. Blue crabs are shipped around the United States. HistoryEarly yearsDelaware Bay was visited in 1609 by the English explorer Henry Hudson. He was working for the Dutch and claimed the territory for that country but did not set up a settlement. The first Dutch settlement was made near Lewes in 1631. The 30 settlers called their new home Zwaanendael, meaning “Valley of the Swans.” The next settlement was made by Swedish colonists in 1638 under the leadership of Peter Minuit. They built their homes on the site of present-day Wilmington on the Christina River. The first permanent settlement was called Fort Christina. The colony of New Sweden came to cover both sides of the Delaware River. British control and the American RevolutionIn 1655 Peter Stuyvesant, leader of the Dutch colony of New Netherland (now New York), sailed to Fort Christina and captured it. Dutch rule did not last long, however. In 1664 the English seized all of the Dutch territory in North America, including the former colony of New Sweden. In 1682 the Delaware colony became part of the Pennsylvania Province. Disagreements led the colony to form its own legislature in 1704, but the area remained under the control of the governor of Pennsylvania until 1776. During the American Revolution the only battle fought in Delaware was the Battle of Cooch's Bridge, near Newark, on September 3, 1777. It was important because it was the first time the United States flag was flown. American Civil WarAlthough many residents of Delaware owned slaves, the state did not withdraw from the Union when the American Civil War began in 1861. It supported the Union cause, but some of its men fought for the Confederacy (those in favor of the South's cause). After the war, with much help from the Du Pont family, the state prospered. In fact, few families have been so closely connected with the image and well-being of a state as have the Du Ponts of Delaware. Modern stateSome other important events in Delaware's history include a road building program in the 1920s that connected the state with New York City and Philadelphia, the invention of the synthetic fiber called nylon at the Du Pont Company in 1937, and the passage of the Coastal Zone Act in 1971 to help protect the environment. Population (2000 census), 783,600. |