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Delaware

Capital	Dover
Population	783,600 Source: U.S. Census Bureau GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (geographies ranked by total population): 2000 Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data
Governor	Ruth Ann Minner (D, to January 2009)
Entered the Union	December 7, 1787 as the 1st state
Motto	Liberty and Independence
Nicknames	The Diamond State, the First state
Flower	Peach Blossom
Bird	Blue Hen Chicken
Song	"Our Delaware"
Professional Sports Teams (sports listing policy)	No NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS, or NHL teams.
Origin of Name	From the Delaware River and Bay, which were named for Sir Thomas West, Lord De La Warr
Major Industries	Chemical Manufacturing, Fruits and Vegetables, Food Canning
Historical Sites	Holy Trinity Church, the oldest Protestant church in the U.S. still in use, in Wilmington
Points of Interest	The Delaware Museum of Natural History; New Castle, an almost unchanged 18th-century city center; the Delaware Seashore
Bordering States	Delaware borders Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
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Follow these links to read articles about Delaware from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

• Encarta Concise Encyclopedia
• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Information Please Almanac

• State of Delaware: the Official Website for the First State
  http://delaware.gov/
  This is the official website for the State of Delaware.
• Delaware Division of Libraries
  http://www.state.lib.de.us/index.shtml
  Here is the homepage for the Delaware State Library Agency.
• The Historical Society of Delaware
  http://www.hsd.org/
  Here is the homepage for the Delaware State Historical Society.
• Delaware History Museum
  (http://www.hsd.org/dhm.htm)
  Here is the homepage for the Historical Society of Delaware History Museum.
• Delaware Public Archives
  http://www.state.de.us/sos/dpa/
  Here is the homepage for the Delaware State Archives.
• Delaware State Parks Online
  http://dep.state.ct.us/stateparks/
  Here is the homepage for Delaware State Parks.
• Visit Delaware: the Official Site of the Delaware Tourism Office
  http://www.visitdelaware.net/
  Here is the official state tourism website for Delaware.

• 50states.com: Delaware
  http://www.50states.com/delaware.htm
  The site provides a wealth of information about Delaware. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate.
• Things To Do in Delaware
  http://www.thingstodo.com/states/DE/index.htm
  ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about Delaware's entertainment, recreation, and travel, and includes the state's interesting facts, famous people, and special events.
• Roadside America: Delaware Attractions
  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/de.html
  Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of "weird sites along the highway" in Delaware.
• Delaware Landmarks and Museums
  http://www.museumstuff.com/museums/usa/delaware/
  This page from MuseumStuff.com links to museums, libraries, and archives with a primary theme or signifant collections related to Delaware.
• Delaware USGenWeb Archives
  http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/de/defiles.htm
  This site provides free online data for genealogical research. These archives use volunteers who transcribe public domain records and other non-copyrighted primary sources to provide the information.
• FedStats: MapStat: United States: Delaware
  http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/10000.html
  Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on "economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more" in Delaware.

• England gave Delaware to William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, in 1682 to be part of Pennsylvania. But in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Delaware fought as a separate state, and it was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787.
• Although Delaware was a slave state, it did not secede (withdraw) from the U.S. and join the Confederacy during the Civil War (1861-1865).
• Delaware has a state insect! The lady bug was adopted as the official state insect in 1974 after a group of elementary school children convinced the state legislature to do so.

• Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Valerie Bertinelli, actress
• Annie Jump Cannon, astronomer
• Henry Heimlich, surgeon and inventor, developed the Heimlich Maneuver to save choking victims