About Georgia

Georgia was admitted as a state in 1788 and was one of the Confederate States of America. It was once primarily a farm state, producing large amounts of cotton, but has since become a major manufacturing and service industry state. Georgia is named for George II of England. It is bordered by Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, and Florida.

The population of the state is estimated at about 8,186,453. Caucasian people make up about 71% of Georgia’s population, while African-Americans account for about 27%. The rest is mostly Chinese, Koreans, Hispanics, and American Indians. About 63% of Georgia’s people live in urban areas, such as Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah, and Macon. It is the 10th largest state by population.

The capital of Georgia is Atlanta. The motto is “Wisdom, justice, and moderation”. Its nicknames include Empire of the South, the Buzzard State, the Goober State, and the Peach state. The state song is “Georgia on My Mind”. The state tree is the live oak. The state bird is the Brown thrasher. The state flower is the Cherokee rose. Georgia has 15 electoral votes, 13 U.S. representatives, and two senators.

Natural resources in Georgia include clays, granite, marble, iron, softwood lumber to make paper, citrus growth, and manganese deposits.

Six main land areas are in Georgia. They are the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge province, the Ridge and Valley province, and the Appalachian Plateaus. The coastline of the state is about 100 miles long. The major river is the Savannah River. Most of Georgia’s lakes have been made artificially, mostly for water conservation. The total area of Georgia is 59,425 square miles and is the 24th largest state in the country.

The climate in Georgia is generally mild in the winter and hot in the summers. The temperatures can reach the low 100° Fahrenheit in the daytime in the summer. The mountains usually have a cooler temperature, around 74° Fahrenheit in the summer months. The amount of rain and precipitation varies every year, sometimes with long droughts. The Coastal Plain and Piedmont receive between 46 and 52 in of precipitation a year, while the mountains receive between 56 and 76 in.

Georgia’s government is composed of a governor and a lieutenant governor, each elected separately. The governor is elected for a four-year term and cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. His name is Sonny Purdue. The lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, comptroller general, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, commissioner of labor, and state superintendent of schools are all elected to four-year terms as well.

The state legislature, called the General Assembly, has a 56-member Senate and a 180-member House of Representatives. All members are elected for two-year terms and meet at the state house in Atlanta. Georgia’s 159 counties are mostly governed by boards of elected commissioners. Most places have a mayor, a type of council, and a city manager.

Some of Georgia’s professional sports team includes the Atlanta Braves (baseball), Atlanta Hawks (basketball), and the Atlanta Falcons (football). The 1996 Summer Olympic Games were held in Atlanta. The Atlanta Braves now play in the new Olympic Stadium, where many Olympic events occurred.

Endangered animals in Georgia include the right whale, humpback whale, gray bat, Indiana bat, West Indian Manatee, Chipola slabshell, Alabama moccasinshell, oval pigtoe, leatherback sea turtle, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, wood stork, and shortnose sturgeon. Some of the endangered plants are the fringed campion, green pitcher plant, and the Michaux’s sumac.