North Carolina
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
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| Official language(s) | English | ||||||||||
| Capital | Raleigh | ||||||||||
| Largest city | Charlotte | ||||||||||
| Area | Ranked 28th | ||||||||||
| - Total | 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²) |
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| - Width | 150 miles (240 km) | ||||||||||
| - Length | 560[1] miles (901 km) | ||||||||||
| - % water | 9.5 | ||||||||||
| - Latitude | 34°N to 36°21'N | ||||||||||
| - Longitude | 75°30'W to 84°15'W | ||||||||||
| Number of people | Ranked 10th | ||||||||||
| - Total (2000) | 8,049,313 | ||||||||||
| - Density | 165.24/sq mi 63.80/km² (17th) |
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| Height above sea level | |||||||||||
| - Highest point | Mt. Mitchell[2] 6,684 ft (2,038 m) |
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| - Average | 705 ft (215 m) | ||||||||||
| - Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean[2] 0 ft (0 m) |
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| Became part of the U.S. | November 21, 1789 (12th) | ||||||||||
| Governor | Mike Easley (D) | ||||||||||
| U.S. Senators | Elizabeth Dole (R) Richard Burr (R) |
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| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | ||||||||||
| Abbreviations | NC US-NC | ||||||||||
| Web site | www.nc.gov | ||||||||||
North Carolina is one of the fifty states in the United States. The Capital of North Carolina is Raleigh and the biggest city in the state is Charlotte. North Carolina is split up into 100 counties and these counties are split up into many cities and towns.
North Carolina was one of the original thirteen colonies and was where the first English colony in America lived. As of July 1, 2007, there are about 9,061,032 people living in the state.[3]
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[change] Geography and Weather
North Carolina is connected to South Carolina on the south, Georgia on the southwest, Tennessee on the west, Virginia on the north, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. There are three main sections in North Carolina: the coastal plain, the piedmont, and the mountains. The coastal plain is the eastern part of the state, the piedmont is the middle, and the mountains are the western part of the state. North Carolina also has some islands that are called The Outer Banks. They are in the ocean to the east of the state.
North Carolina has many different kinds of weather in different parts of the state throughout the year.
[change] Coastal Plain (East North Carolina)
The eastern part of the state is by the Atlantic Ocean, so it usually has comfortable temperatures all year long. The temperature usually does not go above 90°F in the summer or under 40°F in the winter. Most years there is less then one inch of snow in eastern North Carolina, and some years there is no snow at all. The coastal plain usually gets a tropical storm every 3 or 4 years.
[change] Piedmont (Middle North Carolina)
The middle part of North Carolina is not as close to the ocean as the eastern part, so the weather is different. The temperature goes above 90°F many times every summer and it goes below freezing many times in the winter. Sleet and freezing rain are common in this part of North Carolina.
[change] Mountains (West North Carolina)
There are mountains in the western part of North Carolina, so the temperatures are usually cool for most of the year. The temperature almost never goes above 80°F in the summer and is usually in the high 30’s or low 40’s in the winter. The mountains usually get 14 to 20 inches of snow each year.
[change] History
[change] The Beginning
At first, only Native Americans lived in North Carolina. In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh made two colonies in North Carolina, but they both did not last long.[4] One of the colonies became known as the Lost Colony and is still one of the biggest mysteries in American history.
The first permanent settlers in North Carolina came from the state of Virginia in 1655 because there was not enough farmland in Virginia.[5]
[change] The American Revolution
North Carolina was an important state during the American Revolutionary War.
[change] The Civil War
In 1860, North Carolina was a slave state. About 1/3 of the people in the state were slaves. North Carolina fought as part of the Confederacy during the Civil War. The state sent about 125,000 troops to fight in the war and about 40,000 of them died. Even during the war some people in North Carolina did not support the Confederacy, mostly because the Confederacy believed in slavery. The first Confederate soldier to be killed was from North Carolina.
[change] Economy
[change] Farming and Manufacturing
Farmers in North Carolina grow many things, such as poultry and eggs, tobacco, hogs, milk, cattle, sweet potatoes, and soybeans. North Carolina grows more tobacco then any other state in the country. [6] Furniture making is an important industry in North Carolina, but over the past few years many jobs have moved to other countries like China and India.
[change] Banking and Technology
Charlotte, the biggest city in North Carolina, is the second biggest banking center in the United States, making banking very important in North Carolina. BB&T, Bank of America, and Wachovia all have their main offices in the state.
Technology is also important in North Carolina. There are many companies that make computer software and video games in the state.
[change] Transportation
[change] Roads
There are many big roads in North Carolina. North Carolina has more state maintained roads than any other state in the United States. [7] The biggest roads are:
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[change] Airports
There are many airports major and international airports in North Carolina. These are:
- Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (Charlotte)
- Asheville Regional Airport (Asheville)
- Fayetteville Regional Airport (Fayetteville)
- Piedmont Triad International Airport (Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point)
- Pitt-Greenville Airport (Greenville)
- Moore County Airport (Pinehurst/Southern Pines)
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport (Raleigh/Durham)
- Craven County Regional Airport (New Bern)
- Wilmington International Airport (Wilmington)
[change] References
- ↑ North Carolina Climate and Geography. NC Kids Page. North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State (May 8 2006). Retrieved on 7 November 2006.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Elevations and Distances in the United States. U.S Geological Survey (29 April 2005). Retrieved on 6 November 2006.
- ↑ national and state population estimates. Annual Population Estimates 2000 to 2006. US Census Bureau (2006-12-22). Retrieved on 22 December 2006.
- ↑ Randinelli, Tracey. Tanglewood Park. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, 16. ISBN 0-15-333476-2.
- ↑ Fenn and Wood, Natives and Newcomers, pp. 24-25
- ↑ (April 29, 2007) Time for tobacco burning out in N.C.. Associated Press.
- ↑ Hartgen, David T. and Ravi K. Karanam (2007). 16th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems (PDF). Reason Foundation. Retrieved on 20 October 2007.
| Political divisions of the United States | |
|---|---|
| States | Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| National capital | District of Columbia |
| Island areas | American Samoa • Baker Island • Guam • Howland Island • Jarvis Island • Johnston Atoll • Kingman Reef • Midway Atoll • Navassa Island • Northern Mariana Islands • Palmyra Atoll • Puerto Rico • Virgin Islands • Wake Island |
| Hypothetical states | 51st state |
