Hernando de Soto, from Spain, was the first European to explore Georgia in 1540. In 1733, General James Oglethorpe created the first permanent settlement in Georgia, named after King George II, and established it as a place for debtors to live. Georgia was the last colony settled of the original thirteen. In 1788, Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the Constitution. During the Civil War, Georgia, a Confederate state, was the site of many battles. Union General William T. Sherman burned the city of Atlanta and carved a 60-mile-wide path of destruction through the state to Savannah on his "march to the sea."
Georgia is bordered by five other states: Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. It is also bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the eastern side.The highest point in the state is Brasstown Bald, which stands 4,784 feet above sea level. Three major rivers, the Chattahoochee, Savannah and Suwannee, run through the state. Lake Sidney Lanier, Clark Hill Lake, West Point Lake and Lake Hartwell are four other major bodies of water in Georgia.
Atlanta is both the capital of and the largest city in Georgia. As of 2000, the population of the state was 8,186,453, making it the tenth most populous state in the United States. The total area is 59,441 square miles, making it the 24th largest state in the country. The abbreviation for Georgia is GA and the residents are Georgia are commonly referred to as "Georgians." Georgia is often referred to as "the Peach State."
Many major companies have their home base in Georgia including AFLAC, the Coca-Cola Company, Home Depot, UPS, Delta Air Lines and Newell Rubbermaid. Georgia is famous for many agricultural products such as corn, cotton, tobacco, eggs, soybeans, peaches and peanuts. It also produces paper and board, processed chicken, tufted textile products, marble, barite, bauxite and kaolin. Due to its abundance of pine, 74.4 percent of the United States' resins and turpentine come from Georgia.
There are tourist attractions all over the state of Georgia. However, some of the most popular ones are Cumberland Island National Seashore, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, the Confederate Memorial at Stone Mountain, Sea Island, the Little White House, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Andersonville Prison Park and National Cemetery and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
