State smart: the U.S. in focus: Part I.From Delaware Delaware, state, United States Delaware (dĕl`əwâr, –wər), one of the Middle Atlantic states of the United States, the country's second smallest state (after Rhode Island). to Hawaii Hawaii, island, United States Hawaii, island (1990 pop. 120,217), 4,037 sq mi (10,456 sq km), largest and southernmost island of the state of Hawaii and coextensive with Hawaii co.; known as the Big Island. , Alaska Alaska (əlă`skə), largest in area of the United States but third smallest (exceeding only Vermont and Wyoming) in population, occupying the northwest extremity of the North American continent, separated from the coterminous United States to Florida Florida, state, United States Florida (flôr`ĭdə, flŏr`–), state in the extreme SE United States. A long, low peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean (E) and the Gulf of Mexico (W), Florida is bordered by Georgia and , the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. is a large and fascinatingly fas·ci·nat·ing adj. Possessing the power to charm or allure; captivating. fas  ci·nat diverse country. Part One of the U.S. in Focus
is a handy guide to essential data on the 50 states of the Union. Keep
this table, which includes the results of the November November: see month. 2006 elections,
as a valuable resource all year.Area: 3,717,796 sq mi. Population: 300,308,972 [as of Nov. 29, 2006]; ranks third after China and India India, officially Republic of India, republic (2005 est pop. 1,080,264,000), 1,261,810 sq mi (3,268,090 sq km), S Asia. The second most populous country in the world, it is also sometimes called Bharat, its ancient name. India's land frontier (c. . Capital: Washington Washington, town, England Washington, town (1991 pop. 48,856), Sunderland metropolitan district, NE England. Washington was designated one of the new towns in 1964 to alleviate overpopulation in the Tyneside-Wearside area. , D.C. Political System: Presidential-legislative democracy. Chief Executive: George George, river, c.345 mi (560 km) long, rising in a lake on the Quebec-Labrador boundary, E Canada. It flows N through Indian Lake (125 sq mi/324 sq km) to Ungava Bay (an arm of Hudson Strait). W. Bush, 43rd President (Republican). 110th Congress: 100 Senators The term Senators can refer to:
The Senate: 49 Democrats The List of notable Democrats is a list of prominent politicians, government officials, and organizational leaders of the Democratic Party of the United States. Prominent figures of the Democratic Party Currently notable Democrats
The House of Representatives: 233 Democrats, 202 Republicans; Speaker: Nancy Nancy (näNsē`), city (1990 pop. 102,410), capital of Meurthe-et-Moselle dept., NE France, on the Meurthe River and the Marne-Rhine Canal. It is the administrative, economic, and educational center of Lorraine. Pelosi [D, California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). ]. Chief Justice of the United States the presiding judge of the Supreme Court, and Highest judicial officer of the republic. See also: Chief justice : John G. Roberts Jr. State Governors: 28 Democrats, 22 Republicans. * Objectives Students should be able to: * interpret To run a program one line at a time. Each line of source language is translated into machine language and then executed. , evaluate, compare, and contrast various categories of statistical data. * Background Every 10 years since 1790, the federal government takes a census census, periodic official count of the number of persons and their condition and of the resources of a country. In ancient times, among the Jews and Romans, such enumeration was mainly for taxation and conscription purposes. of the nation's people. Originally, the census was nothing more than a head count. Today, the U.S. Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Bureau of the Census (census.gov See .gov and GovNet. (networking) gov - The top-level domain for US government bodies. ) compiles data on many aspects of American American, river, 30 mi (48 km) long, rising in N central Calif. in the Sierra Nevada and flowing SW into the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (see Sutter, John Augustus) along the river in 1848 led to the California gold rush of life. The research of many other federal and independent statistical agencies is based on information gathered by the Census Bureau, including many of the data in these tables. * Critical Thinking MAKING INFERENCES: Why do you suppose so many states' names are based on Native American words? (Native Americans, the land's original occupants, had already named many places.) MAKING CONNECTIONS: Did you find any of the information provided about your home state surprising? Why or why not? (Answers will vary, but should include supporting facts/examples.) * Activity HOW DOES YOUR STATE COMPARE? Have students find their home state on the map on pp. 12-13, and list the nearest neighboring See point sampling. (or bordering) states. Then assign three to five categories of information from the U.S. in Focus tables to each of several small groups. Have students create a table, graph graph, figure that shows relationships between quantities. The graph of a function y=f (x) is the set of points with coordinates [x, f (x)] in the xy-plane, when x and y are numbers. , or chart comparing their home state with the others on their list. Then discuss: What conclusions, if any, can they draw from their research? STANDARD SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8 * People, places, and environments: These tables provide state-by-state data on Americans in various categories. RESOURCES * U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United Stores: 2006 [Bureau of the Census Noun 1. Bureau of the Census - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Census Bureau , 2005]. WEB SITES * Explore the States americaslibrary.gov [click on "Explore the States"] * Profile of the United States infoplease.com/ipa/A0004921.html
STATE NAME ORIGIN ENTERED
NICKNAME OF NAME UNION
ALABAMA Named for the Alibamu 1819
The Heart of Dixie Indian tribe
ALASKA Russian version of an Aleut 1959
The Last Frontier word meaning great land
(unofficial)
ARIZONA Indian word arizonac, which 1912
The Grand Canyon State means small spring
ARKANSAS From an Indian word meaning 1836
The Natural State land of downstream people
CALIFORNIA Named after a treasure island 1850
The Golden State in a popular Spanish tale
COLORADO
The Centennial State Spanish for colored red 1876
CONNECTICUT Algonquian Indian word that 1788
The Constitution State means on the long tidal river
DELAWARE Honors Lord De La Warr, 1787
The First State first Governor of Virginia
FLORIDA Spanish word meaning 1845
The Sunshine State flowery
GEORGIA Honors King George II of 1788
The Empire State of Great Britain
the South
HAWAII Named in honor of Polynesian 1959
The Aloha State Chief Hawaii-loa
IDAHO Word invented by settlers; 1890
The Gem State the meaning is unknown
ILLINOIS For the Illiniwek Indians; the 1818
The Prairie State name means superior men
INDIANA The name means land of 1816
The Hoosier State Indians
IOWA Indian word for beautiful land 1846
The Hawkeye State
KANSAS For the Kansa Indians; the 1861
The Sunflower State name means people of the
south wind
KENTUCKY Cherokee word for meadowland 1792
The Bluegrass State
LOUISIANA Honors Louis XIV, King of 1812
The Pelican State France
MAINE Named by English explorers; 1820
The Pine Tree State name is short for mainland
MARYLAND Honors Queen Henrietta Maria 1788
The Old Line State; of England
The Free State
MASSACHUSETTS For the Massachusett Indians; 1788
The Bay State the name means near the
great hill
MICHIGAN Chippewa word Michigama, 1837
The Wolverine State which means great lake
MINNESOTA From two Sioux Indian 1858
The North Star State words that mean sky-tinted
waters
MISSISSIPPI Indian word that means big 1817
The Magnolia State river or father of waters
MISSOURI Indian word that means town 1821
The Show Me State of the large canoes
MONTANA Spanish word meaning 1889
The Treasure State mountainous
NEBRASKA Oto Indian word nebrathka, 1867
The Cornhusker State which means flat water
NEVADA Spanish word meaning 1864
The Silver State snow-clad
NEW HAMPSHIRE Named for Hampshire, a 1788
The Granite State county in England
NEW JERSEY Named for Jersey, an island in 1787
The Garden State the English Channel
NEW MEXICO Named after the country 1912
The Land of Mexico
Enchantment
NEW YORK Honors England's Duke 1788
The Empire State of York
NORTH CAROLINA Honors King Charles I of England 1789
The Tar Heel State; [Originally Province of Carolana,
The Old North State or land of Charles]
NORTH DAKOTA Named for the Dakota Sioux 1889
The Peace Garden State Indians of the region
OHIO Iroquois Indian word that 1803
The Buckeye State means something great
OKLAHOMA Choctaw Indian words okla, 1907
The Sooner State meaning people, and homma,
meaning red
OREGON French word ouragan, meaning 1859
The Beaver State hurricane
PENNSYLVANIA Honors Sir William Penn, the 1787
The Keystone State colony's founder; the name
means Penn's Woods in Latin
RHODE ISLAND After the Greek island of Rhodes 1790
The Ocean State
SOUTH CAROLINA Honors King Charles I of 1788
The Palmetto State England [See North Carolina]
SOUTH DAKOTA Named for the Dakota Sioux 1889
The Mount Rushmore Indians of the region
State
TENNESSEE From Tanasie, the name of a 1796
The Volunteer State Cherokee Indian village
TEXAS From an Indian word that 1845
The Lone Star State means friends
UTAH Named for the Ute Indians of 1896
The Beehive State the region
VERMONT French words vert, meaning green, 1791
The Green Mountain and mont, meaning mountain
State
VIRGINIA Honors "the Virgin Queen," 1788
The Old Dominion England's Elizabeth I
WASHINGTON Named in honor of 1889
The Evergreen State George Washington
WEST VIRGINIA Honors "the Virgin Queen," 1863
The Mountain State England's Elizabeth I
WISCONSIN From an Indian word meaning 1848
The Badger State grassy place
WYOMING From a Delaware Indian word 1890
The Equality State meaning upon the great plain
LAND AREA
STATE NAME (SQ MI)
NICKNAME POPULATION (2) CAPITAL
ALABAMA 51,718 Montgomery
The Heart of Dixie 4,557,808
ALASKA 587,878 Juneau
The Last Frontier 663,661
(unofficial)
ARIZONA 114,007 Phoenix
The Grand Canyon State 5,939,292
ARKANSAS 53,183 Little Rock
The Natural State 2,779,154
CALIFORNIA 158,648 Sacramento
The Golden State 36,132,147
COLORADO 104,100
The Centennial State 4,665,177 Denver
CONNECTICUT 5,006 Hartford
The Constitution State 3,510,297
DELAWARE 2,026 Dover
The First State 843,524
FLORIDA 58,681 Tallahassee
The Sunshine State 17,789,864
GEORGIA 58,930 Atlanta
The Empire State of 9,072,576
the South
HAWAII 6,459 Honolulu
The Aloha State 1,275,194
IDAHO 83,574 Boise
The Gem State 1,429,096
ILLINOIS 56,343 Springfield
The Prairie State 12,763,371
INDIANA 36,185 Indianapolis
The Hoosier State 6,271,973
IOWA 56,276
The Hawkeye State 2,966,334 Des Moines
KANSAS 82,282
The Sunflower State 2,744,687 Topeka
KENTUCKY 40,411
The Bluegrass State 4,173,405 Frankfort
LOUISIANA 47,717 Baton Rouge
The Pelican State 4,523,628
MAINE 33,128 Augusta
The Pine Tree State 1,321,505
MARYLAND 10,455 Annapolis
The Old Line State; 5,600,388
The Free State
MASSACHUSETTS 8,262 Boston
The Bay State 6,398,743
MICHIGAN 58,513 Lansing
The Wolverine State 10,120,860
MINNESOTA 84,397 St. Paul
The North Star State 5,132,799
MISSISSIPPI 47,695 Jackson
The Magnolia State 2,921,088
MISSOURI 69,709 Jefferson City
The Show Me State 5,800,310
MONTANA 147,047 Helena
The Treasure State 935,670
NEBRASKA 77,359 Lincoln
The Cornhusker State 1,758,787
NEVADA 110,567 Carson City
The Silver State 2,414,807
NEW HAMPSHIRE 9,283 Concord
The Granite State 1,309,940
NEW JERSEY 7,790 Trenton
The Garden State 8,717,925
NEW MEXICO 121,599 Santa Fe
The Land of 1,928,384
Enchantment
NEW YORK 49,112 Albany
The Empire State 19,254,630
NORTH CAROLINA 52,672 Raleigh
The Tar Heel State; 8,683,242
The Old North State
NORTH DAKOTA 70,704 Bismarck
The Peace Garden State 636,677
OHIO 41,328 Columbus
The Buckeye State 11,464,042
OKLAHOMA 69,903 Oklahoma
The Sooner State 3,547,884 City
OREGON 97,052 Salem
The Beaver State 3,641,056
PENNSYLVANIA 45,310 Harrisburg
The Keystone State 12,429,616
RHODE ISLAND 1,213 Providence
The Ocean State 1,076,189
SOUTH CAROLINA 31,117 Columbia
The Palmetto State 4,255,083
SOUTH DAKOTA 77,122 Pierre
The Mount Rushmore 775,933
State
TENNESSEE 42,146 Nashville
The Volunteer State 5,962,959
TEXAS 266,874 Austin
The Lone Star State 22,859,968
UTAH 84,905 Salt Lake City
The Beehive State 2,469,585
VERMONT 9,615 Montpelier
The Green Mountain 623,050
State
VIRGINIA 40,598 Richmond
The Old Dominion 7,567,465
WASHINGTON 68,126 Olympia
The Evergreen State 6,287,759
WEST VIRGINIA 24,231 Charleston
The Mountain State 1,816,856
WISCONSIN 56,145 Madison
The Badger State 5,536,201
WYOMING 97,818 Cheyenne
The Equality State 509,294
STATE NAME U.S. U.S.
NICKNAME GOVERNOR SENATORS REPS.
ALABAMA Bob Riley, R 2R 2D
The Heart of Dixie 5R
ALASKA Sarah Palin, R 2R 1R
The Last Frontier
(unofficial)
ARIZONA Janet Napolitano, D 2R 4D
The Grand Canyon State 4R
ARKANSAS Mike Beebe, D 2D 3D
The Natural State 1R
CALIFORNIA Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2D 33D
The Golden State R 19R
COLORADO Bill Ritter, D 1D 4D
The Centennial State 1R 3R
CONNECTICUT M. Jodi Rell, R 1D 4D
The Constitution State 1Ind (1) 1R
DELAWARE Ruth Ann Minner, D 2D 1R
The First State
FLORIDA Charlie Crist, R 1D 9D
The Sunshine State 1R 16R
GEORGIA Sonny Perdue, R 2R 6D
The Empire State of 7R
the South
HAWAII Linda Lingle, R 2D 2D
The Aloha State
IDAHO C.L. "Butch" Otter, R 2R 2R
The Gem State
ILLINOIS Rod Blagojevich, D 2D 10D
The Prairie State 9R
INDIANA Mitch Daniels, R 1D 5D
The Hoosier State 1R 4R
IOWA Chet Culver, D 1D 3D
The Hawkeye State 1R 2R
KANSAS Kathleen Sebelius, D 2R 2D
The Sunflower State 2R
KENTUCKY Ernie Fletcher, R 2R 2D
The Bluegrass State 4R
LOUISIANA Kathleen B. Blanco, D 1D 2D
The Pelican State 1R 5R
MAINE John Baldacci, D 2R 2D
The Pine Tree State
MARYLAND Martin O'Malley, D 2D 6D
The Old Line State; 2R
The Free State
MASSACHUSETTS Deval Patrick, D 2D 10D
The Bay State
MICHIGAN Jennifer Granholm, D 2D 6D
The Wolverine State 9R
MINNESOTA Tim Pawlenty, R 1D 5D
The North Star State 1R 3R
MISSISSIPPI Haley Barbour, R 2R 2D
The Magnolia State 2R
MISSOURI Matt Blunt, R 1D 4D
The Show Me State 1R 5R
MONTANA Brian Schweitzer, D 2D 1R
The Treasure State
NEBRASKA Dave Heineman, R 1D 3R
The Cornhusker State 1R
NEVADA Jim Gibbons, R 1D 1D
The Silver State 1R 2R
NEW HAMPSHIRE John Lynch, D 2R 2D
The Granite State
NEW JERSEY Jon S. Corzine, D 2D 7D
The Garden State 6R
NEW MEXICO Bill Richardson, D 1D 1D
The Land of 1R 2R
Enchantment
NEW YORK Eliot Spitzer, D 2D 23D
The Empire State 6R
NORTH CAROLINA Michael F. Easley, D 2R 7D
The Tar Heel State; 6R
The Old North State
NORTH DAKOTA John Hoeven, R 2D 1D
The Peace Garden State
OHIO Ted Strickland, D 1D 7D
The Buckeye State 1R 11R
OKLAHOMA Brad Henry, D 2R 1D
The Sooner State 4R
OREGON Ted Kulongoski, D 1D 4D
The Beaver State 1R 1R
PENNSYLVANIA Edward G. Rendall, D 1D 11D
The Keystone State 1R 8R
RHODE ISLAND Don Carcieri, R 2D 2D
The Ocean State
SOUTH CAROLINA Mark Sanford, R 2R 2D
The Palmetto State 4R
SOUTH DAKOTA Michael Rounds, R 1D 1D
The Mount Rushmore 1R
State
TENNESSEE Phil Bredesen, D 2R 5D
The Volunteer State 4R
TEXAS Rick Perry, R 2R 13D
The Lone Star State 19R
UTAH Jan Huntsman Jr., R 2R 1D
The Beehive State 2R
VERMONT James H. Douglas, R 1D 1D
The Green Mountain 1 Ind.
State (1)
VIRGINIA Timothy M. Kaine, D 1D 3D
The Old Dominion 1R 8R
WASHINGTON Christine Gregoire, D 2D 6D
The Evergreen State 3R
WEST VIRGINIA Joe Manchin III, D 2D 2D
The Mountain State 1R
WISCONSIN Jim Doyle, D 2D 5D
The Badger State 3R
WYOMING Dave Freudenthal, D 2R 1R
The Equality State
Capital District, Territories, and Possessions
STATUS
NAME ORIGIN OF NAME DATE ACQUIRED
DISTRICT OF Honors Christopher Federal district (3)
COLUMBIA (D.C.) Columbus 1800 (4)
AMERICAN SAMOA Ancient Pacific deity U.S. territory
1900 (5)
GUAM Guahan word that means U.S. territory
we have 1898 (6)
NORTHERN Honors Maria Ana of Self-governing
MARIANA ISLANDS Austria, the mother commonwealth
of Spain's King 1947 (7)
Carlos II
Self-governing
PUERTO RICO Spanish for rich port commonwealth
1898 (9)
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS Named for the Virgins U.S. territory
of St. Ursula, an early 1917 (11)
religious order
LAND AREA (SQ MI) HEAD OF
NAME POPULATION (2) CAPITAL GOVERNMENT
DISTRICT OF 68 Washington Mayor Anthony A.
COLUMBIA (D.C.) 550,521 Williams, D
AMERICAN SAMOA 77 Pago Pago Governor
57,291 Togiola
Tulafono, D
GUAM 209 Hagatna Nov. election
154,805 results disputed
at press time
NORTHERN 184 Saipan Governor Begindo
MARIANA ISLANDS 69,221 R. Fital (C) (8)
PUERTO RICO 3,515 San Juan Governor Anibal
3,912,054 Acevedo Vila
(PDP) (10)
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS 132 Charlotte Governor John
108,612 Amalie, deJongh Jr., D
St. Thomas
FOOTNOTES: (1) independents are not elected as representatives of a
political party. Both independents in the Senate are allied with the
Democrats. (2) State and Puerto Rico population figures: U.S. Census
Bureau, July 2005 estimates; Territories, 2000 Census. (3) Seat of U.S.
government. (4) Date when federal government moved from Philadelphia
to Washington. (5) Date gained by treaty with the U.K. and Germany.
(6) Date ceded to U.S. by Spain after the Spanish-American War; became
a U.S. territory in 1950. (7) Date administration by U.S. began
(in a trusteeship for the United Nations); became a self-governing
commonwealth in 1978. (8) Covenant Party. (9) Date ceded to U.S. by
Spain after the Spanish-American War; became a self-governing
commonwealth in 1952. (10) Popular Democratic Party. (11) Date
purchased from Denmark. SOURCES: Nickname, date entered union/acquired,
capital: The Book of the States. Origin of name, land area: World Book
Encyclopedia. Population: Population Reference Bureau; U.S. Bureau of
the Census. Governor/head of government: National Governors
Association. U.S. Senators and Representatives: U.S. House and Senate
Web sites, news services.
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