U.S. in focus: part one.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 place of awesome and even intimidating in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. size. How can you keep track of it all? Part One of the U.S. in Focus will give you a handle on some of the most basic facts about the 50 states. Who is Governor of Hew Mexico Mexico, city, Mexico Mexico or Mexico City, Span. Ciudad de México (Méjico), city (1990 pop. 8,236,960; 1991 met. area est. 20,899,000), central Mexico, capital and largest city of Mexico. ? What is the capital of Georgia Georgia, country, Asia Georgia (jôr`jə), Georgian Sakartvelo, Rus. Gruziya, officially Republic of Georgia, republic (2005 est. pop. 4,677,000), c.26,900 sq mi (69,700 sq km), in W Transcaucasia. ? What do those Indian state names mean? Keep this table handy. It will be a valuable resource all year. Key Facts on the United States Area: 3,717,796 square miles A square mil is a unit of area, equal to the area of a square with sides of length one mil. A mil is one thousandth of an international inch. This unit of area is usually used in specifying the area of the cross section of a wire or cable. ; ranks third in the world after Russia Russia, officially the Russian Federation, Rus. Rossiya, republic (2005 est. pop. 143,420,000), 6,591,100 sq mi (17,070,949 sq km). and Canada Canada (kăn`ədə), independent nation (2001 pop. 30,007,094), 3,851,787 sq mi (9,976,128 sq km), N North America. Canada occupies all of North America N of the United States (and E of Alaska) except for Greenland and the French islands of . Population: 296,500,000; 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. The U.S. Constitution divides federal (national) powers among three independent branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. Powers not given to the federal government by the Constitution are held by the states. 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). 109th Congress: 100 Senators The term Senators can refer to:
The Senate: 55 Republicans, 44 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
Tennessee (tĕn`əsē', tĕn'əsē`), state in the south-central United States. ). The House of Representatives: 231 Republicans *, 201 Democrats *, 1 Independent (1); Speaker: J. Dennis Dennis is a male first name derived from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius meaning "servant of Dionysus", the Thracian god of wine, which is ultimately derived from the Greek Dios (Διος, "of Zeus") combined with Nysos or Nysa (Νυσα), where the Hastert (R, Illinois Illinois, river, United States Illinois, river, 273 mi (439 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers, NE Ill., and flowing SW to the Mississippi at Grafton, Ill. It is an important commercial and recreational waterway. ). 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. State Governors: 28 Republicans, 22 Democrats.
STATE NAME ORIGIN
NICKNAME OF NAME
ALABAMA Named for the Alibamu
The Heart of Dixie Indian tribe
ALASKA Russian version of an Aleut
The Last Frontier (unofficial) word meaning great land
ARIZONA Indian word arizonac, which
The Grand Canyon State means small spring
ARKANSAS From an Indian word meaning
The Natural State land of downstream people
CALIFORNIA Named after a treasure island
The Golden State in a popular Spanish tale
COLORADO Spanish for colored red
The Centennial State
CONNECTICUT Algonquian Indian word that
The Constitution State means on the long tidal river
DELAWARE Honors Lord De La Warr,
The First State first Governor of Virginia
FLORIDA Spanish word meaning
The Sunshine State flowery
GEORGIA Honors King George II of
a The Empire State of Great Britain
the South
HAWAII Named in honor of Polynesian
The Aloha State Chief Hawaii-loa
IDAHO Word invented by settlers;
The Gem State the meaning is unknown
ILLINOIS For the Illiniwek Indians; the
The Prairie State name means superior men
INDIANA The name means land of Indians
The Hoosier State
IOWA Indian word for beautiful land
The Hawkeye State
KANSAS For the Kansa Indians; the name
The Sunflower State means people of the south wind
KENTUCKY Cherokee word for meadowland
The Bluegrass State
LOUISIANA Honors Louis XIV, King
The Pelican State of France
MAINE Named by English explorers;
The Pine Tree State name is short for mainland
MARYLAND
The Old Line State; Honors Queen Henrietta Maria
The Free State of England
MASSACHUSETTS For the Massachusett Indians;
The Bay State the name means near the
great hill
MICHIGAN Chippewa word Michigama,
The Wolverine State which means great lake
MINNESOTA From two Sioux Indian words
The North Star State that mean sky-tinted waters
MISSISSIPPI Indian word that means big river
The Magnolia State or father of waters
MISSOURI Indian word that means
The Show Me State town of the large canoes
MONTANA Spanish word meaning
The Treasure State mountainous
NEBRASKA Oto Indian word nebrathka,
The Cornhusker State which means flat water
NEVADA Spanish word meaning
The Silver State snow-clad
NEW HAMPSHIRE Named for Hampshire, a
The Granite State county in England
NEW JERSEY Named for Jersey, an island
The Garden State in the English Channel
NEW MEXICO Named after the country Mexico
The Land of Enchantment
NEW YORK Honors England's Duke of York
The Empire State
NORTH CAROLINA Honors King Charles I of England
The Tar Heel State; (Originally Province of Carolana,
The Old North State or land of Charles)
NORTH DAKOTA Named for the Dakota Sioux
The Peace Garden State Indians of the region
OHIO Iroquois Indian word that
The Buckeye State means something great
OKLAHOMA Choctaw Indian words okla,
The Sooner State meaning people, and homma,
meaning red
OREGON French word ouragan,
The Beaver State meaning hurricane
PENNSYLVANIA Honors Sir William Penn, the
The Keystone State colony's founder; the name
means Penn's Woods in Latin
RHODE ISLAND After the Greek island of Rhodes
The Ocean State
SOUTH CAROLINA Honors King Charles I of England
The Palmetto State (See North Carolina)
SOUTH DAKOTA Named for the Dakota Sioux
The Mount Rushmore State Indians of the region
TENNESSEE From Tanasie, the name of a
The Volunteer State Cherokee Indian village
TEXAS From an Indian word that
The Lone Star State means friends
UTAH Named for the Ute Indians
The Beehive State of the region
VERMONT French words veil, meaning green,
Green Mountain State and mont, meaning mountain
VIRGINIA Honors "the Virgin Queen,"
The Old Dominion England's Elizabeth I
WASHINGTON Named in honor of
The Evergreen State George Washington
WEST VIRGINIA Honors "the Virgin Queen,"
The Mountain State England's Elizabeth I
WISCONSIN From an Indian word meaning
The Badger State grassy place
WYOMING From a Delaware Indian word
The Equality State meaning upon the great plain
STATE NAME ENTERED LAND AREA
NICKNAME UNION (SQ MI)
POPULATION (2)
ALABAMA 1819 51,718
The Heart of Dixie 4,530,182
ALASKA 1959 587,878
The Last Frontier 655,435
(unofficial)
ARIZONA 1912 114,007
The Grand Canyon State 5,743,834
ARKANSAS 1836 53,183
The Natural State 2,752,629
CALIFORNIA 1850 158,648
The Golden State 35,893,799
COLORADO 1876 104,100
The Centennial State 4,601,403
CONNECTICUT 1788 5,006
The Constitution State 3,503,604
DELAWARE 1787 2,026
The First State 830,364
FLORIDA 1845 58,681
The Sunshine State 17,397,161
GEORGIA 1788 58,930
a The Empire State of 8,829,383
the South
HAWAII 1959 6,459
The Aloha State 1,262,840
IDAHO 1890 83,574
The Gem State 1,393,262
ILLINOIS 1818 56,343
The Prairie State 12,713,634
INDIANA 1816 36,185
The Hoosier State 6,237,569
IOWA 1846 56,276
The Hawkeye State 2,954,451
KANSAS 1861 82,282
The Sunflower State 2,735,502
KENTUCKY 1792 40,411
The Bluegrass State 4,145,922
LOUISIANA 1812 47,717
The Pelican State 4,515,770
MAINE 1820 33,128
The Pine Tree State 1,317,253
MARYLAND
The Old Line State; 1788 10,455
The Free State 5,558,058
MASSACHUSETTS 1788 8,262
The Bay State 6,416,505
MICHIGAN 1837 58,513
The Wolverine State 10,112,620
MINNESOTA 84,397
The North Star State 1858 5,100,958
MISSISSIPPI 1817 47,695
The Magnolia State 2,902,966
MISSOURI 1821 69,709
The Show Me State 5,754,618
MONTANA 147,047
The Treasure State 1889 926,865
NEBRASKA 1867 77,359
The Cornhusker State 1,747,214
NEVADA 1864 110,567
The Silver State 2,334,771
NEW HAMPSHIRE 1788 9,283
The Granite State 1,299,500
NEW JERSEY 1787 7,790
The Garden State 8,698,879
NEW MEXICO 1912 121,599
The Land of Enchantment 1,903,289
NEW YORK 1788 49,112
The Empire State 19,227,088
NORTH CAROLINA 1789 52,672
The Tar Heel State; 8,541,221
The Old North State
NORTH DAKOTA 1889 70,704
The Peace Garden State 634,366
OHIO 1803 41,328
The Buckeye State 11,459,011
OKLAHOMA 1907 69,903
The Sooner State 3,523,553
OREGON 1859 97,052
The Beaver State 3,594,586
PENNSYLVANIA 1787 45,310
The Keystone State 12,406,292
RHODE ISLAND 1790 1,213
The Ocean State 1,080,632
SOUTH CAROLINA 1788 31,117
The Palmetto State 4,198,068
SOUTH DAKOTA 1889 77,122
The Mount Rushmore State 770,883
TENNESSEE 1796 42,146
The Volunteer State 5,900,962
TEXAS 1845 266,874
The Lone Star State 22,490,022
UTAH 1896 84,905
The Beehive State 2,389,039
VERMONT 1791 9,615
Green Mountain State 621,394
VIRGINIA 1788 40,598
The Old Dominion 7,459,827
WASHINGTON 1889 68,126
The Evergreen State 6,203,788
WEST VIRGINIA 1863 24,231
The Mountain State 1,815,354
WISCONSIN 1848 56,145
The Badger State 5,509,026
WYOMING 1890 97,818
The Equality State 506,529
STATE NAME
NICKNAME CAPITAL GOVERNOR
ALABAMA Montgomery Bob Riley, R
The Heart of Dixie
ALASKA Juneau Frank Murkowski, R
The Last Frontier
(unofficial)
ARIZONA Phoenix Janet Napolitano, D
The Grand Canyon State
ARKANSAS Little Rock Mike Huckabee, R
The Natural State
CALIFORNIA Sacramento Arnold Schwarzenegger, R
The Golden State
COLORADO Denver Bill Owens, R
The Centennial State
CONNECTICUT Hartford M. Jodi Rell, R
The Constitution State
DELAWARE Dover Ruth Ann Minner, D
The First State
FLORIDA Tallahassee Jeb Bush, R
The Sunshine State
GEORGIA Atlanta Sonny Perdue, R
a The Empire State of
the South
HAWAII Honolulu Linda Lingle, R
The Aloha State
IDAHO Boise Dirk Kempthorne, R
The Gem State
ILLINOIS Springfield Rod Blagojevich, D
The Prairie State
INDIANA Indianapolis Mitch Daniels, R
The Hoosier State
IOWA Des Moines Tom Vilsack, D
The Hawkeye State
KANSAS Topeka Kathleen Sebelius, D
The Sunflower State
KENTUCKY Frankfort Ernie Fletcher, R
The Bluegrass State
LOUISIANA Baton Rouge Kathleen B. Blanco, D
The Pelican State
MAINE Augusta John Baldacci, D
The Pine Tree State
MARYLAND
The Old Line State; Annapolis Robert Ehrlich Jr., R
The Free State
MASSACHUSETTS Boston Mitt Romney, R
The Bay State
MICHIGAN Lansing Jennifer Granholm, D
The Wolverine State
MINNESOTA St. Paul Tim Pawlenty, R
The North Star State
MISSISSIPPI Jackson Haley Barbour, R
The Magnolia State
MISSOURI Jefferson City Matt Blunt, R
The Show Me State
MONTANA Helena Brian Schweitzer, D
The Treasure State
NEBRASKA Lincoln Dave Heineman, R
The Cornhusker State
NEVADA Carson City Kenny C. Guinn, R
The Silver State
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord John Lynch, D
The Granite State
NEW JERSEY Trenton Jon S. Corzine, D
The Garden State
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe Bill Richardson, D
The Land of Enchantment
NEW YORK Albany George E. Pataki, R
The Empire State
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh Michael F. Easley, D
The Tar Heel State;
The Old North State
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck John Hoeven, R
The Peace Garden State
OHIO Columbus Bob Taft, R
The Buckeye State
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City Brad Henry, D
The Sooner State
OREGON Salem Ted Kulongoski, D
The Beaver State
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg Edward G. Rendell, D
The Keystone State
RHODE ISLAND Providence Don Carcieri, R
The Ocean State
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia Mark Sanford, R
The Palmetto State
SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre Michael Rounds, R
The Mount Rushmore State
TENNESSEE Nashville Phil Bredesen, D
The Volunteer State
TEXAS Austin Rick Perry, R
The Lone Star State
UTAH Salt Lake City Jon Huntsman Jr., R
The Beehive State
VERMONT Montpelier James H. Douglas, R
Green Mountain State
VIRGINIA Richmond Timothy M. Kaine, D
The Old Dominion
WASHINGTON Olympia Christine Gregoire, D
The Evergreen State
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston Joe Manchin III, D
The Mountain State
WISCONSIN Madison Jim Doyle, D
The Badger State
WYOMING Cheyenne Dave Freudenthal, D
The Equality State
STATE NAME U.S. U.S.
NICKNAME SENATORS REPS
ALABAMA 2R 2D
The Heart of Dixie 5R
ALASKA 2R 1R
The Last Frontier
(unofficial)
ARIZONA 2R 2D
The Grand Canyon State 6R
ARKANSAS 2D 3D
The Natural State 1R
CALIFORNIA 2D 33D
The Golden State 19R *
COLORADO 1D 3D
The Centennial State 1R 4R
CONNECTICUT 2D 2D
The Constitution State 3R
DELAWARE 2D 1R
The First State
FLORIDA 1D 7D
The Sunshine State 1R 18R
GEORGIA 2R 6D
a The Empire State of 7R
the South
HAWAII 2D 2D
The Aloha State
IDAHO 2R 2R
The Gem State
ILLINOIS 2D 10D
The Prairie State 9R
INDIANA 1D 2D
The Hoosier State 1R 7R
IOWA 1D ID
The Hawkeye State 1R 4R
KANSAS 2R 1D
The Sunflower State 3R
KENTUCKY 2R 1D
The Bluegrass State 5R
LOUISIANA 1D 2D
The Pelican State 1R 5R
MAINE 2R 2D
The Pine Tree State
MARYLAND
The Old Line State; 2D 6D
The Free State 2R
MASSACHUSETTS 2D 10D
The Bay State
MICHIGAN 2D 6D
The Wolverine State 9R
MINNESOTA 1D 4D
The North Star State 1R 4R
MISSISSIPPI 2R 2D
The Magnolia State 2R
MISSOURI 2R 4D
The Show Me State 5R
MONTANA 1D 1R
The Treasure State 1R
NEBRASKA 1D
The Cornhusker State 1R 3R
NEVADA 1D 1D
The Silver State 1R 2R
NEW HAMPSHIRE 2R 2R
The Granite State
NEW JERSEY 2D 6D *
The Garden State 6R
NEW MEXICO 1D 1D
The Land of Enchantment 1R 2R
NEW YORK 2D 20D
The Empire State 9R
NORTH CAROLINA 2R 6D
The Tar Heel State; 7R
The Old North State
NORTH DAKOTA 2D 1D
The Peace Garden State
OHIO 2R 6D
The Buckeye State 12R
OKLAHOMA 2R 1D
The Sooner State 4R
OREGON 1D 4D
The Beaver State 1R 1R
PENNSYLVANIA 2R 7D
The Keystone State 12R
RHODE ISLAND 1D 2D
The Ocean State 1R
SOUTH CAROLINA 2R 2D
The Palmetto State 4R
SOUTH DAKOTA 1D 1D
The Mount Rushmore State 1R
TENNESSEE 2R 5D
The Volunteer State 4R
TEXAS 2R 11D
The Lone Star State 21R
UTAH 2R 1D
The Beehive State 2R
VERMONT ID 1 Ind. (1)
Green Mountain State 1 Ind. (1)
VIRGINIA 2R 3D
The Old Dominion 8R
WASHINGTON 2D 6D
The Evergreen State 3R
WEST VIRGINIA 2D 2D
The Mountain State 1R
WISCONSIN 2D 4D
The Badger State 4R
WYOMING 2R 1R
The Equality State
Capital District, Territories, and Possessions
NAME ORIGIN OF NAME
DISTRICT OF Honors Christopher
COLUMBIA (D.C.) Columbus
AMERICAN SAMDA Ancient Pacific deity
GUAM Guahan word that means
we have
NORTHERN Honors Maria Ana of Austria, the
MARIANA mother of Spain's King Carlos II
ISLANDS
PUERTO RICO Spanish for rich port
U.S. VIRGIN Named for the Virgins of St. Ursula,
ISLANDS an early religious order
NAME STATUS
DATE ACQUIRED
DISTRICT OF Federal district (3)
COLUMBIA (D.C.) 1800 (4)
AMERICAN SAMDA U.S. territory
1900 (5)
GUAM U.S. territory
1898 (6)
NORTHERN Self-governing
MARIANA commonwealth
ISLANDS 1947 (7)
PUERTO RICO Self-governing
commonwealth
1898 (9)
U.S. VIRGIN U.S. territory
ISLANDS 1917 (11)
NAME LAND AREA (SQ MI)
POPULATION(2)
DISTRICT OF 68
COLUMBIA (D.C.) 553,523
AMERICAN SAMDA 77
57,291
GUAM 209
154,805
NORTHERN 184
MARIANA 69,221
ISLANDS
PUERTO RICO 3,515
3,894,855
U.S. VIRGIN 132
ISLANDS 108,612
NAME CAPITAL
DISTRICT OF Washington
COLUMBIA (D.C.)
AMERICAN SAMDA Pago Pago
GUAM Hagatna
NORTHERN Saipan
MARIANA
ISLANDS
PUERTO RICO San Juan
U.S. VIRGIN Charlotte Amalie,
ISLANDS St. Thomas
NAME HEAD OF GOVERNMENT
DISTRICT OF Mayor
COLUMBIA (D.C.) Anthony A. Williams, D
AMERICAN SAMDA Governor
Togiola Tulafono, D
GUAM Governor
Felix Perez Camacho, R
NORTHERN Governor
MARIANA Begindo R. Fital (C) (8)
ISLANDS
PUERTO RICO Governor
Anibal Acevedo
Vila (POP) (10)
U.S. VIRGIN Governor
ISLANDS Charles W. Turnbull, D
FOOTNOTES: (1) An Independent belongs to no political party.
(2) Population figures: States and Puerto Rico, U.S. Census Bureau,
July 2004 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, 2002. Origin of name, land area: World Book Encyclopedia.
Population: 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.
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