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Virginia

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Virginia
State
Commonwealth of Virginia
Navy blue flag with the circular Seal of Virginia centered on it.
Flag
A circular seal with the words "Virginia" on the top and "Sic Semper Tyrannis" on the bottom. In the center, a woman wearing a blue toga and Athenian helmet stands on the chest of dead man wearing a purple breastplate and skirt. The woman holds a spear and sheathed sword. The man holds a broken chain while his crown lies away from the figures. Orange leaves encircle the seal.
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents
Motto(s): 
Sic semper tyrannis
(English: Thus Always to Tyrants)
Anthem: "Our Great Virginia"
Virginia is located on the Atlantic coast along the line that divides the northern and southern halves of the United States. It runs mostly east to west. It includes a small peninsula across a bay which is discontinuous with the rest of the state.
Map of the United States with Virginia highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodColony of Virginia
Admitted to the UnionJune 25, 1788 (10th)
CapitalRichmond
Largest cityVirginia Beach
Largest county or equivalentFairfax County
Largest metro and urban areasWashington-Arlington-Alexandria
Government
 • GovernorGlenn Youngkin (R)
 • Lieutenant GovernorWinsome Sears (R)
LegislatureGeneral Assembly
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseHouse of Delegates
U.S. senators
U.S. House delegation
  • 7 Democrats
  • 4 Republicans
(list)
Area
 • Total42,774.2 sq mi (110,785.67 km2)
 • Rank35th
Dimensions
 • Length430 mi (690 km)
 • Width200 mi (320 km)
Elevation
950 ft (290 m)
Highest elevation
(Mount Rogers)
5,729 ft (1,746 m)
Lowest elevation
(Atlantic Ocean)
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total8,535,519
 • Rank12th
 • Density206.7/sq mi (79.8/km2)
  • Rank14th
 • Median household income
$71,535[1]
 • Income rank
10th
DemonymVirginian
Language
 • Official languageEnglish
 • Spoken language
  • English 86%
  • Spanish 6%
  • Other 8%
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation
VA
ISO 3166 codeUS-VA
Traditional abbreviationVa.
Latitude36° 32′ N to 39° 28′ N
Longitude75° 15′ W to 83° 41′ W
Websitewww.virginia.gov
Virginia state symbols
Flag of Virginia
Living insignia
BirdCardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
ButterflyTiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus)
Dog breedAmerican Foxhound (Canis lupis familiaris)
FishBrook trout, striped bass
FlowerFlowering Dogwood
InsectTiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus)
TreeFlowering Dogwood
Inanimate insignia
BeverageMilk
DanceSquare dance
FossilChesapecten jeffersonius
RockNelsonite
ShellEastern oyster
SloganVirginia is for lovers
TartanVirginia Quadcentennial Tartan
State route marker
Virginia state route marker
State quarter
Virginia quarter dollar coin
Released in 2000
Lists of United States state symbols

Virginia is a place in the United States. Its capital is Richmond and its largest city is Virginia Beach. The official name of Virginia is the Commonwealth of Virginia. About 8.6 million people lived there in 2020.

Geography

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Virginia is bordered (touching) by West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia (across the Potomac River) to the north, by the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, by North Carolina and Tennessee to the south, and by Kentucky and West Virginia to the west.

History

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Native Americans were the first people to settle in Virginia.

Virginia became a state in 1788 after the American Revolution. Before it became a state of the United States, Virginia was one of the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain. Virginia was founded (started) in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia.

The state of West Virginia was part of Virginia until the American Civil War. Virginia then left (seceded from) the United States and joined the Confederate States of America. The western counties of Virginia seceded from Virginia to form a new state which was loyal to the Union. After the end of the Civil War, Virginia became part of the United States again in 1870, but the counties that had left to start West Virginia did not join Virginia again.

Virginia is the state where eight United States presidents were born. This is more than any other state.

The first African-American slaves were sent to Virginia.

Economy

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Virginia has many industries like local and national government, military, farming, technology and business.[2][3] Many Virginians work for the government because it is next to Washington, D.C.. The Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, as well as the National Science Foundation are in Northern Virginia. Farming is the largest industry in the state, making 334,000 jobs.[2] Tomatoes, peanuts, tobacco, and hay are grown in Virginia. Technology is a fast growing industry. Virginia is 4th in technology workers after California, Texas, and New York.[4]

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References

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  1. ↑ "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Articles, facts & infographics about Virginia Agriculture". Farm Flavor. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  3. ↑ "Key Industries | Virginia Economic Development Partnership". www.vedp.org. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  4. ↑ "Virginia loses tech jobs but maintains highest concentration in U.S. - Washington Post". 2013-01-17. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2019-03-29.

Other websites

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia.


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