Georgia | History, Flag, Facts, Maps, & Points of Interest (2024)

state, United States

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Also known as: Peach State

Written by

George Hendricks Professor of Social Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 1962–69. Author of Union Army Occupation of the Southern Seaboard, 1861–1865.

George Hendricks,

Louis De Vorsey Emeritus Professor of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens. Coauthor of A Panorama of Georgia.

Louis De VorseyAll

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Last Updated: Article History

Georgia, constituent state of the United States of America. Ranking fourth among the U.S. states east of the Mississippi River in terms of total area (though first in terms of land area) and by many years the youngest of the 13 former English colonies, Georgia was founded in 1732, at which time its boundaries were even larger—including much of the present-day states of Alabama and Mississippi. Its landscape presents numerous contrasts, with more soil types than any other state as it sweeps from the Appalachian Mountains in the north (on the borders of Tennessee and North Carolina) to the marshes of the Atlantic coast on the southeast and the Okefenokee Swamp (which it shares with Florida) on the south. The Savannah and Chattahoochee rivers form much of Georgia’s eastern and western boundaries with South Carolina and Alabama, respectively. The capital is Atlanta.

Georgia | History, Flag, Facts, Maps, & Points of Interest (5)

Facts & Stats

Capital, Population, Government...

Facts & Stats

flag of Georgia

Seal of Georgia

Georgia: state bird

Georgia: state flower

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Capital:
Atlanta
Population:
(2020) 10,711,908; (2023 est.) 11,029,227
Governor:
Brian Kemp (Republican)
Date Of Admission:
January 2, 17882
U.S. Senators:
Raphael Warnock (Democrat)
Jon Ossoff (Democrat)

Georgia’s early economy was based on the slave-plantation system. One of the first states to secede from the Union in 1861, Georgia strongly supported the Confederate States of America (Confederacy) during the American Civil War. However, it paid a high price in suffering from the devastation accompanying the Union army’s siege of northern Georgia and Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s fiery capture of Atlanta in 1864. Sherman’s subsequent March to the Sea laid waste a broad swath of plantation from Atlanta to Savannah—one of the first examples of total war.

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At the same time that post-Civil War Georgians were romanticizing the old plantation, many were also rapidly forsaking agriculture for industry, even embracing the pro-Northern, pro-industry ideology of Atlanta journalist Henry Grady. Subsequently, the manufacture of cotton and iron grew, but the real spur to Georgia’s postwar growth was the expansion of the rail transportation system, which was centred in Atlanta.

The degree to which some of the wounds of this history have been healed in Georgia is most strikingly exemplified in contemporary Atlanta. This city was home to Martin Luther King, Jr., and, for all practical purposes, it was the headquarters for the civil rights movement. In the 1960s the business community in Atlanta ensured that the kinds of racial conflicts that had damaged the reputation of other Southern cities were not repeated.

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By the early 21st century the state’s prosperity was based mainly in the service sector and largely in and around Atlanta, on account of that city’s superior rail and air connections. Atlanta is home to the state’s major utilities and to banking, food and beverage, and information technology industries and is indeed one of the country’s leading locations for corporate headquarters. Propelled especially by Atlanta’s progressive image and rapid economic and population growth, Georgia had by the late 20th century already pulled ahead of other states of the Deep South in terms of overall prosperity and convergence with national socioeconomic norms. The state continues to be a leader in the southern region. Area 59,425 square miles (153,911 square km). Population (2020) 10,711,908; (2023 est.) 11,029,227.

Land

Relief

The southernmost portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains cover northeastern and north-central Georgia. In the northwest a limestone valley-and-ridge area predominates above Rome and the Coosa River. The higher elevations extend southward about 75 miles (120 km), with peaks such as Kennesaw and Stone mountains rising from the floor of the upper Piedmont. The highest point in the state, Brasstown Bald in the Blue Ridge, reaches to an elevation of 4,784 feet (1,458 metres) above sea level. Below the mountains the Piedmont extends to the fall line of the rivers—the east-to-west line of Augusta, Milledgeville, Macon, and Columbus. Along the fall region, which is nearly 100 miles (160 km) wide, sandy hills form a narrow, irregular belt. Below these hills the rolling terrain of the coastal plain levels out to the flatlands near the coast—the pine barrens of the early days—much of which are now cultivated.

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Drainage

About half the streams of the state flow into the Atlantic Ocean, and most of the others travel through Alabama and Florida into the Gulf of Mexico. A few streams in northern Georgia flow into the Tennessee River and then via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers into the gulf. The river basins have not contributed significantly to the regional divisions, which have been defined more by elevations and soils. The inland waters of Georgia consist of some two dozen artificial lakes, about 70,000 small ponds created largely by the federal Soil Conservation Service, and natural lakes in the southwest near Florida. The larger lakes have fostered widespread water recreation.

Because of the region’s bedrock foundation, Piedmont communities and industries must rely on surface runoff for their primary water supply. The coastal plain, underlain by alternating layers of sand, clay, and limestone, draws much of its needed water from underground aquifers. The increasing domestic and industrial use of underground water supplies in Savannah, St. Marys, and Brunswick threatens to allow brackish water to invade the aquifers serving these coastal cities.

Soils

From the coast to the fall line, sand and sandy loam predominate, gray near the coast and increasingly red with higher elevations. In the Piedmont and Appalachian regions these traits continue, with an increasing amount of clay in the soils. Land in northern Georgia is referred to as “red land” or “gray land.” In the limestone valleys and uplands in the northwest, the soils are of loam, silt, and clay and may be brown as well as gray or red.

Georgia | History, Flag, Facts, Maps, & Points of Interest (2024)

FAQs

What are the facts about the Georgia state flag? ›

The ring of stars that encompass the state's coat of arms represents Georgia as one of the original Thirteen Colonies. In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the state's constitution while the pillars represent the three branches of government.

What are some history facts about Georgia? ›

HISTORY. The first people arrived in what is now Georgia at least 13,000 years ago. By 1,000 B.C. Native American tribes including the Apalachee, Cherokee, and Choctaw lived here. In 1733 Georgia was established as the 13th colony, and in 1788 it became the fourth U.S. state.

What do the symbols on the Georgia flag mean? ›

Flag of Georgia itself represents a white cloth with five red crosses, one central (St. George) and four equilateral (Bolnisski) crosses in the four quadrants. Rectangular and four small cross on a white background are the general Christian symbols that embody Jesus Christ the Savior and the four evangelists.

How many flags did Georgia have? ›

Georgia holds the record of having had the most flags (eight different iterations). The flag has created controversy for the state. The 1956 version featured the Confederate battle flag, adopted soon after Brown v. Board of Education ruled segregation unconstitutional.

What are 3 facts about the state flag? ›

4 Interesting Facts About Our State Flags
  • Most State Flags Use the State's Seal. If you look closely at state flags, you'll notice that many of them include the state seal. ...
  • Ohio Has a Non-Rectangular Flag. ...
  • Red, White, and Blue Are the Most Popular Colors. ...
  • Oregon's Flag Is Two-Sided.
Jan 9, 2023

What is the history of the Georgian flag? ›

The national flag, designed by Jakob Nikoladze, had been first hoisted on March 25, 1917, and it continued to be displayed until Soviet forces crushed Georgian independence in 1921. The flag was cherry red with a canton of black and white stripes.

What was Georgia like 10,000 years ago? ›

The Early Archaic Period in Georgia and elsewhere in the eastern United States was approximately 10,000 to 8,000 years ago. At that time most of Georgia was covered with oak-hickory hardwood forests. Large Pleistocene animals such as bison, horses, mastodons, mammoths, and camels had become extinct.

What are 3 interesting facts about Georgia colony? ›

What are three facts about the Georgia Colony? Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe. It repelled a Spanish invasion in the War of Jenkins' Ear. Afterward, it legalized slavery and became a cash crop economy.

Why does the Georgia flag have 13 stars? ›

The state coat of arms (from the seal) and the motto “In God we trust” below it are in yellow within the canton, and these are surrounded by a circle of 13 white stars, symbolizing Georgia's position as one of the 13 original U.S. states.

What are the 4 crosses on the Georgia flag? ›

The Georgian national flag is a white rectangle, with a large red cross in its central portion touching all four sides of the flag. In the four corners there are four bolnur-katskhuri crosses (also referred to as a Georgian Cross or a Grapevine cross) of the same color as the large cross.

Why was the Georgia flag changed in 1956? ›

Georgia's General Assembly ratified the addition of the Confederate Battle Flag to the state flag in 1956 as a backlash to the Brown v. Board of Education decisions, which federally imposed integration of public schools.

Did Georgia have Six Flags? ›

Thrill rides, live concerts, and amazing stunts—practically in your own back yard. Six Flags Over Georgia has it all, and we're conveniently located on Interstate 20, just west of Atlanta. Our physical location is 275 Riverside Parkway, SW, Austell, Georgia 30168.

How did Georgia get its name? ›

GEORGIA.: Named by and for King George II of England. The colony bore this name in the charter granted by the king to General James Oglethorpe, colonial administrator, in 1732.

What was the second flag of Georgia? ›

The 1956 flag: The Georgia state flag was changed Feb. 13, 1956, incorporating a Confederate battle emblem into the design, as a response to the Supreme Court rulings on desegregating schools.

What are the three principles of the Georgia state flag? ›

“I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag and to the principles for which it stands: Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.” On the banner encircling the three pillars are the words “Wisdom,” “Justice,” and “Moderation”—with each word associated with one pillar.

Why does the Georgia flag look like England? ›

It's not the Union Jack, but the flag of England that is similar to the Georgian flag. Both have St Goerge's cross as a symbol. Not the British flag, made up of the national flags of England, Scotland and Wales, but just the English national flag — the flag of St George, who is England's patron saint.

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