ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Georgia The Empire State of the South CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
4 GEORGIA INTRODUCTION Georgia is known as the Empire State of the South This nickname refers to Georgia’s role as the center of agricultural and industrial development in the South The state was once the cotton capital of the nation and cotton production is still one of its main industries In Georgia’s early days plantation owners were known for their wealth and their fine Southern manners Early Georgians were proud and friendly people a tradition that continues today Georgia’s landscape is a dramatic combination of swamplands beaches mountains and plains Built for the 1996 Olympic Games Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park features a water fountain shaped like the five Olympic rings The state is decorated with moss-covered trees colorful magnolias and majestic pines In fact the expression tall as a Georgia pine came from the state’s giant pine trees The Reynolds Mansion like many other plantation homes in Georgia is rich in Southern history Built between 1807 and 1810 it represents the success of the slavery-driven sugarcane and cotton industries Georgia’s state flower the Cherokee rose has a legend attached to it Cherokee mothers wept when settlers forced them off their land The legend claims that a rose grew wherever their tears had fallen The design of Georgia’s state flag has changed repeatedly over time The current flag is based on the first flag of the Confederate states during the Civil War with the addition of the state coat of arms The design was adopted on May 8 2003 The right whale is Georgia’s state marine mammal This endangered creature can grow up to 60 feet in length and is the only great whale that is native to Georgia’s coastal waters
INTRODUCTION 5 Georgia is located in the Deep South of the United States The southeastern corner of the state skims the Atlantic Ocean with several islands located just offshore Georgia is bordered by Florida to the south Alabama to the west Tennessee and North Carolina to the north and South Carolina to the east Georgia is home to more than 100 commercial airports with the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport serving as the state’s main hub The Atlanta airport ranks among the busiest in the country and in the entire world Georgia also has many roads railroads and highways that allow easy access to this charming state On average more than 2,400 flights depart and arrive daily at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Georgia Location Map The Savannah River forms Georgia’s eastern boundary with South Carolina The Chattahoochee River forms part of the state’s western boundary with Alabama As a result of its large peanut industry Georgia has earned the nickname the Goober State In Georgia goober is another word for peanut Georgia’s state wildflower is the azalea This colorful flower can be found across the state Capital Atlanta Interstate highways Scale 0 0 30 48 60 97 Mi Km Population 8,186,453 Size 58,977 square miles Highest peak Brasstown Bald 4,784 feet
