ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA South Carolina The Palmetto State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
INTRODUCTION Smiling Faces Beautiful Places is the motto on license plates in South Carolina and a state so rich in history and culture gives residents much to smile about As one of the original 13 colonies that formed the United States South Carolina has a long fascinating history South Carolina also is the location of many beautiful places A part of the Deep South the state has a varied landscape and a warm climate Its mountains and seashore attract many tourists In fact Myrtle Beach is one of the nation’s top vacation spots drawing millions of visitors annually One of South Carolina’s most visited historical attractions is Charleston’s Magnolia Plantation and Its Gardens It was founded more than 325 years ago Within its grounds are a tropical garden waterfowl refuge and wildlife preserve 4 SOUTH CAROLINA The popular Grand Strand is a 60-mile stretch of white-sand beach that runs along the South Carolina coast from Little River to Georgetown South Carolina is called the Palmetto State named for the distinctive tree that grows along the state’s coast The state flag is based on one created in 1775 during the American Revolution by Colonel William Moultrie for his troops His flag featured a crescent which represented the silver emblems on the soldiers caps Later a palmetto tree was added to the center of the flag to represent the brave defense of the palmetto-log fort on Sullivan’s Island by Moultrie and his troops
INTRODUCTION 5 The state of South Carolina is shaped roughly like a triangle It is bordered by North Carolina to the north and northeast Georgia to the west and southwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the east and southeast Visitors can get to the state in a variety of ways but air travel is often the fastest mode of transportation South Carolina has four major airports the Charleston International Greenville Spartanburg International Columbia Metropolitan and Myrtle Beach International airports For automobile travelers South Carolina has about 64,000 miles of roads two thirds of which are maintained by the state There are limited options for mass transit Railroads provide freight service and also allow for passenger trains South Carolina Location Map Myrtle Beach International Airport is one of the state’s four main air hubs South Carolina is in the Eastern time zone The state observes daylight saving time from April to October The state motto Dum Spiro Spero means While I Breathe I Hope in Latin The Columbia Metropolitan Airport is the state’s largest airport covering some 2,600 acres South Carolina is one of the largest producers of peaches in the country Capital Columbia Interstate highways Population 4,012,012 Size 31,117 square miles 0 0 25 40 50 80 Mi Km Scale Highest peak Sassafras Mountain 3,560 feet
