Virginia State Facts, Symbols and History

Virginia Fast Facts

Capital: Richmond (popularity). 200.123 (2008 est.)

Virginia population: 8,185,867 ( 2012 est.) (12th)

Virginia Quarter The Virginia quarter, 10th in the series and the last quarter to be released in the 2000 series, honors Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the United States.The Virginia Quarter commemorates the three ships, the Susan Constant, God Help and Know, which brought the first English settlers to Jamestown in 1607.

Language: English, others

Largest Cities: (by population) Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Richmond, Newport News, Alexandria

Name: Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I of England (The Virgin Queen)

Statehood: June 25, 1788 (10th state)

Symbols of Virginia

• Bird: cardinal
• Dog: American English Paraty Hound
• Fish: char
• Flag of Virginia
• Flower: American dogwood
• Motto: “So Semper Tyrannis” (Thus always to tyrants)
• Nickname: old dominion; mother of presidents
• Song: “Bring Me to Old Virginny”
• State seal
• Tree: Florida dogwood

Virginia (Virginia, in the Russian historical tradition there is also a variant of Virginia) is a state in the eastern United States, one of the so-called South Atlantic states. 10th state within the state. Population – 7.2 million people (12th place in the USA, data of 2000). The capital is Richmond, the largest city is Virginia Beach, other large cities are Alexandria, Lynchburg, Norfolk, Newport News, Portsmouth, Hampton, Chesapeake. See cities and towns in Virginia.

The full official name of the state is the Commonwealth of Virginia. The official nickname is “Old Dominion” (Old Dominion), as well as “Mother of Presidents”. The official motto is Sic semper tyrannis (“Thus always with tyrants”).

The area of Virginia is 110.86 thousand km (35th in the USA). In the east, the state is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean; to the south it borders the states of North Carolina and Tennessee ; in the northeast – with the state of Maryland, in the northwest – with the state of West Virginia, in the west – with Kentucky. The Delmarva Peninsula in eastern Virginia is separated from the mainland by the Chesapeake Bay.

The eastern part of the state is heavily swamped. The western part is located on the threshold of the Appalachian Mountains, the system of which includes the Cumberland Plateau and the Blue Ridge. The most significant rivers of the state are the Potomac, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Roanoke. More than 60% of the state is covered by forests. The climate is temperate, humid, with hot summers and mild winters.

• AbbreviationFinder: Demonstrates how the two-letter acronym of VA stands for Virginia and a list of frequently used abbreviations related to the state of Virginia.

Traditionally, the Indian tribes Cherokee, Chicahomini, Meherrins, Monks, Pamunks, etc. lived on the territory of present-day Virginia. They belonged to three large ethnic groups, the largest of which was the Algonquian, the other two – the Iroquois and the Sioux.

At the end of the 16th century (1587), when England began to colonize North America, the province was named Virginia (“Virgin”) in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, who never married. At the beginning of the 17th century, the London Virginia Company was established here, which financed Jamestown (the original capital of the province) and other English settlements.

In 1780, during the Revolutionary War, the capital was moved to Richmond. On June 25, 1788, Virginia became the tenth and largest of the original thirteen states of the United States. After the war, Virginia was for a long time the main political center of the country: it was from here that the authors of the constitution, as well as eight presidents and other prominent politicians, came from.

Started in the 1840s industrial development was frozen by the Civil War, but gained momentum again in the 20th century. In April 1861, Virginia officially joined the Confederacy. In 1863, the western part (now the state of West Virginia) separated from it. During the war, Virginia became the main arena of battles – the battles of Bull Run, Petersburg, Fredericksburg and others took place here. On April 9, 1865, in the village of Appomatox, General Robert E. Lee signed the act of surrender.

During the post-war Reconstruction, Virginia was officially re-admitted to the United States in 1870.

In 1967, for the first time since 1891, a black citizen was elected to the state legislature, and in 1969, for the first time since the end of the Civil War, the state was headed by a Republican governor. In 1989, for the first time in US history, an African-American, Lawrence Wilder, was elected to the post of governor of a state.

The most important types of minerals are coal, stone, sand, which are mined mainly in the Appalachian region; there are small reserves of oil and gas. The public sector is the leading source of income for Virginians, with many of the state’s residents employed by federal agencies in Washington or affiliated with the military. The state has large military and naval bases.

The main role in the economy of the state is played by the tobacco, chemical, rubber, food and engineering industries. Woodworking and furniture production, as well as tourism and the service sector are developed.

The main agricultural crops of the state are tobacco, corn, soybeans, apples. More than half of the value of marketable agricultural products is accounted for by animal husbandry, primarily the breeding of cattle and sheep. Poultry farming is developed (Rockingham County is one of the main US centers for the production of turkey meat), fishing and sea products (herring, crabs, oysters).

There is a powerful transport infrastructure, including a network of highways and railways. Hampton Roads is one of the main ports in the country. The state has airports serving the city of Washington (Dulles Airport and National Airport).

There are more than fifty universities and colleges in the state.