North Carolina ( /?n?r? kær?'la?n?/ (help·info)) is a state
located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United
States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the
south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North
Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and
its largest city is Charlotte.
North Carolina was one of the original English Thirteen
Colonies, and was originally known as Province of Carolina.
Spanish colonial forces were the first to attempt to settle
it, however, when the Juan Pardo Expedition built Fort San
Juan in 1567. This was sited at Joara, a Mississippian
culture regional chiefdom near present-day Morganton in the
western interior of the states. This was 20 years before the
English established their first colony at Roanoke Island in
an attempt to found a settlement in the Americas.
On May 20, 1861, North Carolina was one of the last of the
Confederate states to declare secession from the Union, to
which it was restored on July 4, 1868. The state was the
location of the first successful controlled, powered and
sustained heavier-than-air flight, by the Wright brothers, at
Kill Devil Hills, about 6.4 miles from Kitty Hawk on Dec. 17,
1903. Today, it is a fast-growing state with an increasingly
diverse economy and population. As of July 1, 2009, the
population was estimated to be 9,380,884 (a 16.7% increase
since April 1, 2000). Recognizing eight Native American
tribes, North Carolina has the largest population of Native
Americans of any state east of the Mississippi River.
North Carolina has a wide range of elevations, from sea level
on the coast to 6,684 feet (2,037 m) in the mountains. The
coastal plains are strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean.
Most of the state falls in the humid subtropical zone. More
than 300 miles (500 km) from the coast, the western,
mountainous part of the state has a subtropical highland
climate.
As of 2008 (the most current numbers available), North
Carolina is the fourth-fastest growing state in the United
States and the fastest growing state east of the Mississippi
River.
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Jan Garanoz
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Mumbai - 400049 India
Last updated: June 26, 2010