Delaware
State of Delaware
Flag of Delaware
Seal
Nickname(s): The First State, The Small
Wonder, Blue Hen State, The Diamond State
Motto(s): Liberty and Independence
Demonym
Delawarean
Capital
Dover
Largest city
Wilmington
Area
Ranked 49th in the US
- Total
2,490 sq mi
(6,452 km²)
- Width
30 miles (48 km)
- Length
96 miles (154 km)
- % water
21.5
- Latitude
38°27′ N to 39°50′ N
- Longitude
75°3′ W to 75°47′ W
Population
Ranked 45th in the US
- Total
873,092 (2008 est.)[1]
783,600 (2000)
- Density
442.6/sq mi (170.87/
km²)
Ranked 6th in the US
- Median income
$50,152 (12th)
Elevation
- Highest point
near Ebright
Azimuth[2]
447.85[2] ft (136.5 m)
- Mean
59 ft (18 m)
- Lowest point
Atlantic Ocean[3]
0 ft (0 m)
Admission to Union December 7, 1787 (1st)
Governor
Jack A. Markell (D)
Lieutenant
Governor
Matthew P. Denn (D)
U.S. Senators
Thomas R. Carper (D)
Edward Kaufman (D)
U.S. House
delegation
Michael Castle (R)
(list)
Time zone
Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Abbreviations
DE Del. US-DE
Website
delaware.gov
Delaware
/ˈdɛləwɛər/ DEL-ə-wair[4] (offi-
cially The State of Delaware) is a state loc-
ated on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic
region of the United States.[5] The state
takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron
De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virgin-
ia’s first colonial governor, after whom (what
is now called) Cape Henlopen was originally
named.[6]
Delaware is located in the eastern section
of
the
Delmarva
Peninsula,
between
Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay, and is
the second smallest state (after Rhode Is-
land). 2007 estimates place the population of
Delaware ranking 45th in the nation, but 6th
in population density, with more than 60% of
the population in New Castle County[7].
Delaware is divided into three counties: New
Castle, Kent, and Sussex. While the southern
two counties have historically been predom-
inantly agricultural, the northernmost county
has helped lead the state to rank second in
civilian scientists and engineers as a percent-
age of the workforce and number of patents
issued to companies or in