DELAWAREVanessa Zimmerman

DATE IT BECAME A STATE December 7th, 1787

NICKNAME “The First State” Delaware was the first of the thirteen

original colonies to ratify the US Constitution.

Other Nicknames given… “The Diamond State” “Blue Hen State” “Small Wonder”

MOTTO “Liberty and Independence”

STATE FLOWERo Peach Blossom

o Became Delaware's flower on May 9th, 1895.o Over 800,000 peach trees

STATE BIRD Blue Hen Chicken Adopted as the official state bird on April 14,

1939 Soldiers put their blue hens in cockfights

during the revolutionary war & when they fought so valiantly, the soldiers were compared to the blue hen.

STATE ANIMAL Horseshoe Crab Adopted on June 25th, 2002 Delaware Bay is home to the most

horseshoe crabs in the world.

STATE COLOR Colonial Blue & Buff First used in the state flag The shades of buff and colonial blue

represent those of the uniform of General George Washington.

STATE SEAL

STATE TREE American Holly

STATE SONG Our Delaware by George B. Hynson and Will M. S.

Brown

STATE FLAG Used the state colors Adopted July 24th, 1913 Used the date that Delaware became

the first state to ratify the Constitution and the first state of a new nation.

STATE JEWEL OR MINERAL Sillimanite Found in the Hoopes Reservoir &

Brandywine Spring Areas Adopted in 1977

STATE COIN

CLIMATE Temperate & humid Hot and humid summers

August is the wettest month Dry, but cold winters receiving snow Southern Delaware is more mild than

the North.

FAMOUS PERSON Valerie Bertinelli

Actress from Wilmington

Sugar Ray LeonardOlympic boxing champion who won 5 gold

medalsFrom Wilmington

LOCATION OF THE STATE Northeast United States

CAPITAL Dover

Second largest state in Delaware

FOOD OR CROPS PRODUCED Crops produced in Delaware:

Wheat Barley Corn Oats &GrainsSorghum

GOVERNOR OF THE STATE Jack Markell

SPORTS TEAMS Delaware Blue Hens Dover Downs

HIGHEST & LOWEST ELEVATION Highest point- Ebright Road at

Delaware-Pennsylvania line 450 feet above sea level

Lowest point- where Delaware’s shore meets the Atlantic Ocean

Sea level

AVERAGE INCOME $32,166 per year Ranked 13th in the U.S.

POPULATION 843,524 people in 2005

NATURAL RESOURCES Fertile soil Mineral deposits

REFERENCES http://portal.delaware.gov/delfacts/gov.s

html http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/

states/delaware/ http://www.thingstodo.com/states/DE/fa

mous_people.htm http://www.50states.com/flower/delawar

e.htm http://governor.delaware.gov/ http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Delawa

re/DelawareStateColors.html