Facts At A Glance

General Information on the State of Virginia

Statehood: June 25,1788, tenth state

Origin of Name: Named for Queen Elizabeth of England, known as the"Virgin Queen"

State Capital: Richmond, established in 1742

State Nickname: The Old Dominion

State Motto: Sic Semper Tyrannis (Thus Always to Tyrants)

State Flag: A white circle on a blue field with a white border contains the state seal.The sealdepicts a woman dressed as awarrior, representing Virtue,standing over a conquered body that repesents Tyranny. The state motto appears below the figures.

State Bird: Cardinal

State Animal: Foxhound

State Flower: Flowering dogwood

State Tree: Flowering dogwood

State Population Information

Population: 6,551,522 (1994) fourteenth among the states(1980 census)

Population Density:161.0 people per. sq. mi. (51 people per.km)

Population Distribution:About 71 percent of Virginia's people live in metropolitan areas. THe following list shows the state's largest cities:

Norfolk .....................261,250
Virgina Beach................393,089
Richmond.................... 202,798
Newport News........ ....... 171,439
Hampton....................  133,811
Chesapeake...................151,982
Portsmouth...................103,910
Alexandria...................111,182
Roanoke...................... 96,509

Geography

Borders: Virinia's border is very irregular in shape. It is bounded on the east by Cheaspeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean;on the south side by North Carolina and Tennesee.

Highest Point: Mount Rogers, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, 5,729 ft. (1,746 m)

Lowest Point: Sea level, along the coast

Greatest Distances:

Area: 40,767 sq. mi. (105,587 km); includes 1,063 sq. mi. (2,753 km) of inland water

Rank in Area Among the States: Thirty-sixth

This pages was completed by Ashley V. in Mrs. Corbett's Fifth Grade Class.
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