State Abbreviation - GA
State Capital - Atlanta
Largest City - Atlanta
Area - 59,441 square miles [Georgia is the 24th biggest state in the USA]
Population - 8,186,453 (as of 2000) [Georgia is the tenth most populous state in the USA]
Major Industries - textiles, timber (especially pine), agriculture (cotton, corn, peanuts, soybeans, poultry)

Presidential Birthplace - James Earl Carter, Jr., was born in Plains on October 1, 1924 (he was the 39th US President, serving from 1977 to 1981).

Major Rivers - Chattahoochee River, Savannah River, Suwannee River
Major Lakes - Lake Sidney Lanier, Clark Hill Lake, West Point Lake, Lake Hartwell
Highest Point - Brasstown Bald - 4,784 feet (1,458 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina
Bordering Body of Water - Atlantic Ocean


Origin of the Name Georgia - Georgia was named to honor King George II of England.

State Nickname - Empire State of the South, Peach State
State Motto - "Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation"
State Song - Georgia on My Mind

Georgia State Symbols and Emblems:

State Flag (2003-) Georgia's newest flag was designed in May, 2003; it has three horizontal stripes, red, white, and red, with a blue square in the canton position (the upper left area of the flag). In the blue square is a circle of 13 white, five-pointed stars around the seal of the state of Georgia (pictured in yellow). The Georgia state seal pictures three pillars (symbolizing the three branches of government in the USA: the Legislative, the Executive and the Judicial) under an arch (symbolizing the Constitution), the year 1776 (the date of the Declaration of Independence), and banners reading "CONSTITUTION," "JUSTICE," "WISDOM," and "MODERATION." Under the pillars are the words (in white), "IN GOD WE TRUST."

State Flag (2001-2003) Georgia's previous official flag was adopted in January, 2001. Georgia's controversial flag before that had been based on the Confederate flag, which was a painful reminder of slavery to many people. The 2001 flag was designed as a compromise, picturing the older flag in miniature. The flag has a deep blue field with the state seal in the center, surrounded by 13 white stars (that symbolize the original 13 colonies). The state seal pictures three pillars (symbolizing the three branches of government in the USA: the Legislative, the Executive and the Judicial) under an arch (symbolizing the Constitution), the year 1776 (the date of the Declaration of Independence), and banners reading "CONSTITUTION," "JUSTICE," "WISDOM," and "MODERATION." Under the seal is a yellow banner that states, "GEORGIA'S HISTORY" and shows five flags. The flags are: the original US flag, the pre-1879 Georgia flag, the 1920-1956 Georgia flag, the controversial 1956-2001 Georgia flag, and the current US flag.

Animal Symbols:

State Bird Brown thrasher

State Game Bird Bobwhite

State Marine Mammal Right whale

State Possum Pogo Possum

State Insect Honey bee

State Reptile Gopher tortoise

State Fish Largemouth bass

State Shell Knobbed whelk

Plant Symbols:

State Flower Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata)

State Wildflower Azalea

State Tree Live oak