South Carolina State Information
State of the US, bordered by North Carolina, the Atlantic Ocean, and Georgia
Admitted to the Union: May 23, 1788 - the 8th State
 Population (2000): 4,012.112, a 15.1% increase since the 1990 census
Capital: and largest city, Columbia
Counties: 46 Horry the largest land mass
Area: 31,055 sq miles
Coastline: 187 miles of coastline
Highest Point Sassafras Mountain: 3,560 feet above sea level
Lowest Point: Sea level on the coastline
Motto: Dum Spiro Spero (While I breathe, I hope)
The State Musical: The Spiritual
The State Amphibian: Spotted Salamander
Longest River: Savannah River - 238 miles
Highest Waterfall: Raven Cliff Falls - 400 feet
Oldest College: College of Charleston, est. 1770
Governor: Mark Sanford (R)
State Bird: Carolina Wren
State Flower: Carolina Jasmine
State Tree: Palmetto Palm
State forests: 4
State Parks: 47 80,000+ acres
State Nickname: The Palmetto State
State Song: Carolina & SC on my Mind
State Fish: Striped Bass
State Reptile: Loggerhead Turtle
Largest Counties by Area: 1) Horry County 1,133 square miles 2) Orangeburg County 1,105 square miles 3) Berkely County 1,099 square miles
Largest South Carolina Cities by Population (2000 census): 1) Columbia 116,278 2) Charleston 96,650 3) North Charleston 79,641 4) Greenville 56,002 5) Rock Hill 49,765
Coastline: 187 miles
Top Agricultural Crops: Tobacco; Cotton; Soy beans
Annual Visitation (2002): 30 million visitors
Visitor Spending (2002): $7,3 billion
Present Constitution Adopted: 1895
Nickname: Palmetto State
Origin of State Name: In honor of King Charles I
Area Codes: 803,843,864
State Flag:
Col. William Moultrie, who designed South Carolina's flag in the fall of 1775, chose a blue which matched the color of the uniforms of the SC troops and a crescent imitating the silver emblem worn on the front of their caps. The palmetto tree was added later to represent Moultrie's heroic defense of the palmetto-log fort on Sullivan's Island against the attack of the British fleet on June 28, 1776.
Geography
South Carolina has three major rivers that flow in a southeastern direction to the Atlantic ocean. The names of the rivers are as follows; the Santee River, the Great Pee Dee River and the Savannah River. The three largest lakes in the state are man-made and were created to generate electricity. Lake Marion is the largest at 110,600 acres, Lake Moultrie measures 60,400 acres and Lake Murray is 50,000 acres. South Carolina has a coastline of about 187 miles, but if you consider all of the bays, inlets and islands the coastline is 2,876 miles.
 South Carolina is roughly triangular in shape. The Long, even coast lined with beautiful sand beaches on the “Grand Strand” north of Georgetown becomes generally marshy to the south and is sliced by a network of rivers and creeks, creating a maze of inlets and the famous Sea Islands. The coastal climate is humid subtropical, with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.
 In this area are found cypress swamps, moss-hung oaks, beautiful flowering gardens, antebellum plantations, and the historic seaports of Georgetown, Beaufort, and Charleston, the latter a major tourist attraction and one of the chief ports of entry in the Southeast.
Vacationers are attracted to Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, to the Sea Island resorts, and to Charleston's stately homes and gardens. The state's historical places of interest include Fort Sumter National Monument, Kings Mountain National Military Park, and Cowpens National Battlefield. Columbia is the capital and the largest city; Charleston and Greenville are other major cities.
In agriculture, tobacco and soybeans now rival cotton as South Carolina's chief crops. Broiler chickens and cattle are economically important, and peanuts, pecans, sweet potatoes, and peaches are also grown in abundance.
Fishing is a major commercial enterprise; the chief catches are blue crabs and shrimp. Military bases and nuclear facilities are important to the economy, and the tourist industry today ranks as the state's chief source of income.
The Official South Carolina State Website: http://www.sc.gov/
Myrtle Beach Area General Facts: http://www.discoversouthcarolina.com/scfacts/fastfacts.asp
History of South Carolina
One of the thirteen original colonies, South Carolina has a rich history. Spanish and French explorers arrived in the 16th century; the land was inhabited by many small tribes of Native Americans.
  The largest of which were the Cherokees and the Catawbas. The first European attempts at settlement failed, but in 1670 a permanent English settlement was established on the coast near present day Charleston.
How South Carolina Got Its Name This area was called Carolus in the 1620’s in honor of King Charles I. The name is a derivative of the Latin word for Charles. His son King Charles II, renamed the area Carolina in 1663. The land was then given to eight Lords Proprietors, the northern half of the land was called North Carolina and the southern area was called South Carolina. In the early 1700’s the single colony of Carolina became two separate colonies.
Settlers from the British Isles, France, and other parts of Europe built plantations throughout the coastal Lowcountry, growing profitable crops of rice and indigo. African slaves were brought into the colony in large numbers to provide labor for the plantations, and by 1720 they formed the majority of the population.
In 1740 Slave Codes were posted which forbid slave travel without written permission.
 Charleston, a port city became an important center of commerce and culture. The interior was slowly settled by small farmers and traders, who pushed the dwindling tribes of Native Americans to the west. On May 23, 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state to enter the union.
 By the time of the American Revolution, South Carolina was one of the richest colonies in America. Its merchants and planters formed a strong governing class, contributing many leaders to the fight for independence. More Revolutionary War battles were fought in SC than any other state.
 With the invention of the cotton gin, cotton became a major crop and the following years the state grew and prospered. Columbia, the capital city was founded in the center of the state, reducing somewhat the political power of the lowcoutry.
In the 1820’s South Carolinian John C. Calhoun developed the theory of nullification, by which a state could reject any federal law it considered to be a violation of its rights.
By 1860 tensions between the state and the federal government reached its peak. Unhappy over restrictions on free trade and the abolition of slavery, SC seceded from the union on December 20, 1860, the first of the Southern states to do so. April 12, 1861, the nation plugged into the Civil War when the confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.
 The Civil War was devastating for South Carolina. The state lost nearly one fifth of the white male population, and its economy was shattered. The final blow came in early 1865 when General William T. Sherman marched his troops through South Carolina, burning plantations and most of the city of Columbia.
The former white leaders were without money or political power, while the large population of freed slaves sought to improve their  economic and political positions. In 1877 the federal troops had withdrawn and the white conservatives led by Governor Wade Hampton were able to take control of state government once again. The economy continued to suffer in the years that followed. The plantation system wealth was dead.
The economy started to recover by the beginning of the 20th century. The manufacturers moved into the state and the textile industry began to develop, providing jobs and economic stability. In recent years tourism has become a major industry, as travelers discovered the state’s beaches and mountains. The civil rights movement of the 1960’s brought a relatively peaceful end to segregation and legal discrimination.
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