This article will be of interest to those who want to learn more about life in the United States. The United States is the largest state with a powerful economy. But it is a community of smaller regions, each of which has its own laws, tax policies, etc. Our article focuses on only one such region called Delaware. This staff is very interesting. Its area of five thousand square kilometers is slightly larger than Rhode Island. For this indicator, Delaware is the second smallest state in the United States. But very often it is called the very first. Why? Like Kiev, from which the Russian land came, so Delaware played a key role in the formation of American statehood. There are many more interesting facts about this state, and we will give them below.
Where is Delaware located?
It occupies the small peninsula of Delmarv, protruding into the Atlantic Ocean. Its width is from fourteen to fifty-six kilometers with a length of 155 km. The penultimate largest state (in front of Rhode Island) is limited from the west and south by Maryland, from the east by New Jersey, and from the north by Pennsylvania. With the latter, Delaware has a very interesting border. It is a perfect arc. If you isolate the center of this circle, then it is located right in the building of the New Castle City Court. This border is called the Twelve Mile Arc. As for the population, Delaware is a state in which a little less than a million people live permanently. However, in terms of density, it ranks sixth in the United States. From south to north, the state is divided into three counties: Sussex, Kent and New Castle. Delaware received its name not from its surname, and not from the tribe of Indians who lived here, but from the title. The first governor of the land was Thomas West, the Third Baron de la Warr.
History of colonization
Before the Europeans arrived, these lands belonged to the Algonka sedentary Lenape tribes and Nantikoks. The first settlers were the Dutch, who founded in 1631 Fort Svanendal ("Swan Valley") on the spot where the city of Louis is now located. Thus, Delaware is one of the first states in the country inhabited by Europeans. But a year later, all the colonists died at the hands of warlike Indians. In 1638, the Swedes founded the trading post Christina, from which the city of Wilmington later developed. And in 1651, the Dutch built Fort Casimir, which has now turned into the city of New Castle. Sweden and the Netherlands argued for a long time over this territory and even fought among themselves. The Dutch won, but did not celebrate their triumph for long. In 1664, the British, without declaring war, occupied the province of New Netherlands.
History in the United States
Delaware is the state that was one of the first to ratify the Constitution (in 1787). He was one of the thirteen colonies that rebelled against Britain. When the war for independence from England began in 1776, the three counties became known as the "Delaware State." Another interesting fact. During the Civil War, Delaware sided with the North, although it was a state in which slavery was legal. And when Abraham Lincoln issued the Proclamation of Release, this territory, as a result of a referendum, spoke out against the 13th amendment to the US Constitution. Of course, this did not have a practical result. But legally, Delaware ratified the anti-slavery clause only in 1901, forty years after the Lincoln Proclamation.
Geography and climate
This is the lowest state in the country. Its highest point is a hill in the foothills of the Appalachians (136 meters above sea level). Delaware is located on the Atlantic lowland. The climate here is mild, since the mountains of Pennsylvania shelter the plain territory from the cold winds from the north. The best time to visit Delaware is summer. Indeed, in addition to the hot subtropical summer, tourists receive a bonus - an extended coastline with wonderful beaches - South Bethany, Dewey Beach, Lewis, Rehoboth. However, the Atlantic Ocean has a huge impact on climate. In this regard, Dover is the administrative center of Delaware, and other cities have different weather indicators. Far from the coast, the climate is not subtropical, but continental, with cold (up to -20 degrees) in winter and hot (up to +40 degrees) in summer. Near the Atlantic, seasonal fluctuations are not so sharp.
Delaware Cities
Given the small size of the state’s population, there is no reason to expect to meet major cities in it. But there are still large cities in it. These are Wilmington, New Castle, Georgetown, Smyrna, Milford, Middletown, Seaford, Ellesmere and Newark. The capital of Delaware, Dover, is by no means the largest city. Its population is only thirty two thousand people. But the largest city in the state - Wilmington - has only seventy thousand inhabitants. Delaware will appeal to lovers of a quiet provincial life. It is here that you can see "one-story America": no crime, most citizens know each other by sight, small shops, cozy cafes ... Looking at the map of the state of Delaware, you can see the town of Odessa in the north. It was named after the Ukrainian city on the Black Sea.
Dover and Wilmington
The state capital is a small and quiet town. He literally grew up around the district court building. There are many historical buildings in this city. And also near Dover is one of the largest US air bases. It is interesting in that, in addition to its direct purpose, it is used as a temporary morgue for Americans who died abroad. The economic and cultural center of Delaware is the city of Wilmington. It also has no shortage of historical buildings. Tourists are attracted by the estate of Dupont (the founder of a chemical concern), the Art Museum, and Copland Sculpture Park. Along the Kristin River, several quarters built by the first Swedish settlers, with Scandinavian flavor, have survived. In this city is located one of the oldest churches in the country - Holi Trinity (Holy Trinity). It was erected in 1698 and, most interestingly, is still operating. The Hagley Museum is located in the northern suburbs of Wilmington. Its exposition tells about the life of workers hired by Dupont in the nineteenth century.
Delaware Attractions
Each town in this administrative unit of the United States is fraught with its own flavor. Newark is famous for its state university and figure skating school. Milford - museums and old buildings. Also in Delaware is the world's second longest double-span suspension bridge. Fans of beach vacations should visit the resort towns of the Rehoboth Riviera (Bethany, Dewey Beach, Fenwick Island and Lewis) in late August, when there is a jazz funeral marking the end of the summer season. Delaware is also famous for cockfights. Tourists from different parts of the USA come to see these gambling competitions. For this, Delaware is also called the “Blue Rooster State.”