Georgia State Map

Georgia

Georgia is in the Southeastern United States. It lies north of Florida and is also on the Atlantic Coast.
Date first discovered by Europeans: Juan Ponce de León might have explored a part of the coastline in the same expedition that he discovered Florida in 1513. Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón possibly built a colony near St. Catherines’ Island.
Date admitted to US: 1788, and was one of the 13 original colonies of the United States
Date seceded: 1861
Date readmitted to US: 1870
Capital: Atlanta
Largest City: Atlanta
Area: 50,425 sq mi
Area rank: 24th
Population: 10,214,860
Population rank: 8th
Landscape: the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachian mountains, are in the north; with plains in the south, which then drop toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Electoral votes: 16
Georgia is also the name of a country in Eastern Europe. However, the state is named for King George II of Great Britain, while the origins of the name of the country are debated, but is certainly not named for the British King.
After its discovery by Europeans, the land that would become Georgia was fought over by both the Spanish and the British.
In 1704, the British wrested control of the region from the Spanish, but settlement would not begin until the 1730’s. James Edward Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia with a royal charter from George II.
Oglethorpe proposed sending poor people to Georgia to settle the colony to ease the overcrowding of debtor’s prisons. However, the colony was not originally intended as a penal colony, despite the fact that Britain would send criminals there as a punishment. Very few settlers who colonized Georgia were actually criminals or from debtor’s prison. 

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