STATE FACTS

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DELAWAREthe first state

STATE TREEAmerican Holly

CAPITALDover

POPULATION783,600

STATEHOODDecember 7, 1787

Rank: 1st

LARGEST CITIESWilmington (72,664)

Dover (32,135)Newark (28,547)

LAND AREA1,954 sq. mi.

(5,061sq. km.)

STATE FLOWERPeach Blossom

STATE BIRDBlue Hen Chicken

Two tribes of Algonquian Indiansthe Leni-Lenapeand the Nanticokelived in the region when British explorer Henry Hudson sailed into Delaware Bay in 1609. Captain Samuel Argall, from Britains Virginiacolony, sailed into the bay the following year, naming it forthe colonys governor, Lord Del La Warr. It was the Dutch,however, who established the areas first European settlementin 1631, a fort that stood at what is now the city of Lewes.Within a year, battles with American Indians led to the fortsdestruction in a fire.

Swedes established the areas first permanent colony, NewSweden, in 1638.Their first settlement was Fort Christina.By the mid-1700s, few American Indians remained, and theDutch had taken control of the colony from Sweden.Theregion later fell into British hands in 1664.When Delawaresettlers complained about being grouped with Pennsylvanians,they were allowed to set up their own legislature.Two yearsafter the beginning of the American Revolution, the area wasnamed Delaware State.

Delaware has long benefited financially from themanufacturing industry, beginning with the DuPontgunpowder mills that prospered during the AmericanRevolution, through todays profitable chemical and bankingindustries. Its most popular vacation spot is Rehoboth Beach.Thanks to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, residents are linkedto New Jersey; to the west,Washington, D.C. is an easy drive.

PEA PATCH ISLAND/FORT DELAWAREPea Patch Island in the Delaware River was formed in thelate 1700s when a ship carrying peas hit a sandbar. Peas weredumped into the sea and grew into plants that collectedenough sand to create an island. During the War of 1812,Fort Delaware was built on the island to guard Philadelphiafrom a British attack.The fort was rebuilt in the 1850s andserved as a prison during the Civil War.At one point, it heldmore than 12,000 prisoners, many of whom suffered frommalnutrition or died of smallpox and other diseases.Today, thefort is a state park with a large population of wading birds,including herons and egrets.

DID YOU KNOW?

Many Delaware rivers includekill in their names, as that wasthe old Dutch word for river.The Dutch named MurderkillRiver as Mother River, but

since it was spelled asMurther, the English

mistook it for Murder.

D E L AWA

NEW

JERSEY

PENNSY

LVANIA

MARYLAND

MA

RYL

AN

D

Dela

ware R

iver

Wilmington

Newark

Middletown

Smyrna

Camden

Guilford

Seaford

Laurel

DOVER

Pea PatchIsland

(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

29

DUPONT LABORATORIESDuPont, one of the worlds largest chemicalcompanies, is Delawares largest employer. It beganas an explosives manufacturer and has sincecreated materials such as Lycra and Kevlar. In1999, DuPont bought the countrys largest seedproducer and entered the growing field ofagricultural engineering. Other chemical andpharmaceutical companies have relocated toDelaware, in part because of the many skilledchemical employees residing there.

HISTORIC BEACH Rehoboth Beach, on the states southeastern coasthas been popular with summer visitors for morethan 100 years.The beach is lined by one of the

last remaining wooden boardwalks on theAtlantic.The first U.S. beauty contest was held at

Rehoboth in 1880.Among the three judgesvoting on Miss United States was inventorThomas Edison.Today the one-square-mile

(three-sq-km) resort town receives six millionvisitors each year, including many Washington,D.C., residents who have summer homes there.

DELAWARE MEMORIALBRIDGEThe 2,150-foot- (655-m-) longDelaware Memorial Bridge isthe worlds longest twin-spanbridge. Each day more than100,000 people cross the bridge,which serves as a memorial toDelaware and New Jerseymembers of the armed forceswho died in World War II, theKorean War, and Vietnam.

A LIFESAVING VISIONARY

DR. HENRY J. HEIMLICH

Wilmington-born Dr. Henry J. Heimlichs first medicalbreakthrough came in 1945, when he found a treatmentfor trachoma, an infection that causes blindness. His treatmentsaved the sight of hundreds of people. In the 1950s, hedeveloped a technique to replace the esophagus.This operationwas the worlds first full organ transplant. In 1964, heintroduced a valve that drains blood and air from chest injuries.Today, more than 250,000 of these valves are used each year.

Heimlichs most famous innovation, the Heimlich Maneuver, was introduced in 1974 to save choking victims.

FORT CHRISTINADelawares first permanent settlement was Fort Christina, established

by Swedish colonists in late March 1638.Among the settlers wasDelawares first African, an indentured servant from the Caribbean

named Antonious. In 1655, conflict between Sweden and theNetherlands over territory led to the destruction of the New

Sweden colony. Some Swedes stayed in Delaware under Dutch rule.VARIED WILDLIFE

Snow geese migrate through Delaware in early fall, stoppngin the states wetlands. Other birds, such as ruby-throatedhummingbirds, are common to the state. Otters and foxes

live in forest and field areas, while snapping turtles andmuskrats are found in marshes and swamps. Commercialand recreational fishers enjoy the states coastal waters,

which are full of clams, crabs, and striped bass.

R E

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Delaware

Bay

RehobothBeach

Lewes

Selbyville

(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.