Virginia General Information

GENERAL

Abbreviated as VA on ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG, Virginia is a US state in the South Atlantic Group of the United States with an area of 105,711 km² and about 4.96 million residents. It includes parts of the South Atlantic coastal plain, the Piedmont and the Southern Appalachians. The official name is Commonwealth of Virginia and the capital is Richmond, Virginia. Besides Virginia, only three other states (Kentucky, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania) of the 50 United States call themselves the Commonwealth. West Virginia is an independent state that broke away from Virginia in the 19th century.

Nickname

Old Dominion

Capital

Richmond

Biggest town

Norfolk

Area

Rank (within the US): 35th out of 50 states

Total: 110,862 km²

Land: 102,642 km²

Water (%): 8,220 km² (7.4%)

Residents

Rank (within the US): 12th out of 50 states

Total (2000): 7,196,750

Density: 64 / km²

State membership

Place: 10th

Since: June 25, 1788

GEOGRAPHY

Time zone: Eastern: UTC -5 / -4

Latitude: 36 ° 31’N to 39 ° 37’N

Longitude 75 ° 13’W to 83 ° 37’W

Width: 320 km

Length: 690 km

Highest position: 1,746 m

Average location: 290 m

Lowest position: 0 m

Virginia is bounded by West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia by the Potomac River to the north, Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, North Carolina and Tennessee to the south, and Kentucky to the west.

POPULATION

There are 7,196,750 residents in Virginia.

HISTORY

Virginia was given the name in honor of Queen Elizabeth I of England from Walter Raleigh during his 1584 expedition when he founded the first settlement on Roanoke Island. Since Elizabeth I was nicknamed the Virgin Queen and, from the colonialists’ point of view, it was ultimately about the settlement and reclamation of such a land, this name was chosen. However, it was used to designate an area that later included the states of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. Best known of the Virginia’s indigenous people are the Powhatan, who belonged to the Algonquin language family and lived near the coast. Other groups were Nottaway and Meherrin, who belong to the Iroquois language family, southwest of these, the Monacan and Saponi, who belonged to the Sioux language family and lived in the foothills of the Appalachians, and the Cherokee in the far west of the state. The first English settlement to exist was Jamestown, founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company.

Later, the citizens of Virginia joined in 1788 as the tenth of the original 13 colonies of the young state union. As the home of many so-called Founding Fathers, notably Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Mason and George Washington, the state played a prominent role. Because four of the first five presidents were from Virginia. In the American Civil War or War of Secession, Richmond was the capital of the southern states (compare Confederate States of America), to which the country belonged from 1861-1865.

When various states were reorganized into a confederation, some districts that wanted to stay with the Union separated from the original Virginia country and formed West Virginia, which was approved by the constitutional court in 1870. In 1990 Douglas Wilder was elected as the first African American governor of a state

ECONOMY

Major tobacco, cotton, corn and wheat regions; Animal husbandry, oyster fishing; rich natural resources: coal, iron, wood, paper, glass, tobacco processing; Shipbuilding.

Gross National Product / capita 2001: $ 32,338

CITIES

The ten largest cities and counties in Virginia are (as of 2000): Virginia Beach, 425,257 Norfolk, 234,403 Chesapeake, 199,184 Richmond, 197,790 Newport News, 180,150 Hampton CDP1, 146,437 Alexandria, 128,283 Portmouth, 100,565 Roanoke, 94,911 Lynchburg, 65,269

PERSONALITIES

Arthur Ashe, tennis player, Richmond Pearl Bailey, singer, Newport News Warren Beatty, actor, Richmond George Bingham, painter, Augusta Cty Richard E. Byrd, polar explorer, Winchester William Clark, explorer, Caroline Cty John Colter, discoverer Joseph Cotten, actor, Petersburg Ella Fitzgerald, jazz singer, Newport News William Henry Harrison, President of the USA, Charles City County Thomas Jefferson, President of the USA, Shadwell Robert E. Lee, Confederation General, Stratford Meriwether Lewis, explorer, Ambemarle Cty Shirley MacLaine, actress, Richmond James Madison, President of the USA, Port Conway Cyrus Hall McCormick, inventor, Rockbridge Cty James Monroe, President of the USA, Westmoreland Opechancanough, tribal leader of the Powhatan John Payne, actor, Roanoke Bill Bojangles Robinson, dancer, Richmond George C. Scott,Actors, Wise James Jeb Stuart, Equestrian-General of the Confederation, Patrick Cty Thomas Sumter, General, Hanover Cty Zachary Taylor, President of the USA, Orange Cty John Tyler US, President of the USA, Charles City Booker T. Washington, Educator, Franklin Cty George Washington, President of the United States, Westmoreland Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, Staunton Tom Wolfe, Journalist and Writer, Richmond Phil Vassar, Country Music Star, Lynchberg Mike Barr, American Football Professional, Forest List of Virginia GovernorsPresident of the United States, Staunton Tom Wolfe, Journalist and Writer, Richmond Phil Vassar, Country Music Star, Lynchberg Mike Barr, American Football Professional, Forest List of Virginia GovernorsPresident of the United States, Staunton Tom Wolfe, Journalist and Writer, Richmond Phil Vassar, Country Music Star, Lynchberg Mike Barr, American Football Professional, Forest List of Virginia Governors

OTHERS

Motto: Sic semper tyrannis. (Seen on the national flag with a prostrate tyrant.)

The coat of arms was designed by George Wythe, who also signed the Declaration of Independence. The national symbol, which was already widely used in 1776, was slightly modified in 1930.

State bird: Red Cardinal

Anthem: “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny”

Virginia Counties and County Seats

According to Countryaah, there are a total of 95 counties in the state of Virginia.

1. Accomack County (County Seat: Accomac)
2. Albemarle County (County Seat: Charlottesville)
3. Alleghany County (County Seat: Covington)
4. Amelia County (County Seat: Amelia Court House)
5. Amherst County (County Seat: Amherst)
6. Appomattox County (County Seat: Appomattox)
7. Arlington County (County Seat: Arlington)
8. Augusta County (County Seat: Staunton)
9. Bath County (County Seat: Warm Springs)
10. Bedford County (County Seat: Bedford)
11. Bland County (County Seat: Bland)
12. Botetourt County (County Seat: Fincastle)
13. Brunswick County (County Seat: Lawrenceville)
14. Buchanan County (County Seat: Grundy)
15. Buckingham County (County Seat: Buckingham)
16. Campbell County (County Seat: Rustburg)
17. Caroline County (County Seat: Bowling Green)
18. Carroll County (County Seat: Hillsville)
19. Charles City County (County Seat: Charles City)
20. Charlotte County (County Seat: Charlotte Courthouse)
21. Chesterfield County (County Seat: Chesterfield)
22. Clarke County (County Seat: Berryville)
23. Craig County (County Seat: New Castle)
24. Culpeper County (County Seat: Culpeper)
25. Cumberland County (County Seat: Cumberland)
26. Dickenson County (County Seat: Clintwood)
27. Dinwiddie County (County Seat: Dinwiddie)
28. Essex County (County Seat: Tappahannock)
29. Fairfax County (County Seat: Fairfax)
30. Fauquier County (County Seat: Warrenton)
31. Floyd County (County Seat: Floyd)
32. Fluvanna County (County Seat: Palmyra)
33. Franklin County (County Seat: Rocky Mount)
34. Frederick County (County Seat: Winchester)
35. Giles County (County Seat: Pearisburg)
36. Gloucester County (County Seat: Gloucester)
37. Goochland County (County Seat: Goochland)
38. Grayson County (County Seat: Independence)
39. Greene County (County Seat: Stanardsville)
40. Greensville County (County Seat: Emporia)
41. Halifax County (County Seat: Halifax)
42. Hanover County (County Seat: Hanover Courthouse)
43. Henrico County (County Seat: Richmond)
44. Henry County (County Seat: Martinsville)
45. Highland County (County Seat: Monterey)
46. Isle of Wight County (County Seat: Isle of Wight)
47. James City County (County Seat: Williamsburg)
48. King & Queen County (County Seat: King and Queen Court House)
49. King George County (County Seat: King George)
50. King William County (County Seat: King William)
51. Lancaster County (County Seat: Lancaster)
52. Lee County (County Seat: Jonesville)
53. Loudoun County (County Seat: Leesburg)
54. Louisa County (County Seat: Louisa)
55. Lunenburg County (County Seat: Lunenburg)
56. Madison County (County Seat: Madison)
57. Mathews County (County Seat: Mathews)
58. Mecklenburg County (County Seat: Boydton)
59. Middlesex County (County Seat: Saluda)
60. Montgomery County (County Seat: Christiansburg)
61. Nelson County (County Seat: Lovingston)
62. New Kent County (County Seat: New Kent)
63. Northampton County (County Seat: Eastville)
64. Northumberland County (County Seat: Heathsville)
65. Nottoway County (County Seat: Nottoway)
66. Orange County (County Seat: Orange)
67. Page County (County Seat: Luray)
68. Patrick County (County Seat: Stuart)
69. Pittsylvania County (County Seat: Chatham)
70. Powhatan County (County Seat: Powhatan)
71. Prince Edward County (County Seat: Farmville)
72. Prince George County (County Seat: Prince George)
73. Prince William County (County Seat: Manassas)
74. Pulaski County (County Seat: Pulaski)
75. Rappahannock County (County Seat: Washington)
76. Richmond County (County Seat: Warsaw)
77. Roanoke County (County Seat: Salem)
78. Rockbridge County (County Seat: Lexington)
79. Rockingham County (County Seat: Harrisonburg)
80. Russell County (County Seat: Lebanon)
81. Scott County (County Seat: Gate City)
82. Shenandoah County (County Seat: Woodstock)
83. Smyth County (County Seat: Marion)
84. Southampton County (County Seat: Courtland)
85. Spotsylvania County (County Seat: Spotsylvania Courthouse)
86. Stafford County (County Seat: Stafford)
87. Surry County (County Seat: Surry)
88. Sussex County (County Seat: Sussex)
89. Tazewell County (County Seat: Tazewell)
90. Warren County (County Seat: Front Royal)
91. Washington County (County Seat: Abingdon)
92. Westmoreland County (County Seat: Montross)
93. Wise County (County Seat: Wise)
94. Wythe County (County Seat: Wytheville)
95. York County (County Seat: Yorktown)