"Wisdom, justice and moderation"
Georgia
The United States of America
Carol A. Haberkern
I Save A Tree
I Save ABooks
Tree
Electronic
Electronic Books
C 2003 I Save A Tree Inc.
Atlanta
Table of Contents
Location
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5
State bird
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25
History before statehood
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7
State tree
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27
History since statehood
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9
State flower
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29
State government
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11
Famous people from Georgia
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31
State flag
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13
Things to do in Georgia
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33
Current facts
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15
Popular sports in Georgia
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35
Industry today
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17
Fast facts
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37
State landmarks
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19
Glossary
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39
Weather and land
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21
Web sites / books for information
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41
Animals in Georgia
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23
Index
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43
Credits
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45
Location
Georgia is located in the southeastern part of the United States.
The Atlantic Ocean and South
Carolina border Georgia to the
east.. The states of North Carolina
and Tennessee border it to the
north.. Alabama is on Georgia’s
western border.. It is bordered by
Florida to the south.
The capital of Georgia is Atlanta.
It is located in the northwest corner
of the state.
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Atlanta
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6
History
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Before Statehood
About 10,000 years ago, the
first Native Americans moved into
Georgia.. Some of the mounds that
they built are still standing today. In
1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando
de Soto arrived.
The English wanted
Georgia. They
fought with the
Spanish and won.
Georgia was named
after George, the king of England.
James Oglethorpe arrived with the first
English settlers in 1733. When the King
began taxing the
colonists, the
Revolutionary
War (1775-1783)
began. The
colonists won
the war.
Hernando De Soto
Indian mounds
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8
History
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Since Statehood
Trail of Tears
Georgia became the fourth state
of the Union in 1788.. Eli Whitney
invented the cotton gin, which
cleaned cotton faster than by hand.
Georgia used slaves to work on the
plantations.
Many Northern
states were
against slavery.
The Civil War
(1861-1865)
was fought
over slavery. The
Northern states
won the war.
Gold was discovered on the land of
the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokees
were forced to leave on a 1,000-mile
walk. The walk is called the "Trail of
Tears."
Civil War artillery
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10
Government
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State capitol building
The state government of Georgia
is divided into three branches.
Governor Sonny Perdue is head of
the executive
branch. This
branch is in
charge of
carrying out
the laws.
The legislative
branch makes
the laws. It is
made up the Senate and the House of
Representatives. The third branch is the
judicial branch. This branch interprets
the laws.
Georgia has 159 counties. Each
county has a local government.
Governor Sonny Perdue
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12
State Flag
Georgia
adopted its
current flag in
2003. The flag
has 3 red-andwhite stripes and the state coat of arms
on a blue field in the upper left corner.
The white stars around the coat of arms
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represent the13 original states.
Georgia is one of them.
The words
"Georgia’s
History" are
written above
these flags.
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14
Current Facts
_______________________
State capitol building
Georgia’s population is
8,186,453.. The state is ranked
the10th
largest state
for the number of
people living in it.
Georgia covers
57,918 square
miles.. It ranks 21st
in total area.
In 1868, the
capital city was moved from Augusta
to Atlanta.
Tallulah State Park
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16
Industry
Today
Georgia is home to many new
computer and electronics companies.
Georgia factories make textiles
including carpets,
cloth and yarn.
Paper products
are made from
trees.
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Georgia peach
Coca-Cola’s world
headquarters is
located in Atlanta.
Chickens, cattle
and beef are
raised on farms.
Peanuts, cotton and Georgia’s famous
peaches are grown on big farms.
Clay, granite and marble are mined in
Georgia and are important to its
economy.
Textile Plant
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18
Landmarks
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Stone Mountain
Panning for gold
Crisson’s
Gold Mine is
the site of the
first gold rush in the United States.
Today,, people still pan for gold at the
mine. The Appalachian Trail begins in
Georgia’s Blue
Ridge Mountains.
Hikers can walk
the trail’s 2,144 miles to Maine.
The faces of Confederate leaders are
carved into Stone Mountain. It is one of
the largest sculptures in the world.
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20
Weather & Land
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State park
The average
precipitation in the
Georgia lowlands
is 50 inches. In the
mountains, the
average precipitation
is 75 inches. The
summers are hot and humid. It is cooler
in the mountains. Average temperatures
range from 47° to 80° Fahrenheit.
Hurricanes sometimes hit Georgia,
and tornadoes are a threat in the
mountain areas.
Georgia has
mountains,
rolling hills,
lowlands and
swamplands.
Lightning
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22
Animals
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In Georgia
Bass
Many animals live in the Okefenokee
Swamp. Alligators, snakes, bears, otters,
opossums and deer live there. The
mountains have bears, raccoons
and deer.. Over
160 different types
of birds can be
found in Georgia.
Many species
of fish are in
Georgia’s
waters.. Some
of them are
trout, catfish and bass. In 1985, the right
whale was named the state marine mam-a
mal. It lives in the waters off the coast.
Alligator
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24
State Bird
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Brown thrasher
The brown
thrasher
(Toxostoma
rufum) was
named the state
bird of Georgia in 1935. This reddishbrown bird has a golden breast with
dark brown streaks.
Brown thrashers like to perch on
trees and sing. They build their nests
in thick bushes.
When these
birds become
excited, they
jerk or thrash
about.
Baby brown thrashers
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26
State Tree
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Live oak
In 1937, the
live oak (Quercus
virginiana) was
named Georgia’s
state tree. These
beautiful trees grow along the coast
and on the coastal islands.. Live oak
trees are green all year.
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U.S.S. Constitution
Timber from
the live oak
tree is very
strong.. It is
used in boat building. In 1794, the
ship the U.S.S. Constitution was built
from the wood of live oak trees. This
ship was nicknamed "Old Ironsides."
28
State Flower
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Cherokee Rose
The Cherokee
rose (Rosa laevigata)
was named the
Georgia state
flower in 1916.
This beautiful white flower has a
golden center.. It blooms in the spring,
and sometimes again in the fall. It
has a very fragrant flower.. It is
believed that
the Cherokee
Indians
distributed
these plants.
Cherokee Rose
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30
Famous People
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Little Richard
Georgia is home to former President
Jimmy Carter. He was born in Plains in
1924. He was President from 1977 to
1981. Civil rights leader, Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.,
was born in
Atlanta in 1929.
Other famous
Georgians
include singers
Gladys Knight,
Little Richard, and Brenda Lee.. Juliette
Low, Ty Cobb and Kim Basinger also
called Georgia home.
Martin Luther King Jr.
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32
Things to Do
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In Georgia
Science museum
Georgia offers
many activities
for visitors to do
and see.. In
the Okefenokee
National Wildlife Refuge, visitors can
take boat tours, fish, camp and canoe.
In the mountains, visitors like to hike
and camp.
Six Flags Over Georgia, Stone
Mountain Park, Atlanta Underground
and the World of Coca-Cola offer
many family
activities.
There are 58
state parks in
Georgia.
Six Flags
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34
Sports
In Georgia
Georgia’s mild weather is ideal for
many sports. Golf is popular. The
Masters Golf Tournament is held in
Augusta each year.
Fishing, boating
and swimming are
some of the
favorite water
sports available in
Georgia.
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Atlanta Braves baseball player
Four major
professional
sports teams
call Atlanta
home. They
are the Atlanta Falcons football
team, the Atlanta Hawks basketball
team, the Atlanta Thrashers
hockey team and the Atlanta Braves
baseball team.
Golf course
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36
Fast Facts
Governor: Sonny Perdue
Capital: Atlanta
Size: 57,918 sq. miles, 21th in the U.S.
Population: 186,453, 10th in the U.S.
Major cities: Atlanta, Augusta,
Columbus, Savannah
Nicknames: "The Empire State of the
South" and "The Peach State"
State animal: right whale
State bird: brown thrasher
State flower: Cherokee rose
State tree: live oak
State song: "Georgia On My Mind"
State motto: "Wisdom, justice and
moderation"
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Georgia wildflowers
Native gopher turtle
38
Glossary
Cherokee, a group of native Americans
that originally lived in some of the
southern states.
economy, the way a state handles its
money and industries.
colonists, people who leave their own
country to settle in another land.
cotton gin, a machine that removes the
seeds from the cotton.
mounds, high piles of earth.
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plantations, large farms where
cotton, tobacco and sugar are grown.
slavery, when people own other
people as property.
textile, cloth, material and knitted
things.
timber, wood used for building.
thrash, to quickly move and toss.
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40
Links & Books
For more information
____
Link1
____
Link2
____
Link3
____
Link4
TITLE: Georgia
AUTHOR: Nancy Robinson Masters
PUBLISHER: Children’s Press
COPYRIGHT: 1999
TITLE: The Colony of Georgia
AUTHOR: Brooke Coleman
PUBLISHER: PowerKids Press
COPYRIGHT: 2000
TITLE: Georgia: Facts and Symbols
AUTHOR: Emily McAuliffe
PUBLISHER: Hilltop Books
COPYRIGHT: 1999
42
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Index
Blue Ridge Mountains, 19
Carter, Jimmy, 31
Civil War, 10
Coca-Cola, 18, 34
factories, 17
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 31
Masters Golf Tournament, 35
oak, live, 27, 28
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Oglethorpe, James, 8
Okefenokee Swamp, 23, 33
"Old Ironsides," 28
peaches, 18
Perdue, Sonny, 11
Revolutionary War, 8
rose, Cherokee, 29, 30
thrasher, brown, 25, 26
"Trail of Tears," 10
whale, right, 24
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44
Credits
Written by
Carol A. Haberkern
Edited by
Linda Coyner
Produced by
Robert Rance
Technologies
Doug Meyers
Design
Dan Mader
Photo credits
Courtesy of Secretary of State Web site
www. sos.state.ga.us
Site Administrator Mary Ann Sullivan
www.arttoday.com
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46
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