State Symbols of Delaware

By | Updated on August 19, 2023

Reviewed by Rittika

Delaware is part of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States and is located on the East Coast. It was the first of the original thirteen states to adopt the U.S. Constitution, and it occupies a small niche along the Middle Atlantic coast in the Boston-Washington, D.C. urban region. In honor of Virginia’s governor Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, explorer Samuel Argall gave the Delaware River and Bay the name in 1610. Delaware gets its name from the Delaware River and Bay.

This State is also known as the First State, because it was the first to ratify the U.S. Constitution and join the Union on December 7, 1787. Delaware was nicknamed The Diamond State because Thomas Jefferson referred to it as a “jewel among the states” due to its prime location on the Eastern Seaboard.

The interesting fact is that Delaware is famous for having no state sales tax. 

It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, to the north by Pennsylvania, and to the east by New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean.

With a total land area of 2,489 sq mi (6,446 sq km), and a population of 989,948, as recorded in the 2020 census, Delaware ranks forty-ninth among the 50 states in terms of total area and is one of the most densely populated. 

The northeastern part of the Delmarva Peninsula, as well as several islands and territories inside the Delaware River, are all occupied by Delaware. Wilmington is the state’s largest city, while Dover, the state’s second-largest, is the capital.

From north to south, the state is divided into three counties: New Castle, Kent, and Sussex, all of which were established in 1682. New Castle, which is a member of the Delaware Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area having Philadelphia as its core, is more urbanized than the southern two counties, which have historically been predominantly agricultural.

Originally inhabited by Algonquian tribes, the first permanent white settlement in Delaware was made by Swedes in 1638 at Fort Christina, now Wilmington. The Dutch of New Amsterdam conquered New Sweden in 1655, and the English in 1664. After that, Delaware was a part of New York until 1682, when it was ceded to William Penn. It was controlled by Pennsylvania until 1776, despite having its assembly from 1704.

Its population, like its industry, is concentrated in the north, around Wilmington, where major coastal highways and railways stretch from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to Maryland on the north and east. The largest industry is a chemical manufacturing, followed by food processing. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which was deepened for ocean commerce and shortens the sea path between Philadelphia and Baltimore, is Delaware’s most significant transportation route.

The state’s official bird is the Blue hen chicken, and the official flower is the Peach blossom. The state motto is “Liberty and Independence”. 

Although English is the most widely used language in Delaware, it has not been designated as an official language. Few people speak other languages, but Delaware, like the rest of the United States, has a growing Spanish-speaking population.

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– Learn about Delaware flag color codes and their meanings –

State Information

Official Language	None
State Rank	49
Demonym(s)	Delawarean
Nickname	The First State, The Small Wonder, Blue Hen State, The Diamond State
ISO	US-DE
Formation Date	December 7, 1787
Coordinates	Lat: 38° 27′ N to 39° 50′ N, Long: 75° 3′ W to 75° 47′ W
Area

State seal

Motto of Delaware

"Liberty and Independence"

State symbols of Delaware 👇

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  State capital
  Dover
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  State bird
  Delaware Blue Hen
• 
  State flower
  Peach blossom
• 
  State fruit
  Strawberry
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  State tree
  American holly
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  State dance
  Maypole Dancing
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  State insect
  Lady Bug
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  State gemstone
  Sillimanite (mineral)
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  State animal
  Grey Fox
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  State dish
  Peach pie
• 
  State fish
  Weakfish

State location

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