Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a <a href="/facts/U.S._state/PFwcRIYQ">state</a> in the <a href="/facts/Southeastern_United_States/jlyYnNvo">Southeastern United States</a>. It borders <a href="/facts/Tennessee/A3mLY9bu">Tennessee</a> and <a href="/facts/North_Carolina/VhKNTULI">North Carolina</a> to the north, <a href="/facts/South_Carolina/lQQX84IS">South Carolina</a> and the <a href="/facts/Atlantic_Ocean/EI4uChIb">Atlantic Ocean</a> to the east, <a href="/facts/Florida/cF245A3Q">Florida</a> to the south, and <a href="/facts/Alabama/1Xk8EveN">Alabama</a> to the west. Of the <a href="/facts/List_of_states_and_territories_of_the_United_States/mWmHJNWv">50 U.S. states</a>, Georgia is the <a href="/facts/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area/q3nFXQlt">24th-largest by area</a> and <a href="/facts/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population/ytDJqMaH">eighth most populous</a>. According to the <a href="/facts/U.S._Census_Bureau/heKtzoXX">U.S. Census Bureau</a>, its 2024 estimated population was 11,180,878. <a href="/facts/Atlanta/8hPVGb78">Atlanta</a>, a <a href="/facts/Global_city/Lqv5NqA5">global city</a>, is both the state's <a href="/facts/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States/RMAd1LFl">capital</a> and its largest city. The <a href="/facts/Atlanta_metropolitan_area/nRhByQhJ">Atlanta metropolitan area</a>, with a population greater than 6.3 million people in 2023, is the <a href="/facts/List_of_metropolitan_statistical_areas/Y2yX0KJg">eighth most populous metropolitan area</a> in the United States and contains about 57% of Georgia's entire population. Other major metropolitan areas in the state include <a href="/facts/Augusta_metropolitan_area/n2GEQbRB">Augusta</a>, <a href="/facts/Savannah_metropolitan_area/YSVgKAys">Savannah</a>, <a href="/facts/Columbus_metropolitan_area%2c_Georgia/GJSVBujD">Columbus</a>, and <a href="/facts/Macon_metropolitan_area%2c_Georgia/Wf3M8hxf">Macon</a>.
The <a href="/facts/Province_of_Georgia/tkaaLtAW">Province of Georgia</a> was established in 1732, with its first settlement occurring in 1733 when <a href="/facts/Savannah%2c_Georgia/korPDPf2">Savannah</a> was founded. By 1752, Georgia had transitioned into a British <a href="/facts/Crown_colony/RnCkfdDR">royal colony</a>, making it the last and southernmost of the original <a href="/facts/Thirteen_Colonies/H50dauTJ">Thirteen Colonies</a>. Named in honor of King <a href="/facts/George_II_of_Great_Britain/zQJ6F5eF">George II of Great Britain</a>, the Georgia Colony extended from South Carolina down to <a href="/facts/Spanish_Florida/DxLLoHzk">Spanish Florida</a> and westward to <a href="/facts/Louisiana_(New_France)/Q1cy1DI2">French Louisiana</a> along the <a href="/facts/Mississippi_River/RduarPzj">Mississippi River</a>. On January 2, 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to <a href="/facts/Ratification/q3EKpQc6">ratify</a> the <a href="/facts/Constitution_of_the_United_States/AJlEWNR3">United States Constitution</a>.
Between 1802 and 1804, a portion of western Georgia was carved out to create the <a href="/facts/Mississippi_Territory/pwjVJ1bF">Mississippi Territory</a>, which eventually became the U.S. states of <a href="/facts/Alabama/1Xk8EveN">Alabama</a> and <a href="/facts/Mississippi/7KwuWxxT">Mississippi</a>. Georgia declared its <a href="/facts/Secession_in_the_United_States/qVSHN6L4">secession</a> from the Union on January 19, 1861, joining the ranks of the original seven <a href="/facts/Confederate_States_of_America/jMSDM4q3">Confederate States</a>. After the <a href="/facts/American_Civil_War/A9FT3ksD">Civil War</a>, it was the last state to be readmitted to the Union on July 15, 1870. In the late 19th century, during the post-<a href="/facts/Reconstruction_era/W6lgbxvn">Reconstruction</a> period, Georgia's economy underwent significant changes, driven by a coalition of influential politicians, business leaders, and journalists, notably <a href="/facts/Henry_W._Grady/RkBkC71j">Henry W. Grady</a>, who promoted the "<a href="/facts/New_South/XeNeTXLJ">New South</a>" ideology focused on reconciliation and <a href="/facts/Industrialization_in_the_United_States/sYsNXqSq">industrialization</a>.
In the mid-20th century, several notable figures from Georgia, including <a href="/facts/Martin_Luther_King_Jr./dhWS0DP0">Martin Luther King Jr.</a>, emerged as key leaders in the <a href="/facts/Civil_rights_movement/llwscvvR">civil rights movement</a>. Atlanta was chosen to host the <a href="/facts/1996_Summer_Olympics/lL1wFdQk">1996 Summer Olympics</a>, celebrating the centennial of the modern <a href="/facts/Olympic_Games/TXbdPIVS">Olympic Games</a>. Since 1945, Georgia has experienced significant population and economic expansion, aligning with the larger <a href="/facts/Sun_Belt/6zBneV5F">Sun Belt</a> trend. Between 2007 and 2008, 14 of <a href="/facts/Counties_of_Georgia_(U.S._state)/tbBrQkEw">Georgia's counties</a> were listed among the 100 fastest-growing in the United States.
Georgia is defined by a diversity of landscapes, flora, and fauna. The northern part of the state features the <a href="/facts/Blue_Ridge_Mountains/pagAHWBG">Blue Ridge Mountains</a>, which are part of the broader <a href="/facts/Appalachian_Mountains/f7X1GBDE">Appalachian Mountain</a> range. Moving south, the <a href="/facts/Piedmont_(United_States)/EoTcRzIL">Piedmont</a> plateau stretches from the <a href="/facts/Foothills/bhPm8MUM">foothills</a> of the Blue Ridge to the <a href="/facts/Atlantic_Seaboard_Fall_Line/jrKXhWlP">Fall Line</a>, an <a href="/facts/Escarpment/apJ1d2XB">escarpment</a> that marks the transition to the <a href="/facts/Atlantic_coastal_plain/a1X95GUy">Coastal Plain</a> in the southern region of the state. The highest elevation in the state is <a href="/facts/Brasstown_Bald/gjV7BXaL">Brasstown Bald</a>, reaching 4,784 feet (1,458 m) above sea level, while the lowest point is at the <a href="/facts/Atlantic_Ocean/EI4uChIb">Atlantic Ocean</a>. Except for some elevated areas in the Blue Ridge, Georgia predominantly experiences a <a href="/facts/Humid_subtropical_climate/vr1kMhwS">humid subtropical climate</a>. Among the states located entirely east of the Mississippi River, Georgia ranks as the largest in terms of <a href="/facts/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area/q3nFXQlt">land area</a>.

Georgia (U.S. state) open-in-new

Georgia (U.S. state)