 Georgia
Information
Capital
City: Atlanta
Economy: Service industries,
manufacturing and agriculture.
Population: 8,560,310
Telephone Codes: 404,
678, 770, Atlanta; 706, Augusta; 912, Macon, Savannah
Time Zone: 5 hours
behind Greenwich Mean Time (-5 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed April-October
Georgia's Flag:
Having two fields, one of deep blue and the other dark red, the Georgia
flag showcases the Battle Flag of the Confederacy and the state seal. On
the state seal is the year 1776, the date of the Declaration of Independence.
The three pillars stand for the three branches of government Legislative,
Executive and the Courts. The arch above the pillars stands for the constitution.
A ribbon expresses the ideals of the constitution "wisdom", "justice"
and "moderation".
History of Georgia:
Hernando de Soto, the Spanish explorer, first traveled parts
of Georgia in 1540. British claims later conflicted with those of Spain.
After obtaining a royal charter, Gen. James Oglethorpe established the first
permanent settlement in Georgia in 1733 as a refuge for English debtors.
In 1742, Oglethorpe defeated Spanish invaders in the Battle of Bloody Marsh.
A Confederate stronghold, Georgia was the scene of extensive military action
during the Civil War. Union General William T. Sherman burned Atlanta and
destroyed a 60-mile-wide path to the coast, where he captured Savannah in
1864. The largest state east of the Mississippi, Georgia is typical of the
changing South with an ever-increasing industrial development. Atlanta,
largest city in the state, is the communications and transportation center
for the Southeast and the area's chief distributor of goods. Georgia leads
the nation in the production of paper and board, tufted textile products,
and processed chicken. Other major manufactured products are transportation
equipment, food products, apparel, and chemicals. Important agricultural
products are corn, cotton, tobacco, soybeans, eggs, and peaches. Georgia
produces twice as many peanuts as the next leading state. From its vast
stands of pine come more than half the world's resins and turpentine and
74.4 percent of the U.S. supply. Georgia is also a leader in the production
of marble, kaolin, barite, and bauxite. Principal tourist attractions in
Georgia include the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Andersonville Prison
Park and National Cemetery, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military
Park, the Little White House at Warm Springs where Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt
died in 1945, Sea Island, the enormous Confederate Memorial at Stone Mountain,
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, and Cumberland Island National
Seashore.
Other Georgia Links:
Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Georgia Department of Education
Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism
Georgia Municipal Association |
