 South
Carolina Information
Capital
City: Columbia
Economy:
Population: 4,012,012
Time Zone: 5 hours behind Greenwich Mean
Time (-5 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed April-October
South Carolina's Flag:
Asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety in the fall of 1775
to design a flag for the use of South Carolina troops, Col. William Moultrie
chose a blue which matched the color of their uniforms and a crescent which
reproduced the silver emblem worn on the front of their caps. The palmetto
tree was added later to represent Moultrie's heroic defense of the palmetto-log
fort on Sullivan's Island against the attack of the British fleet on June
28, 1776.
History of South
Carolina:
Following exploration of the coast in 1521 by Francisco de Gordillo, the
Spanish tried unsuccessfully to establish a colony near present-day Georgetown
in 1526 and the French also failed to colonize Parris Island near Fort Royal
in 1562. The first English settlement was made in 1670 at Albemarle Point
on the Ashley River, but poor conditions drove the settlers to the site
of Charleston (originally called Charles Town). South Carolina, officially
separated from North Carolina in 1729, was the scene of extensive military
action during the Revolution and again during the Civil War. The Civil War
began in 1861 as South Carolina troops fired on federal Fort Sumter in Charleston
Harbor and the state was the first to secede from the Union. Once primarily
agricultural, South Carolina has built so many large textile and other mills
that today its factories produce eight times the output of its farms in
cash value. Charleston makes asbestos, wood, pulp, and steel products; chemicals,
machinery, and apparel are also important. Farms have become fewer but larger
in recent years. South Carolina grows more peaches than any other state
except California; it ranks fifth in overall tobacco production. Other farm
products include cotton, peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans, corn, and oats.
Poultry and dairy products are also important revenue producers. Points
of interest include Fort Sumter National Monument, Fort Moultrie, Fort Johnson,
and aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor; the Middleton, Magnolia,
and Cypress Gardens in Charleston; Cowpens National Battlefield; and the
Hilton Head resorts.
Other South Carolina Links:
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina Department of Parks Recreation
and Tourism
South Carolina State Library
|
