North Carolina

North Carolina
State
The State of North Carolina
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  Old North State; Tar Heel State
Motto(s):  Esse quam videri:[1][2] "To be, rather than to seem" (official); First in Flight
Anthem: The Old North State
Map of the United States with North Carolina highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Province of North-Carolina
Admitted to the Union	November 21, 1789 (12th)
Capital	Raleigh
Largest city	Charlotte
Largest county or equivalent	Wake
Largest metro and urban areas	Greater Charlotte
Government
• Governor	Roy Cooper (D)
• Lieutenant Governor	Mark Robinson (R)
Legislature	General Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. senators	Thom Tillis (R) Ted Budd (R)
U.S. House delegation	9 Republicans 3 Democrats 1 Vacant (list)
Area
• Total	53,819 sq mi (139,390 km2)
• Land	48,711 sq mi (126,161 km2)
• Water	1,972 sq mi (5,108 km2)  9.5%
• Rank	28th
Dimensions
• Length	600[3] mi (950 km)
• Width	300 mi (300 km)
Elevation	700 ft (210 m)
Highest elevation (Mount Mitchell[4][5])	6,684 ft (2,037 m)
Lowest elevation (Atlantic Ocean[4])	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2019)
• Total	10,488,084
• Rank	9th
• Density	208.7/sq mi (80.6/km2)
• Rank	15th
• Median household income	$52,752[6]
• Income rank	39th
Demonym(s)	North Carolinian (official); Tar Heel (colloquial)
Language
• Official language	English[7]
• Spoken language	As of 2010[8] English 90.70% Spanish 6.93% Other 2.73%
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation	NC
ISO 3166 code	US-NC
Traditional abbreviation	N.C.
Latitude	33° 50′ N to 36° 35′ N
Longitude	75° 28′ W to 84° 19′ W
Website	www.nc.gov

North Carolina state symbols
Flag of North Carolina
Living insignia
Bird	Cardinal
Butterfly	Eastern tiger swallowtail
Fish	Red Drum
Flower	Flowering Dogwood
Insect	Western honeybee
Marsupial	Virginia Opossum (state marsupial)
Tree	Longleaf Pine
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Dance	Clogging
Food	Scuppernong grape, sweet potato
Fossil	Megalodon teeth
Gemstone	Emerald
Mineral	Gold
Rock	Granite
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2001
Lists of United States state symbols

North Carolina is one of the 50 states of the United States. The capital of North Carolina is Raleigh and the city with the most people is Charlotte. North Carolina is split into 100 counties, and each county has many cities and towns.

North Carolina was one of the original thirteen colonies and was where the first English colony in America lived. As of 2020, there were about 10,400,000 people living in the state.^[9]

In 2018, North Carolina was number one on Forbes' Best States for Business list for the second year in a row.

1. ↑ In 1893 the North Carolina General Assembly adopted the Latin words "Esse Quam Videri" as the state motto and directed that these words be placed with the state's Coat of Arms and the date "20 May 1775" upon the great seal.
2. ↑ These words are also famous from Generalfeldmarschall Helmuth von Moltke the Elder: "Mehr sein als scheinen—viel leisten und wenig hervortreten."
3. ↑ "North Carolina Climate and Geography". NC Kids Page. North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State. May 8, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
5. ↑ Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
6. ↑ "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
7. ↑ "State language". Ncga.state.nc.cus. p. § 145–12. Retrieved May 23, 2016. (a)Purpose. English is the most common language of the people of the United States of America and the State of North Carolina. This section is intended to preserve, protect and strengthen the English language, and not to supersede any of the rights guaranteed to the people by the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of North Carolina. (b) English as the Official Language of North Carolina. English is the official language of the State of North Carolina.^{[permanent dead link]}
8. ↑ "North Carolina". Modern Language Association. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
9. ↑ List of U.S. states by population