Delaware Details

Delaware derives its name from Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia’s first colonial governor. It occupies and lies on the northeast of the Delmarva Peninsula together with Eastern Shore Maryland and Virginia. Delaware is also called the Diamond State due to its small size but relative wealth. Its average elevation is 60 ft (18 m) and its highest point is NW of Wilmington located on the Pennsylvania border which is 440 ft (134 m).

Delaware was first discovered by Henry Hudson who sailed under the Dutch flag sometime in 1609. This was followed by a Swedish colonization which began at Fort Christina (now Wilmington) in 1638 at a time when Sweden itself fell to Dutch forces led by New Netherlands’s governor named Peter Stuyvesant in 1655.England took over Delaware until 1704 when it fought as a separate state in the American Revolution. Delaware is the first state to ratify the Constitution in 1787.

Delaware boasts of huge chemical industries. Its products include vulcanized fiber, textiles, paper, medical supplies, metal products, machinery, machine tools and automobiles. It grows a variety of agricultural products particularly corn, soybeans, potatoes and hay. Delaware also boasts of broiler chicken farms that supply Eastern markets. Delaware is a U.S. pioneer in food-canning industry.

Delaware has a total land area of 1,954 square miles and is the second smallest state in the United States. It is divided into six counties. The capital of Delaware is Dover and its only large city is the Wilmington.

Popular tourist destinations in Delaware include the Fort Christina Monument, Hagley Museum, Holy Trinity Church (built in 1698 and is the oldest Protestant church in the U.S. that is being used up to this day), the Wintherthur Museum and New castle.