South Carolina

State of South Carolina
State of South Carolina
Flag of South Carolina	Seal
	Nickname(s): The Palmetto State
	Motto(s): Dum spiro spero; Animis opibusque parati
Official language	English
Capital	Charleston (1670-1789); Columbia (1790-present)
Largest city	Columbia
Largest metro	Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson
Area	Ranked 40th
- Total	34,726 sq mi; (82,965 km2)
- Width	200 miles (320 km)
- Length	260 miles (420 km)
- % water	6
- Latitude	32°4'30"N to 35°12'N
- Longitude	78°0'30"W to 83°20'W
Number of people	Ranked 24th
- Total	4,625,364
- Density	153.9/sq mi (55.8/km2); Ranked 22nd
Height above sea level
- Highest point	Sassafras Mountain; 3,560 ft (1,085 m)
- Average	350 ft (110 m)
- Lowest point	Atlantic Ocean; sea level
Became part of the U.S.	May 23, 1788 (8th)
Governor	Henry McMaster (R)
U.S. Senators	Lindsey Graham (R); Tim Scott (R)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Abbreviations	SC, US-SC
Website	www.sc.gov

South Carolina is a state in the southeast United States. Its capital and largest city is Columbia. The population of the state is about 4.2 million people, ranked 24th in the United States. The state is relatively small in land area, ranked 40th largest.

Other important cities in South Carolina are Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Sumter, and Florence.

Major landforms include beaches, "barrier islands", salt marsh, sandhills*, rolling piedmont, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Because of its natural beauty, the state attracts many tourists, especially to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Hilton Head Island. (*Note historical and factual information has been removed from the Wikipedia Sandhills (Carolina) page to hide the prior ancient climate change evidence of icebergs melting and oceans rising causing these sandhills. Beware who hides facts & allows facts to be hidden.) South Carolina became a state in 1788. The economy was agriculture-based, known for cotton, rice, indigo, and tobacco. After the American Civil War, the state lost much of its political and economic power. Towards the end of the 20th century, the state began to strengthen its economy and add population. Today, the major industries are tourism, textiles (clothing materials), golf, and manufacturing. South Carolina has the second highest number of workers employed by international companies per capita in the United States.

South Carolina is bounded to the north by North Carolina, to the south and west by Georgia, located across the Savannah River, and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean.