South Carolina - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

South Carolina
State
State of South Carolina
Flag Seal
Nickname:  The Palmetto State
Motto(s):  Dum spiro spero* (Latin, 'While I breathe, I hope') Animis opibusque parati† (Latin, 'Prepared in mind and resources')
Anthem: "Carolina"; "South Carolina On My Mind"
Map of the United States with South Carolina highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Province of South Carolina
Admitted to the Union	May 23, 1788 (8th)
Capital	Columbia
Largest city	Charleston[1]
Largest metro and urban areas	Greenville (combined and metro) Columbia (urban)
Government
• Governor	Henry McMaster (R)
• Lieutenant Governor	Pamela Evette (R)
Legislature	General Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	South Carolina Supreme Court
U.S. senators	Lindsey Graham (R) Tim Scott (R)
U.S. House delegation	6 Republicans 1 Democrat (list)
Area
• Total	32,020[2] sq mi (82,932 km2)
• Land	30,109 sq mi (77,982 km2)
• Water	1,911 sq mi (4,949 km2)  6%
• Rank	40th
Dimensions
• Length	260 mi (420 km)
• Width	200 mi (320 km)
Elevation	350 ft (110 m)
Highest elevation (Sassafras Mountain[3][4])	3,560 ft (1,085 m)
Lowest elevation (Atlantic Ocean[3])	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2021)
• Total	5,190,705[5]
• Rank	23rd
• Density	172.4/sq mi (66.6/km2)
• Rank	19th
• Median household income	$50,570[6]
• Income rank	41st
Demonyms	South Carolinian
Language
• Official language	English
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation	SC
ISO 3166 code	US-SC
Traditional abbreviation	S.C.
Latitude	32°2′ N to 35°13′ N
Longitude	78°32′ W to 83°21′ W
Website	sc.gov

South Carolina state symbols
Flag of South Carolina
Living insignia
Amphibian	Salamander
Bird	Carolina Wren
Butterfly	Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Dog breed	Boykin Spaniel
Fish	Striped bass
Flower	Yellow jessamine
Insect	Carolina mantis
Mammal	White-tailed deer
Reptile	Loggerhead sea turtle
Tree	Sabal palmetto
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Dance	Carolina shag
Food	Fruit: Peach Snack: Boiled peanuts Vegetable: Collard greens
Fossil	Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi)
Mineral	Amethyst
Rock	Blue granite
Shell	Lettered olive
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2000
Lists of United States state symbols

South Carolina state symbols
Flag of South Carolina
Living insignia
Amphibian	Salamander
Bird	Carolina wren
Butterfly	Eastern tiger swallowtail
Fish	Striped bass
Flower	Yellow jessamine
Insect	Carolina Mantis
Mammal	White-tailed deer
Reptile	Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Tree	Sabal palmetto
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Dance	Carolina shag
Food	Fruit: Peach Snack: Boiled peanuts Vegetable: Collard greens
Fossil	Columbian mammoth Mammuthus columbi
Mineral	Amethyst
Rock	Blue granite
Shell	Lettered olive
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2000
Lists of United States state symbols

South Carolina is a state in the southeast United States. Its capital city is Columbia which with 137,300 people is the largest city in South Carolina by population. The population of the state is about 5.2 million people, ranked 23rd in the United States. South Carolina has an area of 32,030 square miles, making it the 40th largest state in the United States.

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

Major landforms include beaches, "barrier islands", salt marsh, sandhills Archived 2017-02-18 at the Wayback Machine, 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. South Carolina became a state in 1788. The economy was agriculture-based, known for cotton, rice, indigo, and tobacco by African American slaves. 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.

The original inhabitants of South Carolina were Native Americans. At least 29 Native American tribes lived in South Carolina. The Native American population declined after the arrival of Europeans.^[7]

Before the Civil War, South Carolina grew a lot of rice. African slaves worked on slave plantations in the state.

South Carolina became the first of eleven states to secede from the union, on December 20, 1860, to protest the election of Republican Abraham Lincoln. It joined the Confederacy. The first battle of the Civil War took place at Fort Sumter, in Charleston.

After the Civil War, African-Americans in South Carolina got to vote for some time, but soon black codes were enacted, and white-supremacist groups like the KKK were reborn, restricting African-Americans from voting. South Carolina thus became a Democratic stronghold. In fact, in 1904, Republican Theodore Roosevelt, who was running for president, won less than 5% of the vote in the state. The Democratic candidate won over 95% of the vote. This cult of fear disabled most African-Americans in South Carolina from voting till 1965, when President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act.

For a long time, South Carolina had the Confederate flag hanging over its capital. This is no longer the case.

U.S. President Andrew Jackson was born in South Carolina.

• Colleges and universities in South Carolina
• List of counties in South Carolina

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Carolina.

This short article about a place or feature in the United States can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.