• The state capital of North Carolina is Raleigh.North Carolina state contour against blurred USA flag image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com
  
  The 100 counties that make up the state of North Carolina are spread out across a landscape rich in history, culture and geography. The state itself is located along the Atlantic Seaboard on the east coast of the U.S. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west and South Carolina and Georgia to the south.
  
  

State Name

• Carolina was named after King Charles I of England. The name itself derives from the Latin word for Charles, "Carolus." North Carolina was formed in 1729 when the Carolina colony was divided in two, says the State Symbols U.S.A. website.
  
  

Population

• According to the U.S Census Bureau, North Carolina's estimated population in 2009 was 9,380,884. The population increase since 2000 was 16.6 percent. 51.1 percent of the 2009 population was female, slightly higher than the national average.
  
  

Area

• North Carolina has a total land area of about 50,000 square miles. That makes the state roughly the same size as nations such as Greece and Nicaragua.
  
  

Highest Point

• Mount Mitchell is the highest point in North Carolina. At 6,684 feet above sea level, Mount Mitchell is also the highest peak in the eastern United States. The 5.6 mile Mount Mitchell Trail goes all the way up to the summit.
  
  

Cities

• The city of Raleigh is the state capital of North Carolina. It was officially established as the state capital in 1792, and was named in honor of Sir Walter Raleigh. The largest city in North Carolina, however, is Charlotte.
  
  

Geographic Regions

• There are three distinct geographic regions in North Carolina. The Coastal Plain is a low, flat area of land along the Atlantic Ocean. The Piedmont region stretches from north to south across the middle of the state, and is basically a high, flat plateau. The western part of the state is dominated by the Mountains region. A number of ranges are found here, including the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains.
  
  

Economy

• According to the website Netstate, livestock products and crops each contribute about 50 percent of North Carolina's agricultural income. Hogs, broilers and turkeys are some of the main livestock items, while greenhouse and nursery products are the major crops. Tobacco products are a major part of North Carolina's manufacturing sector. The state produces more tobacco products than any other in the U.S.
  
  

State Symbols

• North Carolina has a long list of state symbols, including the longleaf pine, the eastern gray squirrel and the eastern box turtle. The state song, "The Old North State," was written by William Gaston in 1927. The official state beverage, meanwhile, is milk.
  
  

First Colony

• The first English colony in the Americas was located in North Carolina. The colonists settled on Roanoke Island, but the enterprise ended in disaster. The colonists vanished without trace, and the settlement is now known as "The Lost Colony."
  
  

Wright Brothers

• North Carolina was the scene of one of history's most significant technological events. In 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully completed mankind's first powered flight at Kill Devil Hill near the town of Kitty Hawk.