Delaware

Delaware was one of the original thirteen colonies and became the first state to ratify the United States Constitution on December 7, 1787, earning its nickname, the First State. Dover is the capital, while Wilmington is the largest city. The nation’s second-smallest state, Delaware stretches from the Delaware River and Bay to the Atlantic Coast, with beaches, wetlands, farmland, and low coastal plains defining much of its landscape.

Before independence, the region was governed at different times by the Dutch, Swedish, and English. Although Delaware was a slave state, it remained in the Union during the Civil War. Its location between major eastern cities later contributed to its development as a center of transportation, manufacturing, banking, and chemical production.