Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
fornalla
, or “hot furnace.” Another suggestion is that the name comes from the legendary isle
of Greek myth ruled by Queen Caliphia. A third possibility is that the name is drawn from
Las
Sergas de Esplandian
, a Spanish romance written in 1500, in which California is mentioned as
an island near the Terrestrial Paradise.
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Colorado
(38th state—1876) is derived from the Spanish word for “red” or “ruddy.” Although
officially nicknamed the Centennial State because it entered the Union in the year of America's
Centennial, other popular names have included the Lead State (one of at least three Lead States),
the Copper State, and the Switzerland of America.
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Connecticut
(5th state—1788) is derived from another Indian name, Quinnehtukqut, meaning
“beside the long tidal river.” Its official designation as the Constitution State dates to the colonial
period adoption of the
Fundamental Orders
, considered the first written American constitution,
in 1639. The official nickname, the Nutmeg State, comes from the “wooden nutmeg,” similar to
a wooden nickel. State residents were supposed to be so smart they could sell wooden nutmegs
to the gullible. Corporate giants who call the state home inspired the poetic appellation the State
Where the Good Life Pays More in Corporate Dividends. Arms supplier to the nation since the
time of the American Revolution, Connecticut has also been called the Arsenal of the Nation.
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Delaware
, (1st state—1787) first of the thirteen original states to ratify the Constitution (1787),
is the First State. The colony was initially named in 1610 for Virginia's governor, Thomas West,
the Baron De La Warr. Also called the Small Wonder and the Diamond State (get it?—small, but
valuable), the state's best nickname may be the Blue Hen State, in honor of a ferocious breed of
fighting chicken popular during the revolutionary era.
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Florida
(27th state—1845) was named by explorer Ponce de León in 1513 from the Spanish for
“feast of flowers.” For obvious reasons called the Sunshine State, Florida has been more appet-
izingly listed on the menu as the Winter Salad Bowl State.
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Georgia
(4th state—1788), fourth state to ratify the Constitution (1788), was named in honor of
King George II of England. Established as a colony in 1733 as a refuge for English debtors, its
true purpose was to act as a defensive buffer between the Spanish outpost in Florida and the oth-
er existing English colonies to the north. Georgia's value was proven in 1742, when its founder,
James Oglethorpe, led a successful defense against a Spanish invasion at the Battle of Bloody
Marsh. The largest state east of the Mississippi, it is called the Peach State, even though other
states grow more peaches, and the Goober State because it does grow the most peanuts. One
leading peanut grower was President Jimmy Carter.
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Hawaii
(50th state—1959) has uncertain origins. The collection of islands may have been named
by Hawaii Loa, the person traditionally accepted as discoverer of the islands, or they may have
been named after Hawaii, or Hawaiki, the home of the Polynesians who settled the islands some-
time between the years 300 and 600. Known as the Aloha State, Hawaii is also called the Pine-
apple State for its most important agricultural product. A native monarchy was overthrown in
1893 and a republic was declared a year later with Sanford Dole as president. In 1898, Hawaii
was formally annexed—a polite word for “taken over”—by the United States.
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Idaho
(43rd state—1890) has the singular distinction of having a name that apparently doesn't
mean anything. Although Idahi was a name given to the Comanche Indians by the Kiowa-
Apaches, there is only speculation about its exact meaning. Two possibilities are “fish eaters”
