South Carolina Info
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Capital
City: Columbia
Economy:
Population: 4,012,012
Time Zone: 5 hours behind Greenwich
Mean Time (-5 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed April-October
South Carolina's
Flag:
Asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety in the fall
of 1775 to design a flag for the use of South Carolina troops, Col.
William Moultrie chose a blue which matched the color of their uniforms
and a crescent which reproduced the silver emblem worn on the front
of their caps. The palmetto tree was added later to represent Moultrie's
heroic defense of the palmetto-log fort on Sullivan's Island against
the attack of the British fleet on June 28, 1776.
History
of South Carolina:
Following exploration of the coast in 1521 by Francisco de Gordillo,
the Spanish tried unsuccessfully to establish a colony near present-day
Georgetown in 1526 and the French also failed to colonize Parris Island
near Fort Royal in 1562. The first English settlement was made in
1670 at Albemarle Point on the Ashley River, but poor conditions drove
the settlers to the site of Charleston (originally called Charles
Town). South Carolina, officially separated from North Carolina in
1729, was the scene of extensive military action during the Revolution
and again during the Civil War. The Civil War began in 1861 as South
Carolina troops fired on federal Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor
and the state was the first to secede from the Union. Once primarily
agricultural, South Carolina has built so many large textile and other
mills that today its factories produce eight times the output of its
farms in cash value. Charleston makes asbestos, wood, pulp, and steel
products; chemicals, machinery, and apparel are also important. Farms
have become fewer but larger in recent years. South Carolina grows
more peaches than any other state except California; it ranks fifth
in overall tobacco production. Other farm products include cotton,
peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans, corn, and oats. Poultry and dairy
products are also important revenue producers. Points of interest
include Fort Sumter National Monument, Fort Moultrie, Fort Johnson,
and aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor; the Middleton,
Magnolia, and Cypress Gardens in Charleston; Cowpens National Battlefield;
and the Hilton Head resorts.
Other South Carolina Links:
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina Department of Parks
Recreation and Tourism
South Carolina State Library
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