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Quick Facts and Information About North Carolina


North Carolina is a state in the southeastern United States, and it is bordered by Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and the Atlantic Ocean. This page lists some basic, quick facts about North Carolina and provides links to other useful information.



Map excerpt showing North Carolina in red. Map of the United States with North Carolina highlighted, by TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.Quick Facts


Date North Carolina became a state: November 21, 1789 (12th state)


State Capital: Raleigh (Wake County)


Governor: Roy Cooper


State Motto: Esse Quam Videri: To be rather than to seem


State Song: The Old North State


State Colors: Red and Blue


State Bird: Cardinal


State Flower: Dogwood


State Name Origin and Nicknames: Carolina, the Tar Heel State, the Old North State


Economy, Gross Domestic Product: $575,605,000,000 (2018, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)


Population Estimate: 10,551,162 people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021)  (visit the U.S. Census Quick Facts for more information)


Population Rank: 9th largest state in the United States


Largest City (Population): Charlotte -- 830,258 (North Carolina Office of Budget and Management, 2016)


Total Land Area: 48,617.91 square miles


Land Area Rank: 28th largest state in the United States by land area


Number of Counties: 100


Highest Point in North Carolina: Mount Mitchell (6,684 feet)


Distance Between Murphy (west) and Manteo (east): 546 miles (driving); 474.5 miles (direct, "as the crow flies")


Length by Width: North Carolina is 503 miles long by 150 miles wide


Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives: 13


Seats in the N.C. General Assembly: 120 members in the House; 50 members in the Senate. Find your state legislators at https://www.ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators



Links to useful information


North Carolina State Constitution


North Carolina State Government Website


North Carolina County and Municipal Population Estimates (NC Office of Budget and Management)


Locate US Representatives for North Carolina (U.S. House of Representatives website)


Locate US Senators for North Carolina (U.S. Senate website)


North Carolina General Assembly website (NC State Legislature)


North Carolina Voter Information: North Carolina State Board of Elections


North Carolina State Symbols and other Official Adoptions (NCpedia article)


Crime Statistics (NC State Bureau of Investigation)


Public Education Information: Reports and Statistics (NC Public Schools)


U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts for North Carolina


North Carolina Economy at a Glance (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019)


North Carolina Agricultural Statistics (NC Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2018)


NC LINC (NC Office of Budget and Management: population, labor, education, transportation, agriculture, and other data for NC)



Updated July 2019

Image credit: 


TUBS. North Carolina in United States. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_Carolina_in_United_States.svg (accessed October 2, 2016).

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