Delaware

Coordinates: 39deg00’N 75deg30’W / 39.0degN 75.5degW / 39.0; -75.5 (State of Delaware)

Delaware ( DEL[email protected]) is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the nearby Delaware River, in turn named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginia’s first colonial governor.

Delaware is located in the northeastern part of the Delmarva Peninsula, as well as some islands and territory within Delaware River. It is the state with the second-smallest population and sixth-lowest density, but it is also the sixth-most populous. Delaware’s largest city is Wilmington, while the state capital is Dover, the second-largest city in the state. The state is divided into three counties. This is the lowest number of states (except Louisiana and Alaska which don’t have counties but parishes or boroughs respectively). From north to south, they include New Castle County and Kent County. While the southern two counties have historically been predominantly agricultural, New Castle is more urbanized, being part of the Delaware Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area centered on Philadelphia. Delaware’s geography, culture, and history combine elements of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the country.