Delaware is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions of the United States. The state is named after Delaware Bay and River, which were named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618). Population estimates by the Census Bureau for 2005 place the population of Delaware at 843,524. Despite being the 45th most populous state, it is the seventh most densely populated state, with a population density of 320 more people per square mile than the national average, ranking ahead of states such as Florida, California, and Texas.
"The First State"
This nickname officially refers to the fact that Delaware was the first to ratify the United States Constitution.[6] Even though the states were already known as such prior to the Constitution, the motto itself is still historically accurate, as Delaware was indeed the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, the first document legally naming the new American political entities as "states" (although the Declaration of Independence also refers to them as "States"). Commemorating Delaware's ratification, Constitution Park (one block from where Dover's Golden Fleece Tavern once stood) features a four-foot cube upon which is inscribed the entire document as it has evolved.
*Information and map from Wikipedia.org.
