North Carolina

North Carolina is a prominent state located in the Southeastern and South Atlantic regions of the United States.

It is part of the Carolinas region along the East Coast, sharing this designation with South Carolina. The state is bordered by Virginia to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. To the south lies South Carolina, while Georgia sits to the southwest. Tennessee forms the western border. As of the 2020 census, the state had a population of 10,439,388 people. It ranks as the 28th-largest state by area and the ninth-most populous in the nation.

The geography of North Carolina features a diverse range of elevations and distinct landscapes.

Moving from west to east, the land descends from the Appalachian Mountains through the Piedmont region to the Atlantic coastal plain. The western mountains contain Mount Mitchell, which is the highest point in North America east of the Black Hills in South Dakota.

Most of the state experiences a humid subtropical climate. However, the high-elevation mountainous areas possess a subtropical highland climate. This variation in terrain creates many different environments for plants and animals to thrive.

Human history in North Carolina stretches back at least 10,000 years.

The Hardaway Site provides early evidence of this long occupation. Before 200 AD, Indigenous peoples constructed earthwork platform mounds for religious and ceremonial purposes. The South Appalachian Mississippian culture established itself in the Piedmont and mountain regions by 1000 AD. These groups continued the tradition of building mounds, though their settlements often featured only one central platform mound. Over time, the region became the homelands of the Cherokee people, who are believed to have migrated from the Great Lakes area.

European contact began with explorers like the Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524.

He provided the first European description of the coast between Cape Fear and Pamlico Sound. Later, Spanish expeditions led by Hernando de Soto and Juan Pardo attempted to explore and claim the interior. Pardo established Fort San Juan in 1567, marking the first European attempt to colonize the interior of the United States. However, native groups destroyed the forts and killed many Spaniards in 1568, and the Spanish did not return to the interior.

In the late 16th century, Sir Walter Raleigh received a charter from Elizabeth I to establish English colonies.

This led to the famous "Lost Colony" on Roanoke Island in 1587. When John White returned from a supply trip in 1590, the 118 colonists had vanished. This remains one of the greatest mysteries in American history. Eventually, the area became a royal colony in 1729 after being divided from South Carolina. The colony's economy later relied heavily on the plantation system, producing tobacco, cotton, and textiles through the labor of enslaved people.

North Carolina played a vital role in the formation of the United States. On April 12, 1776, the state adopted the Halifax Resolves.

This was the first formal call for independence from Great Britain among the American colonies. North Carolina later became the 12th state to ratify the United States Constitution on November 21, 1789. During the American Civil War, the state declared secession on May 20, 1861. It was the tenth of eleven states to join the Confederate States of America. The state was eventually restored to the Union on July 4, 1868.

Modern North Carolina is defined by major urban centers and technological innovation. Raleigh serves as the state capital, while Charlotte is the most populous city.

The Charlotte metropolitan area had an estimated population of 2,883,370 in 2024. It is the largest banking center in the nation after New York City. The Research Triangle is another significant area, with an estimated 2,368,947 people in 2023.

This region contains Research Triangle Park, the largest research park in the United States.

The state is also famous for its contributions to aviation history. On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft at Kitty Hawk.

This historic event in the Outer Banks is so significant that the state uses the slogan "First in Flight" on its license plates.

Some plates also feature the slogan "First in Freedom" to honor the Halifax Resolves and the Mecklenburg Declaration.