South Carolina

From the Atlantic coast to the Appalachians, over the centuries, more than two dozen Indian peoples have lived in the territory of the modern state of South Carolina, including the Catoba, Kongari, Cusabo, Pee-di, Santee, Wateri, Cherokee, Chikwola, Yamasee and others.

The first Europeans to set foot on the lands of South Carolina were the Spaniards, already in the twenties of the 16th century, just forty years after Columbus, an expedition led by Lucas de Eilon explored the coast of the state. In 1526, he landed with more than six hundred settlers in the area of ​​modern Georgetown, but the place was considered unsuitable for establishing a colony. It is not known for certain which direction de Eilon's colonists went (the most common versions are north to modern Virginia or, most likely, south to Georgia), but the settlement of San Miguel de Gualdeip he founded became the first European settlement in North America (although this colony lasted only about three months).

In 1539-40, an expedition led by the famous Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto passed through South Carolina (as well as Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi).

Following the Spaniards, the French appeared in South Carolina; in 1562, Captain Jean Ribot founded a small fortified village of Charlesfort on Parris Island, which lasted less than a year. In 1566, the Spanish settlement of Santa Elena was built on the same site, which until 1587 was the "capital" of the Spanish colonies in the region. The location of Charlesfort and Santa Elena today has the status of a US National Historic Landmark.

In 1786, the South Carolina General Assembly decided to create a new capital, named Columbia. On May 23, 1788, South Carolina ratified the Constitution of the United States of America, thus becoming the eighth state of the new nation.

Some Notable South Carolina Natives and Residents

•  Christopher Gadsden (1724–1805) was a famous politician of the American Revolution, the author of the famous Gadsden Flag. Born in Charleston.
•  Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion (c. 1732–1795) was a distinguished officer in the US Army during the Revolutionary War. It is considered one of the founders of the methods of guerrilla warfare. Born in Berkeley County.
•  Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) 7th President of the United States. Born in the Waxhaw area on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina.
•  Robert Mills (1781–1855) famous architect. Known, among other things, as the author of the project of the Washington Monument on the National Mall in the US capital. Born in Charleston.
•  John Caldwell Calhoun (1782–1850) was an outstanding politician and statesman, the 7th Vice President of the United States. Born in Abbeville.
•  William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870) was a famous writer, historian and politician. Born in Charleston.
•  Joseph Hayne Rainey (1832–1887), politician. Born into slavery, he became the first African American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Born in Georgetown.
•  Mary Jane McLeod Bethune (1875–1955) was an educator, philanthropist, statesman, and one of the leaders of the civil rights movement. She was born in the town of Mayesville.
•  Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973) is a famous sculptor. Born in Massachusetts, but later lived in South Carolina.
•  James Francis Byrnes (James Francis Byrnes, 1882-1972) - famous politician and statesman; one of the few who worked in senior positions in all three branches of government in the United States. Born in Charleston.
•  Edwin DuBose Heyward (1885–1940) was a writer best known for writing the libretto of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Born in Charleston.
•  Mark Wayne Clark (1896–1984) was a famous military leader, one of the youngest generals in the US Army during World War II. Born in New York State, but later lived in South Carolina.
•  John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (1917–1993) was a famous jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader. Born in the city of Chero.
•  Althea Gibson (Althea Neale Gibson, 1927-2003) - an outstanding tennis player and golfer. Born in Clarendon County.
•  Joseph William "Joe" Frazier (1944–2011) was a famous boxer. Born in Beaufort.

South Carolina State Symbols

 Tree - palm-shaped sabal (palmetto, Sabal palmetto)

 Flower (cultivated) - Gelsemium evergreen (Gelsemium sempervirens)

 Flower (wild) - the highest goldenrod (Solidago altissima)

 Grass - sorghum drooping ("Indian grass", Sorghastrum nutans)

 Animal - white-tailed (virginsky) deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

 Marine mammal - large (bottle-nosed) dolphin (bottle dolphin, Tursiops truncatus) and northern right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

 Dog breed - Boykin Spaniel

 Birds - Carolina bush wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and Carolina duck (Aix sponsa)

 Fish - striped bayfish (Morone saxatilis)

 Reptile - big-headed sea turtle (loggerhead, Caretta caretta)

 Amphibian - yellow-spotted ambystoma (Ambystoma maculatum)

 Insect - Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina)

 Butterfly - sailboat glaucus (Papilio glaucus)

 Spider - Carolina wolf spider (Hogna carolinensis)

 Food product (fruit) - peach

 Food item (snack) - boiled peanuts

 Drink - milk and tea

 Precious (ornamental) stone - amethyst

 Rock - blue granite

 Fossil (extinct animal) - Colombian mammoth

 Color - indigo

 Dance - square dance and caroline step

 Musical style - spirituals and beach music (Caroline beach pop)

 Song - "Carolina" (Carolina, music and lyrics by Ann Burgess, lyrics by Henry Timrod) and "South Carolina on My Mind", music and lyrics by Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge

About 4,680,000 people live in the state of South Carolina (the twenty-fourth place in terms of population among US states. The average population density in South Carolina is about 60 people per km2 (nineteenth place in the USA).

There are no very large cities in South Carolina, the largest of them, the capital of the state of Columbia, has a little over 130,000 inhabitants (one hundred and ninety-second place in the list of the largest cities in the United States). Other cities in the state include Charleston (about 120,000 inhabitants), North Charleston (about 100,000 inhabitants), Mount Pleasant, and Rock Hill (about 70,000 inhabitants each).

The largest ethnic (national) groups among the population of the state of South Carolina:

 Descendants of immigrants from Africa (African Americans) - about 28%

 "Americans" - 13.9%

 English - 8.4%

 Germans - 8.4%

 Irish - 7.9%

Self-identified "Americans" are typically English, Scottish or Irish descendants who have lived in the United States for many generations.

Until the middle of the 20th century, South Carolina's economy was based almost entirely on agriculture (with cotton as the main crop) and on the processing of its products. Industrial production was represented only by numerous textile factories and sawmills. The state cannot boast of mineral reserves; only sand, gravel and some other building materials are mined here.

In recent decades, the state's economy has become much more diversified, along with the rapid growth of industry, the service sector, education, transportation (the port of Charleston is one of the largest on the east coast of the United States of America), and agriculture is no longer focused on one culture. Tourism plays an increasingly important role in the economy of the Palm State.