North Carolina Property Mappers Association

North Carolina Facts & Figures

State Population	8.05 million (2000)
State Area	52,669 sq. miles
State Capital	Raleigh (established 1792)
State Name Origin	From Latin "Carolus" in honor of King Charles I of England
State Nickname	Tar Heel State
State Motto	"Esse Quam Videri" ("To Be, Rather Than To Seem")
State Song	The Old North State by Judge William Gaston
State Flower	Dogwood
State Tree	Pine
State Bird	Cardinal
State Shell	Scotch Bonnet
State Fish	Channel Bass
State Insect	Honey Bee
State Colors	Blue and Red
State Reptile	Box Turtle
State Stone	Emerald
State Beverage	Milk
State Rock	Granite
State Mammal	Gray Squirrel
State Dog	Plott Hound

Did You Know?

• North Carolina has 301 miles of coastline.
• There are 1,500 lakes of 10 acres or more in North Carolina.
• The highest peak in North Carolina is Mt. Mitchell at 6,684 feet.
• The oldest town in North Carolina is Bath which was incorporated in 1705.
• There are about 37,000 miles of freshwater streams in North Carolina.
• North Carolina has 17 major river basins.
• North Carolina is the leading manufacturer of tobacco, textiles and brick; and markets the most furniture of any state in the United States.
• Located in the Appalachian Mountains of Ashe County, the New River is the oldest river in the nation and the second oldest in the world.
• Jockey's Ridge at Nags Head is the tallest natural sand dune on the east coast which stands at 138 feet in height.
• The tallest lighthouse in the United States is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse which stands at 208 feet on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
• The Venus' Flytrap, which eats and digests insects and other small living things, survives only in an approximate 100-mile area located near Wilmington.

*Sources: "North Carolina, Facts and Figures", compiled through the North Carolina Travel and Tourism Division and 2000 Census Figures from www.census.gov

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