Delaware

Delaware ranks 49^th in size among the states, with 1,982 square miles.

Delaware is 21.5% water.

Delaware was named for Lord De La Warr who, in 1610, brought desperately needed supplies to the Jamestown Colony.

Del. rises from sea level (Atlantic Ocean) to 447’ (not a specific hill but just a point on Ebright Rd. in New Castle county).  90% of Del. is in the coastal plain, making it closer to sea level than any state but FL.

Del.’s northern border, with Penn., is a perfect 120° semicircle – the result of a 12-mi. circle centered at New Castle.  This is the only circular border in the U.S.

Del.’s border with Md. was in dispute until settled by the 1765 Mason-Dixon survey.

Del. is the only state with its counties divided into “hundreds,” a term dating to Alfred the Great and established in Del. by William Penn in 1682.

Del. is one of 5 states (incl. W.V., VT, ME, WY) with no city over 100,000.

Del. is the only state that can amend its constitution without voter approval.

Trap Pond State Park

Trap Pond State Park has the northernmost natural stand of bald cypress in the U.S.

An 80’ sand dune at Cape Henlopen is the highest sand dune between Cape Cod and Cape Hatteras.

Del. has the world's largest population of Horseshoe Crab.

Beginning 1717, the whipping post was an officially recognized form of punishment.  It was last used in 1952, but it took another 20 years for Del. to eliminate it, becoming the last state to do so.

Bartlett's Church near Dover is considered the "cradle of Methodism in the US."  Rehoboth Beach was originally established as a Methodist camp meeting site.

In 1899, Del. passed business-friendly incorporation laws; now more than 250,000 companies have incorporated there, including more than half the Fortune 500.

Sussex County has the World Championship Punkin Chunkin contest each fall.

The car ferry between Bethel and Woodland has been in use since 1671 and may be the oldest continuously used ferry in the U.S.