South Carolina (SC)

South Carolina heading

Quick Facts

Capital City: Columbia

Abbreviation:  SC 

Population (2019):  4,774,839; Rank: 24 of 50 | Population Quick Facts

Region:   South

Admission to Statehood:  May 23, 1788 (8th State)

State Motto:

State Nickname:  Palmetto State

Origin of State Name:  Taken from Carolus, the Latin word for Charles, and named after England’s King Charles I

Area Codes:  803, 843, 864

Zip Codes: South Carolina Zip Codes

 

 

State Symbols

South Carolina
Quarter
South Carolina
State Flag
South Carolina
State Seal
South Carolina
State Bird
South Carolina
State Tree
South Carolina
State Flower

Bird:  Carolina Wren | List of State Birds

Flag:  Asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety in the fall of 1775 to design a flag for the use of South Carolina troops, Col. William Moultrie chose a blue which matched the color of their uniforms and a crescent which reproduced the silver emblem worn on the front of their caps. The palmetto tree was added later to represent Moultrie’s heroic defense of the palmetto-log fort on Sullivan’s Island against the attack of the British fleet on June 28, 1776. Get this Flag

Flower:  Yellow Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) | Other State Flowers

Soil:  Bohicket

Song:  “Carolina” | Words by: Henri Timrod |
Music by: Anne C. Burgess Other State Songs | Sheet Music

Quarter: South Carolina Quarter | List of State Quarters

Tree: Sabal Palm (Sabal palmetto) | Other State Trees

 

 

 

Geography

South Carolina on a map

 

Area:

  • Area: 32,007 sq.mi (82,898 sq.km.), 40th
  • Land: 30,111 sq.mi. (77,987 sq.km.), 40th
  • Water: 1,896 sq.mi. (4,911 sq.km.), 21st
  • Coastline: 187 mi. (301 km.), 11th
  • Shoreline: 2,876 mi. (4,628 km.), 11th

Largest Cities: Columbia | Charleston | North Charleston | Mount Pleasant | Rock Hill | Greenville | Summerville | Sumter | Hilton Head Island | Florence

Border States:  Georgia | North Carolina | List of US Regions

Highest Point: Sassafras Mountain ; 3,560 feet, (1,085 m.), 29th tallest

Lowest Point:  South Carolina; sea level, tied for 3rd lowest

Geographic Center:  Richland, 13 miles southeast of Columbia

National Parks:
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
Congaree National Park
Cowpens National Battlefield
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
Kings Mountain National Military Park
Ninety-Six National Historic Site
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
South Carolina National Parks

Location:  

 

State Government

Governor:   Henry McMaster (R)

Senators:  Lindsey Graham (R) Tim Scott (R)

Representatives:  House Senate

Constitution: South Carolina’s Constitution

Electoral College Votes: 9 votes

 

Economy

    • Agriculture: Tobacco, poultry, cattle, dairy products, soybeans, hogs.
    • Industry: Textile goods, chemical products, paper products, machinery, tourism.
  • White Pages:  South Carolina White Pages

Education