Interesting Facts about Georgia On January 2, 1788, Georgia became the 4th state. The name Georgia comes from King George II of England. During the Civil War, Georgia joined the Confederacy on January 19, 1861. At 58,977 square miles, Georgia ranks 24th among the 50 states in total area, and it is the largest state east of the Mississippi River. Georgia’s total water area is 1,058 square miles including Okefenokee Swamp which encompasses over 400,000 acres of canals. The swamp provides sanctuary for hundreds of species of birds and wildlife. The name of the swamp is derived from an Indian word which means “trembling earth”. Georgia itself is known as the Empire State of the South, the Peach State, and the Cracker State. Each year Georgia serves as the host to the International Poultry Trade Show, the largest poultry convention in the world. In Gainesville, the Chicken Capital of the World, it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork. Georgia is the nation’s number one producer of the three Ps: peanuts, pecans and peaches. Cordele claims to be the watermelon capital of the world. Other produce, like the sweet Vidalia onion which can only be grown in fields around Vidalia and Greenville, could be purchased at the largest Farmer’s Market of its kind in Forest Park. In 1828 the first Gold Rush in America took place near the city of Dahlongea. Along the lines of precious minerals and stones, Stone Mountain near Atlanta is one of the largest single masses of exposed granite in the world. The world’s largest sculpture, showcasing the figures of Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, and Robert E. Lee, is at Stone Mountain. Additionally, Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveler, is also carved at the same place. Brasstown Bald Mountain that claims the highest point in Georgia at 4,784 feet, and Providence Canyon State Park, near Lumpkin, is known as the Little Grand Canyon of Georgia. Georgia has conquered milestones in education, as well. Berry College in Rome has the world’s largest college campus and Athens is the location of the first university chartered and supported with the use of state funds. Furthermore, Wesleyan College in Macon was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. Georgia trains young men and women to protect the nation; the world’s largest infantry training center is located at Fort Benning. Aside from providing many opportunities to work hard and better oneself, Georgia offers many beautiful vistas for leisure-time activities. Many enjoy the annual Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National every first week in April. Franklin D. Roosevelt spent time recovering at the Little White House in Warm Springs. The pirate Edward “Blackbeard” Teach made a home on Blackbeard Island and John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife stopped in Kingsland on their way to Cumberland Island for their wedding. Ralph Bunch, a United States diplomat, was the first Georgian to win he Nobel Peace Prize. Coca-Cola was invented in May 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. He name “Coca-Cola” was suggested by Dr. Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinson. He penned the name Coca-Cola in the flowing script that is famous today. Coca-Cola was first sold at a soda fountain in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta by Willis Venable. Some of Georgia’s state symbols include the state bird - the Brown Thrasher. The official state fish is the Largemouth Bass while the state mammal is the Right Whale. The Cherokee Rose is the state flower, the Live Oak is the state tree and the Azalea is state wildflower. The law that established a state song names the version of “Georgia On My Mind” by Georgia’s own Ray Charles as the official version. Tying all its history together, the popular theme park Six Flags over Georgia was actually named after the six flags that flew over Georgia: England, Spain, Liberty, Georgia, Confederate States of America, and the United States. .