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The state flag,
adopted in 1885, displays two dates. May 20, 1775, is the supposed
date of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence proclaiming
Mecklenburg County's independence from Britain. On April 12, 1776,
North Carolina authorized its delegates to the Continental
Congress to vote for independence. The state seal, adopted in
1984, also has these dates. The standing figure represents
Liberty; the seated figure, Plenty.
North Carolina leads all the states of the United States in
tobacco farming and in the manufacture of tobacco products. It
also leads the nation in the production of textiles and wooden
furniture. Raleigh is North Carolina's capital. Charlotte is the
state's largest city.
North Carolina is a Southern state with a long coastline on the
Atlantic Ocean. Islands, reefs, and sand bars make its shores some
of the most treacherous in the world. Many ships have been wrecked
at Cape Hatteras by the rough seas and difficult currents. Cape
Hatteras is called the Graveyard of the Atlantic. |
