Delaware

Template:Infobox U.S. state Template:Infobox U.S. state symbols Delaware (/ˈdɛləwɛər/ (listen))^[1] is a state in the United States. It is sometimes called the First State because it was the first colony to accept the new constitution in 1787.^[2] Its capital is Dover and its biggest city is Wilmington. It is the second smallest state in the United States.

The Dutch first settled Delaware. The Swedish then took over in the mid-1600s.

Geography[edit]

Delaware is 96 miles (154 km) long and ranges from 9 miles (14 km) to 35 miles (56 km) across, totaling 1,954 square miles (5,060 km²), making it the second-smallest state in the United States after Rhode Island. Delaware is bounded to the north by Pennsylvania; to the east by the Delaware River, Delaware Bay, New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west and south by Maryland.

Topography[edit]

Delaware is on a level plain, with the lowest mean elevation of any state in the nation.^[3] Its highest elevation, located at Ebright Azimuth, near Concord High School, is less than 450 feet (140 m) above sea level.^[3]

Environment[edit]

The transitional climate of Delaware supports a wide variety of vegetation. In the northern third of the state are found Northeastern coastal forests and mixed oak forests typical of the northeastern United States.^[4] In the southern two-thirds of the state are found Middle Atlantic coastal forests.^[4] Trap Pond State Park, along with areas in other parts of Sussex County, for example, support the northernmost stands of bald cypress trees in North America.

Environmental management[edit]

Delaware provides government subsidy support for the clean-up of property "lightly contaminated" by hazardous waste, the proceeds for which come from a tax on wholesale petroleum sales.^[5]