| Commonwealth of Virginia | |
| Coordinates | 38°N, 79°W |
| General | |
| Surface | 110,862 km² (7.4% water) |
| Inhabitants | 8,096.604 (79 inhabitants/km²) |
| Capital city | Richmond |
| Politics | |
| Governor | Glenn Youngkin (R) |
| Other | |
| Time zone | Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) |
| Joined | June 25, 1788 |
| Nickname | Old Dominion |
| Song | Our Great Virginia |
| ISO 3166-2 | US-VA |
| Website | virginia.gov |
Map of Virginia from 1630
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, [a] is one of the states of the United States. The name is a reference to Queen Elizabeth I of England, The Virgin Queen. Virginia is the oldest of the thirteen colonies that would form the United States in the 18th century and played an important role in the country’s early history. The state’s nickname is “Old Dominion”. The capital is Richmond.
Geography
The state of Virginia covers 110,862 km², of which 102,642 km² is land. The highest point of the state is 1726 m.
Virginia is bordered to the northwest by West Virginia, to the northeast by Maryland and the District of Columbia, to the west by Kentucky, and to the south by Tennessee and North Carolina.
The west of the state is dominated by the Appalachians, while the east is fairly flat. The Maryland border partially coincides with the Potomac River, which opens into Chesapeake Bay. The southeast of the state is located on this bay and on the Atlantic Ocean. A portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, on the other side of the bay, belongs to Virginia but is not connected to it by land.
Demography and Economics
The Pentagon in Arlington Virginia, with Washington DC in the background.
Virginia had 7,078,515 inhabitants (64 per km²), of which about 69% of the population lives in an urban area. Part of the US capital’s metropolitan area, Arlington, separated by the Potomac River, is attached to Washington DC and is located in the state of Virginia. The Pentagon is also located here. Due to the short distance to Washington DC, Virginia has a relatively large number of federal government agencies. Langley, for example, is home to the CIA headquarters. Also Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airportare in the state. Other important cities are Norfolk and the capital Richmond.
List of counties in Virginia
The US state of Virginia is divided into 95 counties and 38 independent cities. These independent cities do not belong to a county, but can act as the capital of an adjacent county, which is the case with 14 counties. Virginia is one of the few US states where cities can have these powers.
Counties and Independent Cities of Virginia. Note: There are 40 more independent cities on the map. However, in 2001, the city of Clifton Forge decided to give up its independence and rejoin Alleghany County.
The capitals marked with * are independent cities and do not belong to the county.
| County | Inhabitants July 1, 2007 |
County Seat | Residents July 1, 2007 |
| Accomack | 38.485 | Accomac | 529 |
| Albemarle | 93.117 | Charlottesville * | 41.228 |
| Alleghany | 16.387 | Covington * | 6168 |
| Amelia | 12.686 | Amelia Courthouse | |
| Amherst | 32.223 | Amherst | 2208 |
| Appomattox | 14.199 | Appomattox | 1726 |
| Arlington | 204.568 | Arlington | 204.568 |
| Augusta | 70.922 | Staunton * | 23.834 |
| Bath | 4635 | Warm Springs | |
| Bedford | 66.750 | Bedford * | 6286 |
| Bland | 6883 | Bland | |
| Botetourt | 32.005 | Fincastle | 353 |
| Brunswick | 17.811 | Lawrenceville | 1342 |
| Buchanan | 23.900 | Grundy | 975 |
| Buckingham | 15.932 | Buckingham | |
| Campbell | 52.840 | Rustburg | 1313 |
| Caroline | 27.282 | Bowling Green | 1018 |
| Carroll | 29.120 | Hillsville | 2665 |
| Charles City | 7166 | Charles City | |
| Charlotte | 12.333 | Charlotte Court House | 440 |
| Chesterfield | 299.689 | Chesterfield Court House |
4087 |
| Clarke | 14.361 | Berryville | 3157 |
| Craig | 5141 | New Castle | 172 |
| Culpeper | 45.723 | Culpeper | 13.497 |
| Cumberland | 9626 | Cumberland | |
| Dickenson | 16.168 | Clintwood | 1503 |
| Dinwiddie | 25.747 | Dinwiddie | |
| Essex | 10.862 | Tappahannock | 2172 |
| Fairfax | 1.010.241 | Fairfax * | 23.349 |
| Fauqier | 66.328 | Warrenton | 8877 |
| Floyd | 14.641 | Floyd | 433 |
| Fluvanna | 25.329 | Palmyra | |
| Franklin | 51.133 | Rocky Mount | 4544 |
| Frederick | 72.880 | Winchester * | 25.733 |
| Giles | 17.228 | Pearisburg | 2766 |
| Gloucester | 38.336 | Gloucester Courthouse |
2495 |
| Goochland | 20.615 | Goochland | |
| Grayson | 16.072 | Independence | 903 |
| Greene | 17.860 | Stanardsville | 501 |
| Greensville | 11.912 | Emporia * | 5619 |
| Halifax | 35.530 | Halifax | 1272 |
| Hanover | 98.946 | Hanover | |
| Henrico | 289.822 | Richmond * | 200.123 |
| Henry | 55.544 | Martinsville * | 14.578 |
| Highland | 2446 | Monterey | 145 |
| Isle of Wight | 35.035 | Isle of Wight | |
| James City | 61.195 | Williamsburg * | 12.434 |
| King and Queen | 6882 | King and Queen Court House |
|
| King George | 22.630 | King George | |
| King William | 15.689 | King William | |
| Lancaster | 11.532 | Lancaster | |
| Lee | 23.461 | Jonesville | 969 |
| Loudoun | 278.797 | Leesburg | 38.465 |
| Louisa | 31.961 | Louisa | 1549 |
| Lunenburg | 13.018 | Lunenburg | |
| Madison | 13.719 | Madison | 215 |
| Mathews | 9041 | Mathews | |
| Mecklenburg | 32.106 | Boydton | 459 |
| Middlesex | 10.637 | Greets | |
| Montgomery | 89.193 | Christiansburg | 19.176 |
| Nelson | 14.245 | Lovingston | |
| New Kent | 17.109 | New Kent | |
| Northampton | 13.401 | Eastville | 193 |
| Northumberland | 12.897 | Heathsville | |
| Nottoway | 15.755 | Nottoway | |
| Orange | 32.492 | Orange | 4580 |
| Page | 24.142 | Luray | 4858 |
| Patrick | 18.870 | Stuart | 1441 |
| Pittsylvania | 60.826 | Chatham | 1267 |
| Powhatan | 27.817 | Powhatan | |
| Prince Edward | 21.360 | Farmville | 7172 |
| Prince George | 35.886 | Prince George | |
| Prince William | 360.411 | Manassas * | 35.412 |
| Pulaski | 35.060 | Pulaski | 9047 |
| Rappahannock | 7199 | Washington | 174 |
| Richmond | 9171 | Warsaw | 1361 |
| Roanoke | 90.420 | Roanoke * | 92.600 |
| Rockbridge | 21.498 | Lexington * | 7026 |
| Rockingham | 73.524 | Harrisonburg * | 44.039 |
| Russell | 28.838 | Lebanon | 3177 |
| Scott | 22.787 | Gate City | 2056 |
| Shenandoah | 40.403 | Woodstock | 4265 |
| Smyth | 32.050 | Marion | 6048 |
| Southampton | 17.654 | Courtland | 1248 |
| Spotsylvania | 119.194 | Spotsylvania Courthouse |
4992 |
| Stafford | 120.723 | Stafford | |
| Surry | 7089 | Surry | 253 |
| Sussex | 12.222 | Sussex | |
| Tazewell | 43.855 | Tazewell | 4288 |
| Warren | 36.294 | Front Royal | 14.565 |
| Washington | 52.733 | Abingdon | 7968 |
| Westmoreland | 17.252 | Montross | 309 |
| Wise | 41.666 | Wise | 3237 |
| Wythe | 28.538 | Wytheville | 8109 |
| York | 61.271 | Yorktown | 220 |
Culture
Thomas Jefferson ‘s Monticello Estate is a World Heritage Site.
Virginia is one of four states, along with Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, that call themselves a commonwealth because of their colonial histories. Legally this makes no difference to other states but many Virginians pride themselves on living not in a state but in a commonwealth. In addition to the nickname Old Dominion, the state is also called the Mother of Presidents because eight presidents came from this state. During the Civil War, the name The Cavalier State was also used and the sports teams of the University of Virginiastill call themselves Cavaliers.
Since 1969, tourism has been promoted with the slogan Virginia is for Lovers. Originally, the idea was to use three slogans Virginia is for History Lovers, Virginia is for Beach Lovers, and Virginia is for Mountain Lovers. The state is now best known for its history, concerning the origin of the United States. In the 19th century, it was previously known for its natural beauty. Due to its role in the early history of the United States, there are many historical sites to be found.
Two historical novels are set in the state, The Wettest County in the World about moonshiners during Prohibition and The Confessions of Nat Turner about the slave revolt of 1831. In 1881, Thomas Jefferson published the book Notes on the State of Virginia in which he described the landscape., describes the economy and society of Virginia. He also discusses his ideas about the ideal society and slavery.
Politics
Virginia Capitol.
The executive branch of the state is headed by a governor, who is directly elected by the voters in the state. Glenn Youngkin of the Republican Party has been the governor of the state of Virginia since January 15, 2022.
The legislature is made up of the Virginia House of Delegates (Virginia House of Delegates) with 100 members and the Senate of Virginia (Senate of Virginia) with 40 members. The Parliament of Virginia is the oldest parliament in the New World still in use. It was founded in 1609, but at that time it still consisted partly of elected and non-elected members.
Virginia was long a solid Republican state, but has become increasingly liberal in recent years. The fact that many progressive suburbs of the capital Washington are located in Virginia plays a major role in this. In the 2016 presidential election, Virginia was the only one of the former Confederate States to vote for Hillary Clinton.
