| State of West Virginia | |
| Coordinates | 39°0’NB, 80°30’WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 62.809 km² (0,6% water) |
| Residents | 1.855.364 (29,8 inhabitants/km²) |
| Capital city | Charleston |
| Politics | |
| Governor | Jim Justice (R) |
| Other | |
| Time zone | Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) |
| Joined | 20 juni 1863 |
| Nickname | Mountain State |
| Website | wv.gov |
West Virginia (Dutch: West Virginia) is one of the states of the United States. The standard abbreviation for the “Mountain State,” as its nickname goes, is WV. The capital is Charleston.
History
The area now called West Virginia was originally settled by Native American tribes. The Iroquois ceded what is now Kentucky and West Virginia to the British in the 1768 Peace Treaty of Fort Stanwix, although the tribes living there (Shawnees, Delawares, and Cherokees) were not represented. In return they received numerous gifts and over 10,000 pounds.
It belonged to the state of Virginia until the American Civil War, although there was already disagreement between the government and the planters in the region, including over the abolition of slavery. When Virginia seceded from the Union, the western counties in turn seceded from Virginia on April 27, 1861. On December 31, 1862 , Abraham Lincoln signed a law allowing West Virginia to form an independent state. On June 20, 1863, it formally became the 35th state of the United States. The constitution provided for a gradual abolition of slavery, but already in February 1865 the parliament of the state abolished slavery altogether.
Geography
According to JIBIN123.COM, the state of West Virginia covers 62,809 km², of which 62,436 km² is land. To the east and north, the state has an elongated protrusion called a panhandle. West Virginia is in the Eastern time zone.
West Virginia is bordered to the north by the state of Pennsylvania, to the west by Ohio and Kentucky, to the east by Maryland and to the south by Virginia.
The main river is the Ohio, which forms the border with the state of the same name. The state lies partly in the Appalachian Mountains, with the top of Spruce Knob (1,482 m) being the highest point.
Demography and Economics
West Virginia had 1,808,344 inhabitants (29 per km²). The state is one of the few states in the country with negative population growth. The largest cities are capital Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling.
The gross product of the state in 2001 was $42 billion.
Administrative division
According to COUNTRYAAH, West Virginia is divided into 55 counties.
| County | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
County Seat | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
| Barbour | 15.532 | Philippi | 2775 |
| Berkeley | 99.734 | Martinsburg | 16.450 |
| Boone | 25.201 | Madison | 2590 |
| Braxton | 14.639 | Sutton | 979 |
| Brooke | 23.661 | Wellsburg | 2612 |
| Cabell | 94.435 | Huntington | 48.982 |
| Calhoun | 7201 | Grantsville | 532 |
| Clay | 10.120 | Clay | 565 |
| Doddridge | 7262 | West Union | 784 |
| Fayette | 46.334 | Fayetteville | 2659 |
| Gilmer | 6907 | Glenville | 1465 |
| Grant | 11.925 | Petersburg | 2726 |
| Greenbier | 34.586 | Lewisburg | 3537 |
| Hampshire | 22.577 | Romney | 1933 |
| Hancock | 30.189 | New Cumberland | 1001 |
| Hardy | 13.661 | Moorefield | 2456 |
| Harrison | 68.309 | Clarksburg | 16.341 |
| Jackson | 28.223 | Ripley | 3248 |
| Jefferson | 50.832 | Charles Town | 4130 |
| Kanawha | 191.306 | Charleston | 50.478 |
| Lewis | 17.145 | Weston | 4226 |
| Lincoln | 22.322 | Hamlin | 1097 |
| Logan | 35.629 | Logan | 1505 |
| Marion | 56.728 | Fairmont | 19.096 |
| Marshall | 33.148 | Moundsville | 9232 |
| Mason | 25.546 | Point Pleasant | 4426 |
| McDowell | 22.991 | Welch | 2244 |
| Mercer | 61.350 | Princeton | 6234 |
| Mineral | 26.722 | Keyser | 5254 |
| Mingo | 26.755 | Williamson | 3106 |
| Monongalia | 87.516 | Morgantown | 29.361 |
| Monroe | 13.537 | Union | 552 |
| Morgan | 16.351 | Berkeley Springs | — |
| Nicholas | 26.160 | Summersville | 3313 |
| Ohio | 44.398 | Wheeling | 29.101 |
| Pendleton | 7650 | Franklin | 799 |
| Pleasants | 7183 | St. Marys | 1900 |
| Pocahontas | 8571 | Marlinton | 1206 |
| Preston | 30.254 | Kingwood | 2942 |
| Putnam County | 55.001 | Winfield | 2039 |
| Raleigh | 79.170 | Beckley | 16.830 |
| Randolph | 28.292 | Elkins | 6989 |
| Ritchie | 10.371 | Harrisville | 1827 |
| Roane | 15.295 | Spencer | 2190 |
| Summers | 13.202 | Hinton | 2574 |
| Taylor | 16.117 | Grafton | 5311 |
| Tucker | 6868 | Parsons | 1381 |
| Tyler | 8952 | Middlebourne | 820 |
| Upshur | 23.508 | Buckhannon | 5510 |
| Wayne | 41.231 | Wayne | 1128 |
| Webster | 9435 | Webster Springs | — |
| Wetzel | 16.432 | New Martinsville | 5585 |
| Wirt | 5809 | Elizabeth | 939 |
| Wood | 86.088 | Parkersburg | 31.617 |
| Wyoming | 23.674 | Pineville | 655 |
Politics
The executive branch of the state is headed by a governor, who is directly elected by the voters in the state. Since January 2017, Jim Justice has been the governor of the state of West Virginia. Justice was a member of the Democratic Party at his election, but switched to the Republicans in August 2017.
Until the late 20th century, West Virginia was dominated by the Democratic Party because of the large number of mining workers . However, as a result of the industry’s demise, its influence in the state has dwindled in recent years, and today West Virginia is one of the most Republican states in the country. In the 2016 United States presidential election, Donald Trump won West Virginia with more than 68% of the vote from Hillary Clinton.
The legislature consists of the West Virginia House of Representatives (West Virginia House of Delegates) with 100 members and the West Virginia Senate (West Virginia Senate) with 34 members.
