Long the ancestral home of the Cherokee and Yamasee American Indian tribes, the first significant western colonization of the South Carolina area began in 1663, after King Charles II officially granted the lands to a band of loyalists.

By the early 18th century, tobacco was (THE) crop, and with the cotton gin's invention in 1793 - revolutionizing the processing of cotton - the local economy peaked.

Cotton and tobacco farming success forced the state's almost total dependence on slave labor. It therefore refused to support the anti-slavery views of the north, and was the first state to secede from the Union prior to the Civil War.

In fact, the Civil War began with an attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, and before its end, South Carolina suffered greatly, and saw most of its plantation economy destroyed.

Slavery finally ended, and to its credit, South Carolina was quick to adopt the civil rights laws, and move forward into the future.

This somewhat small state is renown for its antebellum homes and southern style, especially in the striking harbor city of Charleston. In addition, the scenery of the northwest, and the numerous islands (and resorts) along its Atlantic Ocean coastline are magnets for tourists.

South Carolina's state flag was officially adopted in 1861. It displays the original blue field, and it maintains the original crescent, and the Palmetto Tree, which was later added to the Moultrie design.

The current was worn on the caps of soldiers during the Revolutionary War, and the Palmetto is the state's official tree.

Official name: South Carolina
Capital: Columbia
Statehood: May 23, 1788 the 8th state
State nickname: The Palmetto State
Name for residents: South Carolinians
State mottoes: Animis opibusque parati
(Prepared in mind and resources)
Dum spiro, spero
(While I breathe, I hope)
Abbreviation: SC