West Virginia

West Virginia has a very colorful history. Before the2004 is Kanawha County with 195,218 residents. About
17th century, a large number of Indians lived in this51,685 of them live in Charleston City, the largest city
Atlantic coastal region of North America, as revealedof Kanawha, also the capital of West Virginia.
by many artifacts found in almost every village.Majority--almost 95 percent, in fact--of the people in
However, the earliest explorers of the land found fewCharleston are white and non-Hispanic, while the rest
Indians here. Perhaps many of the Indians died ofare Black, American-Indian, Asian-Indian and Hispanic.
famine, disease or tribal wars.In terms of economy, West Virginia is one of the
Since 1600, the land has been explored and claimed byweakest states, along with Arkansas and Mississippi.
British and French colonizers. It was named VirginiaThe 2003 US Census Bureau statistics show that it
after Queen Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen." It remainedhas the lowest median household income, which is only
a royal colony until 1776, when it was declared anabout $31,008.
independent commonwealth. In 1788, it became the 10thAmong the reasons for its poor economy is the low
state of the United States.level of education in West Virginia. Only 15.3 percent of
Soon after, the Civil War incited conflicts and dividedits entire population has finished college. However,
the people of Virginia. In 1863, the Eastern and theWest Virginia also has a long list of reputable colleges
Western parts of Virginia were formally separated,and universities, among which is the famous West
making West Virginia the 35th US state with Arthur I.Virginia University in Morgantown.
Boreman as the first governor.Much of West Virginia is mountainous, which makes it
West Virginia is situated within the Appalachiana perfect haven for most nature lovers. The state
Mountain Range, thus, its name, the "Mountain State." Ittakes pride in its rich biodiversity and spectacular
is found below the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio,sceneries. West Virginia is an excellent for all sorts of
which also borders its west at the northeastern side ofoutdoor activities such as fishing to hunting, camping,
Kentucky.skiing, kayaking and canoeing.
To date, this 24,077-square-mile state is composed ofThe climate in West Virginia is humid continental, which
55 counties that are inhabited by 1,808,344 people,means that it has variable weather patterns and
based on the 2000 resident census. It ranks 37thvarying temperatures. Summers are typically hot,
among the US states in terms of population.except in the upper regions, while winters vary from
The most populated county in West Virginia as ofcool to cold.