Delaware declared its independence from Great Britain on June 15, 1776. It is known as the “First State” because on December 7, 1787 it became the first to ratify the U.S. Constitution. The State’s Capital is Dover. Delaware’s three counties are New Castle, Kent and Sussex. 

Delaware’s population is 1,018,396

Delaware is 96 miles long and 39 miles at its widest. That’s about 1,690 football fields long and 680 football fields wide!

In 1610 explorer Samuel Argall named the Delaware River and Bay for the governor of Virginia, Thomas West, Lord De La Warr. The state of Delaware takes its name from the river and bay. 

Adopted on June 10, 1999, the Tiger Swallowtail ( Pterourus glaucus ) was declared the State’s official butterfly. The tiger swallowtail, a large, yellow, black-striped butterfly, is indigenous to Delaware and can be seen in deciduous woods, along streams, rivers, and wooded swamps, and in towns and cities throughout Delaware. 

Adopted May 1, 1939, the American Holly ( Ilex opaca Aiton ) is regarded as one of Delaware’s most important forest trees. Often called Christmas holly or evergreen holly, the tree has dark, thorny-leaved foliage and red berries. In Delaware, the tree can reach a maximum of 60 feet in height and a trunk diameter of 20 inches.

Adopted May 13, 2010, the strawberry is an important product of Delaware’s agricultural industry. Delaware strawberries are bred for taste, not to be big or last a long time on a store shelf.

Adopted on April 14, 1939, the Blue Hen chicken had long been used as a motif in numerous political campaigns and in many publications. During the Revolutionary War, the men of Captain Jonathan Caldwell’s company, recruited in Kent County, took with them game chickens that were said to be of the brood of a famous Blue Hen and were noted for their fighting ability. When not fighting the enemy, the officers and men amused themselves by pitting their Blue Hen chickens in cockfights.