One of the Mid-Atlantic states, Delaware is flanked by Delaware Bay, the Delaware River, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east; Maryland to the south and west; and Pennsylvania to the north. In 1609, Henry Hudson became the first European to explore the area, and in 1638 the first permanent settlement was established by Swedes. The state's name is derived from that of Thomas West, Baron De La Warr, the first governor of Virginia, who served from 1609 to 1618. During most of its history, Delaware has combined elements of the urban, industrial north and of the more rural, agricultural south. Although larger only than Rhode Island, today its importance as an industrial state far exceeds its size. For more than 150 years the \Tdu Pont\t family has played a major role in Delaware's economy and politics. LAND AND RESOURCES With the exception of a small area of rolling hills in the extreme north, Delaware consists of a low, gently undulating plain that slopes down to the Atlantic Ocean. Maximum elevations reach 135 m (442 ft) in the hills. The lowland belongs to the Atlantic coastal plain and the upland to the \TPiedmont\t region. The northeast to southwest-trending \Tfall line\t separates these two regions. Most of Delaware is characterized by two types of ultisols (soils built on clay accumulation): humults, with a high organic carbon content, found in northern and central sections; and aquults, with a higher clay content, found in coastal and southern sections. Rivers and Lakes Most of the rivers of Delaware, including the Christina and its tributary Brandywine Creek, are short and flow eastward; exceptions are the Nanticoke and Pomocoke in the extreme south, which empty southwestward into \TChesapeake Bay\t. Salt and freshwater marshlands are prevalent in the central portion of the state, along \TDelaware Bay\t. Pocomoke Swamp, the northernmost cypress swamp in North America, is located in southern Delaware. Groundwater is ample because of the presence of permeable marine deposits atop crystalline bedrock. Climate Delaware's climate is humid-continental, with long summers and relatively mild winters. Wilmington has a mean temperature of 0 deg C (32 deg F) in January and 24 deg C (75 deg F) in July. Although Delaware lies in the storm track of Gulf of Mexico disturbances and continental weather systems from the west, the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay exert a moderating influence. Annual precipitation averages 1,105 mm (44 in). Vegetation and Animal Life Oak, beech, walnut, maple, and dogwood woodlands are prevalent in northern Delaware. In the south, loblolly and Virginia pines are mixed with sweet and black gums, oaks, maples, yellow poplars, and hollies. Forest covers 1,611 sq km (622 sq mi), nearly all of which is of commercial quality. Deer and small game--raccoon, opossum, fox, and muskrat--are present throughout Delaware. The state is on the Atlantic migratory bird flyway, and the marshy Delaware Bay shore is a refuge for both migrating and local birds. Natural Resources Mineral resources are located in the north, with kaolin the most significant, followed by construction granite, gravels, and clay (used to make bricks and tiles). No hydroelectric power has been developed. The Coastal Zone Act, protecting the coastal wetlands, was passed in 1971; regarded as a major step in balancing development with the natural environment, it has nevertheless been challenged by economic interests. PEOPLE As a megalopolitan state, Delaware has a population density well above the average for the nation as a whole. Most of Delaware's residents are classified as urban. A decline in \TWilmington\t's population from 110,356 in 1950 to 71,929 in 1990 reflects a steady trend toward suburbanization. Delaware's 12% growth rate (1980-90) was slightly above the U.S. average. In 1990 the population was about 80% white and 17% black. Asians and Hispanics are fast-growing groups. The major religious groups are the Methodists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, and Episcopalians. Education A public education system was established largely through the efforts of Willard Hall (1780-1875) in 1829, but funding and teaching were uneven, and blacks were excluded. In 1907 compulsory education was instituted. Lobbying, financial pressure, and outright financing by Pierre du Pont during the 1920s finally led to the creation of an administrative and taxation system capable of supporting modern educational facilities. In 1954 schools were desegregated, and in 1978 court-ordered busing was expected to mix white suburban schools with those of Wilmington, which were 85% black. Institutions of higher learning are the University of Delaware at \TNewark\t, which evolved from an academy in existence in 1743, and Delaware State College in Dover (see \TDelaware, state university and college\t). Cultural Institutions Cultural institutions, primarily museums, are concentrated in the north, and are mainly the legacy of wealthy hobbyists. The Hagley Museum, the site of the first du Pont factory near Wilmington, has early American industrial history collections, and \TWinterthur Museum\t, also near Wilmington, has 100 rooms of early American furniture from the du Pont collection. Other cultural centers include the Delaware Museum of Art, a museum of natural history, and the state history museum--all in Dover. Historical Sites and Recreation Among the state's historical sites are NEW CASTLE, with a historic district containing many 17th- and 18th-century buildings; "Old Swedes" church (used since 1699) in Wilmington; Fort Delaware (completed 1860) on Pea Patch Island; Dickinson House (built 1740) near Dover; and the State House (built 1792), in \TDover\t, one of America's oldest state capitals. The Bombay Hook, Primehook, and Chesapeake and Delaware Canal wildlife refuges are in Delaware; Delaware Seashore, Cape Henlopen, and Brandywine Creek are the principal state parks. Rehoboth Beach is a well-known resort. Communications Delaware has 2 daily newspapers and several weeklies. Communications facilities such as newspapers and broadcasting are of local significance only, except for public television, which serves the Philadelphia region from Wilmington. ECONOMIC ACTIVITY Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing More than 80% of Delaware's farm income is derived from the production of broiler chickens and from a variety of market-oriented items, including soybeans, greenhouse products, and corn. Milk is also produced. Fishing is declining, but crabs, shad, cod, oysters, and clams are caught. Forestry is a minor industry, with pulp, sawlogs, and poles the principal products. Manufacturing, Industry, and Transportation Since the colonial period, Wilmington and northern Delaware have been the state's main industrial center, although some industry has spread downstate. Delaware's leading industries, ranked by value, are chemicals, food processing, primary metals, machinery, printing and publishing, leather goods, fabricated metals, and textiles. The \TChesapeake and Delaware canal\t, linking Delaware and Chesapeake bays as well as the Delaware River and the port of Wilmington, accommodate most oceangoing vessels. GOVERNMENT Delaware is governed by the constitution of 1897, which was created by a constitutional convention but not ratified by the people. The governor is elected for 4 years and may serve only two terms. The governor has veto power, although a three-fifths vote in each house will override it. The legislature consists of a 21-member Senate and a 41-member House of Representatives; senators serve 4-year terms and representatives 2-year terms. The judiciary consists of a supreme court, superior courts, courts of common pleas, family courts for juveniles, and a court of chancery for corporate matters. The Republican party has long dominated the state's politics. HISTORY The Lenni-Lenape, or Delaware, were the original inhabitants. In 1631 the first European settlement was attempted when the \TDutch West India Company\t established a tobacco-growing and whaling industry at Zwaanendael (present-day Lewes). It lasted only a year because of Indian attacks. In 1638 Swedish settlers established the first permanent settlement, Fort Christina (present-day Wilmington), as part of the colony of \TNew Sweden\t. In 1655 the colony was lost to the Dutch, who, in turn, surrendered it to the British in 1664. In 1682, Delaware came under the proprietorship of William \TPenn\t, but it was administered separately from Pennsylvania as a distinct entity called the "three counties of Delaware." Delaware became (1787) the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Geographically and historically, Delaware has a dual personality, which it acquired early and has never lost. New Castle County in the north, where Wilmington is located, grew in response to urban-industrial developments in nearby Philadelphia; Kent and Sussex counties to the south remained rural and culturally a part of the American South. As early as the 1730s Wilmington was a developing grain port and shipbuilding center at the confluence of the Christina and Delaware rivers. The Christina gave Wilmington access to its hinterland, and nearby Brandywine Creek provided excellent mill sites. Thus one of America's most intensive manufacturing districts came into being. In 1802 a French immigrant, Eleuthere Irenee du Pont de Nemours, established a powder mill near Wilmington, beginning Delaware's chemical industry. By the mid-19th century the Delaware landscape had lost its frontier appearance. In New Castle County, industry had expanded from simple tanning, grain milling, and paper making to sophisticated gunpowder and textile manufacturing, benefiting from improved turnpikes, the construction (1829) of the Chesapeake and Delaware canal, and the completion of the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad. In 1856 the construction of a railroad extending the length of the state brought an agricultural boom to southern Delaware but did not change the rural character of the area. Although Delaware was a slave state, in 1860 it had less than 2,000 slaves and about 20,000 free blacks. Delaware was divided over the slavery issue during the Civil War; the majority, however, was moderate and supported the Union. Although never fully trusted by the rest of the North, many soldiers from Delaware fought in the Union army. After the Civil War black rights were vigorously opposed. In 1873 blacks were effectively disenfranchised by poll taxes and corrupt political practices. The poll tax was replaced (1897) by a literacy test. Economic growth continued after the Civil War and was concentrated in the Wilmington area. It was aided by tax laws instituted in 1899, encouraging corporations to locate their headquarters in Wilmington. By 1920 the city contained almost half of Delaware's population. Partly because of the conservative influence of southern Delaware, the state lagged behind many others in such areas as prison reform and social services. As a result of legislative conflict between northern and southern factions, state unemployment insurance was withdrawn (1934) at the height of the Great Depression. Legislative districts that had long benefited the rural south were not redrawn until the 1960s in favor of the more populous Wilmington suburbs. In 1968, when riots by unemployed blacks broke out in Wilmington, the National Guard was called in. Present-day Delaware faces a problem common to much of the United States--that of suburban crowding as a result of rapid development. Economic growth in Delaware in the 1980s was fueled by the passage of laws favorable to banking and corporate interests, but as the state entered the 1990s the issue of economic growth at the expense of the environment was a continuing debate. Edmunds V. Bunkse Bibliography: Hoffecker, Carol E., Delaware (1977); Munroe, John A., Delaware (1965), Federalist Delaware (1954); Colonial Delaware: A History (1978); and History of Delaware, 2d ed. (1984). Swindler, William F., and Frech, Mary, eds., Chronology and Documentary Handbook of the State of Delaware (1973); Vessels, Jane, Delaware: Small Wonder (1984); Williams, William H., The First State (1985).