New Jersey Facts, Map and State Symbols |
New Jersey was the 3rd state in the USA; it became a state on December 18, 1787.
State Capital - Trenton
Largest City - Newark
Area - 8,722 square miles [New Jersey is the 47th biggest statein the USA]
Population - 8,414,350 (as of 2000) [New Jersey is the ninth most populous state in the USA]
Name for Residents - New Jerseyites or New Jerseyans
Major Industries - farming (potatoes, tomatoes, peaches), chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petroleum-based products, insurance, tourism
Presidential Birthplace - Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell on March 18, 1837 (he was the 22nd and 24th US President, from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897).
Major Rivers - Delaware River, Hudson River
Highest Point - High Point - 1,803 feet (550 m) above sea level (located in the northernmost part of New Jersey)
Number of Counties - 21
Bordering States - New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware
Bordering Body of Water - Atlantic Ocean
Origin of the Name New Jersey - New Jersey was named by James, Duke of York (the brother of King Charles II of England), who was given New Jersey by his brother. James later gave New Jersey to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. James named the colony New Jersey to honor Carteret, who had been the Governor of Jersey, a British island in the English Channel.
State Nickname - Garden State
State Motto - "Liberty and Prosperity"
State Song - none
Dinosaur Fossils Found in New Jersey - Coelurosaurus, Diplotomodon, Dryptosaurus,Hadrosaurus foulkii, Nodosaurus, Ornithotarsus
New Jersey State Symbols and Emblems:
State Flag The flag has a buff (light yellow-brown) background; this is the color of part of the uniform selected by General George Washington in 1779 for his New Jersey Continental Line. Part of the state seal (which was designed by Pierre Eugene de Simitiere in 1777) is in the center. In the center is a blue shield with three plows in it. On the sides of the shield are the goddess of liberty (holding a staff and the cap of freedom) and the goddess of agriculture (holding a cornucopia filled with food). Above this is the head armor of a knight, a horse's head, and blue filigrees. Below are the words "LIBERTY AND PROSPERITY" and the date "1776." The goddesses symbolize liberty and prosperity. |
Animal Symbols:
State Bird Eastern goldfinch | State Mammal Horse | State Insect Honey bee | State Shell Knobbed whelk | State Fish Brook trout |
Plant Symbols:
State FlowerPurple violet | State TreeNorthern Red Oak | State FruitBlueberry |
Earth Symbols:
State Dinosaur Hadrosaurus foulkii A duck-billed dinosaur (a plant-eater) discovered in 1858 by William Parke Foulke in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Hadrosaurus lived from 70 to 100 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period. | State Soilnone |
Miscellaneous Symbol:
State Folk DanceSquare dance |
Related Pages:
New Jersey: Map/Quiz PrintoutAnswer geography questions about New Jersey using the map on this quiz. Answers | New Jersey: Label Me!Label the major features of New Jersey. Answers | New Jersey: Outline Map PrintoutAn outline map of New Jersey to print. |
New Jersey: US State Dot to Dot Mystery MapConnect the dots to draw the borders of a mystery state of the USA. Then use a globe or atlas to figure out which state you have drawn. You might want to give students clues, such as that it is in the northeastern USA, that its capital is Trenton, or that its name starts with "N." Answer: New Jersey. | New Jersey Flag Printout/QuizRead about and answer questions on the flag of New Jersey. | New Jersey's Flag: Large Coloring PrintableA large black-and-white printable of the flag of New Jersey. |
Your State: Draw and WriteDraw a map of the state that you live in (in the USA) and write about it. | US State - Find Related WordsFor a US state, write eight words related to the state, then use each word in a sentence. | US State Graphic OrganizerFor one US state, write the name of the state, draw a map of the state, then write the state capital, postal abbreviation, date of statehood, state bird (draw and write), state flower (draw and write), a major body of water in the state, two bordering states, and state nickname. | US State Report Graphic Organizer Printout #1This printout helps the student do a short report on a US state, prompting the student to draw a map of the state, locate it on a US map, draw the state's flag, and write its capital city, state nickname, area, population, date of statehood, and state bird. |
US State Report Graphic Organizer Printout #2This printout helps the student do a short report on a US state, prompting the student to draw a map of the state, locate it on a US map, draw the state's flag, and write its capital city, state nickname, area, population, date of statehood, state bird, state flower, climate, and major industries. | US State Printable BookA short, printable book on a US state. To complete the book, the student must research a US state, draw its map, draw its flag, and answer simple questions about the state. | USA Map: Find Your StateFind and label your state in the USA, and label other important geography. Answers | USA Map: Where I LiveWrite your country, state, and city, and then find and label your state (and a few other geographical features). |
Write Ten Things About Your StateA one-page printable worksheet. Write ten things about your state (plus one thing you would like to change). | US State WheelThis 2-page print-out makes a wheel about a single US state; the student fills out the information on the wheel. It consists of a base page together with a rear wheel that spins around. After putting the wheel together, the student follows the instructions on the front wheel (coloring in the state on a US map and drawing a small map of the state) and fills out the 12 sections of the wheel with information about one state. When you spin the wheel, facts about the US State appear, including: Biggest Cities, Capital, Flag, Bodies of Water, Postal Abbreviation, State Bird, Population (rank), Area (rank), Residents Called, Bordered by, Major Industries, and Entered Union (order). | US State - Find a Related Word for Each LetterFor a US state, see if you can think of and write down a word or phrase that is related to that state for each letter of the alphabet. Think of cities, famous people from the state, bodies of water, mountains, landmarks, and other features. Find words for as many letters as you can. | The CensusA census is an official count of the number of people in a region. The survey is done by a government, usually periodically. This page explains how and why censuses are taken. |
Census: Printable Read-and-Answer WorksheetA printable worksheet on the census, with a short text to read, a map to color, and questions to answer. Or go to the answers. Or go to a pdf file with the worksheet and the answers. |