New Jersey

New Jersey Facts, Map and State Symbols

New Jersey was the 3^rd state in the USA; it became a state on December 18, 1787.

State Abbreviation - NJ
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 FlagNew Jersey's official state flag was adopted on March 26, 1896. 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).
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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.