Delaware (USA)

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Though Delaware has its beautiful spots - including some of the mid-Atlantic's best beaches - its tourist boards have their work cut out. Most of the images potential visitors have of the state are negative: Delaware is known for the massive chemical plants of the DuPont Corporation and Dover Air Force Base , as well as for tolerating shady business practices - half of the USA's largest companies have their official bases in this tiny state, thanks to its permissive tax, banking and incorporation laws. The upside of this is that there's no sales tax, which certainly makes shoppers happy.

To downplay the state's dubious contemporary image, Delaware's promoters emphasize its past - for example, as the first ex-colony to ratify the Constitution, it claims the title of America's First State . Dutch whalers established a settlement at the mouth of the Delaware Bay in 1631, and soon afterwards the Swedes built a larger colony at present-day Wilmington . The two groups fought amongst themselves until the British took over in 1664. Delaware was part of neighboring Pennsylvania - Philadelphia is only ten miles north of the present, arching state border - until hiving itself off in 1776.

Much of Delaware's fortunes (and misfortunes) since then can be traced directly to the du Pont family , who, fleeing the wrath of revolutionary France, set up a gunpowder mill that became the main supplier of conventional explosives to the US Government. After World War I, the du Ponts went public and made millions in the stock market frenzies of the Roaring Twenties, since which time the company has diversified, its labs inventing such modern essentials as nylon and cellophane.

The du Ponts built huge mansions for themselves in the Brandywine Valley north of Wilmington, near the perfectly preserved old colonial capital, New Castle , on the Delaware Bay just five miles south of I-95. Further south, Dover , the capital, may not detain you long, but beyond it the small and amiable resorts of Lewes and Rehoboth Beach mark the northern extent of over twenty miles of unspoiled Atlantic beaches.

Apart from Wilmington, which is on the main east coast train and bus lines, Delaware is hard to get around without a car. Greyhound services are limited to a summer-only route from DC to Rehoboth , and local public transportation is nonexistent.

I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike converge at Wilmington, from where US-13 runs south through the state. More often called the Du Pont Highway , it was paid for and constructed by the industrialists so that they could ride in comfort between their Wilmington mansions and Dover. A direct car ferry connects Cape May, the southern tip of New Jersey and Lewes, at the mouth of the Delaware Bay.

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Population: 295.734.100
Languages: English 82%, Spanish 11% (2000)
Currency: US dollar
Currency code: USD
Local Times:
U.S.A. - District of Columbia - Washington DC

U.S.A. - Florida - Orlando

U.S.A. - California - San Francisco

U.S.A. - New York - New York

U.S.A. - Nevada - Las Vegas

Country Dialling Code: +1
Voltage: 120V 60Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 parallel flat prongs

2 Parallel flat prongs with an earth connector

The USA is home to several of the world's most exciting cities, some truly mind-blowing landscapes, a strong sense of regionalism, a trenchant mythology, more history than the country gives itself credit for and, arguably, some of the most approachable natives in the world.

America was 'discovered' by Columbus in 1492 and for 500 years people have travelled here seeking a better life in the 'land of opportunity'. The land was fought over by colonial powers for centuries and finally won its independence from Britain in 1783. Despite the near annihilation of the Native American population, one of the bloodiest civil wars the world had seen, and racism (Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1924 and racial segregation was the norm until as late as the 1950s), the American people have succeeded in forging one of the worlds most united, democratic and tolerant nations, a fascinating melting-pot of cultures, and the undisputed military and economic heavyweight of the world.

The country is made up of 48 contiguous states of the continental USA, plus the huge state of Alaska, northwest of Canada, and the volcanic islands of Hawaii, 2,000 miles (3,219km) out into the Pacific. There are also the US territories, which include Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Midway Islands and US Virgin Islands. Tourism is focused mainly in the great cities such as New York and Washington, as well as sunshine states such as Florida, California and Hawaii. However the mind-blowing landscapes, found in the wealth of magnificent National Parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Adirondacks, as well as spectacular sights like the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains, are what make the USA so unique. With all this on their doorstep, it's easy to understand why most Americans have never bothered getting a passport.