SOUTH CAROLINA, United States of America.

One of the thirteen original colonies, South Carolina has had a rich and varied history. When Spanish and French explorers arrived in the area in the 16th century, they found a land inhabited by many small tribes of Native Americans, the largest of which were the Cherokees and the Catawbas. In 1670 a permanent English settlement was established on the coast near present day Charleston. The colony, named Carolina after King Charles I, was divided in 1710 into South Carolina and North Carolina.

Area: 32007 square miles, Land 30111 square miles, - Water 1896 square miles, Coastline 187 miles, Shoreline 2,876 miles. Phone Area Codes: 803 - 843 - 864. Population, 2004 estimate: 4,198,068; 26th in the nation as of December 2000.