Delaware Facts for Kids

Our Delaware Facts for Kids provide interesting and fun facts about the first state of the United States of America about its people, attractions and geographical superlatives and all other important facts about Delaware you really should know.

Delaware Facts for Kids

Top 30 Delaware Facts | USA

1. Delaware is the first state of the USA and the country's second smallest.

Delaware was the first state to sign the constitution of the newly formed United States of America in 1787. The state is still given first position in presidential inaugurations and national events.

2. Delaware is a small U.S. state and only 154 km/ 96 miles long and at its narrowed part it is only 14 km/ 9 miles wide.

3. The state on the East Coast of the United States sits on a peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean and borders the Great Lakes to the north of the state. The coastline of Delaware is 28 km/ 17 miles long.

Map of Delaware

4. Delaware shares the peninsula with neighbouring state Maryland and also borders the US states of Pennsylvania to the north and New Jersey to the northeast.

5. The small state would fit about 264 times into Alaska, the largest state of the USA. Delaware is roughly the same size as Germany or slightly larger than Japan.

6. The capital of Delaware is called Dover. The state capital is located about 80km/ 50 miles to the south of Wilmington. Dover is home to about 40,000 inhabitants.

delaware dover capitol nagel photography

Delaware State Capitol in Dover

7. Delaware has a population of about 1 million people. The majority of the people in Delaware live in Wilmington, the largest city of the state and the commercial centre of the state.

8. Wilmington is not only Delaware’s largest but also most populous city with about 72,000 people inhabitants.

Wilmington

Delaware Facts | Geography of Delaware

9. The most important geographical features are the coastal plains, the swamp in the south and the Piedmont Plateau as well as the 12 Mile Circle, the boundary with Pennsylvania that is in the unusual shape of an arc. They say that this arch reflects the cupola of the courthouse.

10. The Piedmont refers to the foothills of the Appalachian mountains that are in the north of the state.

11. Delaware has the lowest mean elevation of any state of the United States. The state is dominated by the coastal plain. The highest elevation is a mere 140 m/450 ft. The average hight is 18 m/ 60 ft above sea level.

Flatlands of Delaware

12. Delaware has only three counties and thus has the fewest counties of any of the US states. Even the smallest U.S. state Rhode Island has five counties!

Delaware Facts for Kids Geography Superlatives

13. The longest river flowing through Delaware is the Delaware River with a length of 484 km/ 300 miles and has about 200 tributaries. The Delaware River also runs through four other states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and New York, where it origins.

14. The Great Cypress Swamp in the state’s southern region is the largest freshwater wetland in Delaware.

15. The largest freshwater lake in Delaware is Lums Pond in the state’s north, just south of Wilmington.

16. Delaware is the sixth least populous state but still the sixth most densely populated state of the USA.

Delaware Facts for Kids
Name and State Symbols

17. The name Delaware is derived from the Delaware Bay which was named by the Colony of Virginia’s first governor Thomas West who was referred to as Baron De La Warr.

18. The state has a nickname: "The First State." This name refers to the first state of the USA signing the Declaration of Independence on 7 December 1787. Delaware was also one of the thirteen states that were part of the American Revolution and declared independence from England in 1776.

The motto of the state is: "liberty and independence". Another nickname of Delaware is "Diamond State" and the diamond shape is shown on the state flag.

Flag of Delaware

19. Delaware gained statehood in 1850 under the first president of the USA, George Washington.

20. The Delaware state colours are colonial blue and buff, a brownish yellow.

The peach blossom is the state flower, the blue hen is the state bird. The tiger swallowtail is the official state butterfly of Delaware and the grey fox is the state animal.

Grey fox

Delaware Facts for Kids
Animals

21. Common animals in Delaware are chipmunks, squirrels, pond turtles, groundhogs as well as otters and beavers. There are various migrating birds such as the Atlantic sturgeons.

The horse shoe crab is the state’s official marine animal. Delaware is the largest breeding ground of the horse shoe crab with about 30 million horse shoe crabs in Delaware Bay. Dolphins, sharks and whales populate the waters of Delaware Bay and further out in the sea. Marine life includes also sea horses, squid or octopus.

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to experience Delaware wildlife.

Heron in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Facts about Delaware
People

22. The Lenape people who once settled in the region were the largest indigenous group in Delaware. Only about 5,000 of the population of the state are Native Americans. Delaware recognises two tribes, the Lenape and the Nanticoke.

23. The first European settlers in the region were the Dutch, who arrived on the shores in 1631 and built a settlement called Zwaanendael, which is Dutch for "valley of swans". The first permanent settlement, however, was established by Swedish colonists who named it Christina at the site of today’s Wilmington.

Delaware sunrise

24. About 69% of the people in Delaware say they are Christians, 46% of these are Protestants. But Delaware is home to people of all different ethnic groups and different religions.

25. Delaware is one of the few states where the sale of liquor is forbidden on Sundays. There is also no alcohol sold between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the morning.

Delaware Facts for Kids Delaware Economy

26. Delaware was once housing the world’s first nylon plant and considered the "Chemical Capital of the World".

The Du Pont factory started the first large scale production of nylon in 1939. Nylon is a synthetic fibre and used in many products such as textiles, sportswear and stockings. Other giants of the Chemical Industry in the state such as Astra Zeneca and Siemens Healthcare are located in the state.

Delaware is known for its business-friendly laws and is a popular state for company incorporations. It has a significant banking and financial services sector.

Image by George Sheldon/ shutterstock.com

More than half of the largest companies of the USA have a company or business also in Delaware. The little state is home to more than one million companies. This is due to very business-friendly laws and tax free status.

27. Dairy and poultry production are the main agricultural businesses and soy beans and corn are among the main agricultural crops.

28. Delaware is the largest producer of butter beans for processing in the USA. Butter beans are referred to as lima beans in the USA.

Butter beans - also called lima beans

More Facts about Delaware

29. Delaware Facts for Kids | Time Zones: All regions of the small state apply one time zone. The Eastern Time Zone (UTC-5 hrs) is shared also with the bordering states. Delaware also adheres to daylight saving time during the warmer summer months from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November (UTC-4 hrs)

Delaware beach

30. Delaware Facts for Kids | Famous Landmarks: Among the most visited tourist sites and landmarks in Delaware are:

Cape May-Lewes Ferry connects the two coastal towns by a 90-minute ferry trip
On Rehoboth Beach you can stroll along the boardwalk and boggie board on the waves
Monster Mile is famous for NASCAR racing and the huge monster statue there is in fact the largest monster statue in the world!

Monster Mile in Delaware - image by bsankow/ shutterstock.com

Nemours Mansion and estate are famous for the historic building and lush gardens
Fort Delaware is a historic fortress from 1859
Fenwick Island State Park is great for outdoor enthusiasts, for surfing and kayaking

Fenwick Island lighthouse - image by George Sheldon/ shutterstock.com

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Useful Resources for Delaware Facts for Kids

This page was last updated on 27 September 2024

Delaware Tourism Portal. "Fort Delaware State Park". VisitDelaware.com. Last accessed 27 September 2024
Delaware Government. "Exploring Delaware." Delaware.gov. Last accessed 27 September 2024
DNREC. "Dolphins, Horseshoe Crabs and Piping Plovers" DNREC. Last accessed 27 September 2024

Image Credits on Delaware Facts for Kids page: Shutterstock.com and wikipedia commons

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