Georgia is the largest state in the southeast; it is typical of the changing South with an ever-increasing industrial development. Atlanta is the largest city in the state; it is the communications and transportation center for the Southeast and the area's chief distributor of goods.

The state leads the nation in the production of board and paper, tufted textile products, and processed chicken. Other major manufactured products are food products, transportation equipment, apparel, and chemicals.

Important agricultural products are corn, cotton, tobacco, eggs, soybeans, and peaches. Georgia produces twice as many peanuts as the next leading state. From its vast stands of pine come more than half of the world's turpentine and resins and 74.4 percent of the U.S. supply. Georgia is the leader in the production of kaolin, marble, barite, and bauxite.

Area: 58,876 sq mi (152,489 sq km)
Pop: (2000) 8,186,453, an 26.4% increase since the 1990 census
Capital and largest city: Atlanta
Statehood: Jan. 2, 1788 (4th of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution)
Highest pt.: Brasstown Bald, 4,784 ft (1,459 m); lowest pt., sea level
Nickname: Empire State of the South
Motto: Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation
State bird: Brown thrasher
State flower: Cherokee rose
State tree: Live oak
Abbr., Ga.; GA