South Carolina, USA

South Carolina is a state in the southeastern United States, bordered by North Carolina to the north, Georgia to the southwest across much of the Savannah River, and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Columbia is the state capital, while Charleston is its largest city by population and a major historic port; Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Spartanburg and Rock Hill are other important population and economic centers. The state is traditionally divided into three geographic regions: the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwest, the rolling Piedmont across the interior, and the broad Atlantic Coastal Plain, which includes extensive marshes, estuaries, barrier islands and beaches. Major river systems include the Savannah, Pee Dee, Santee, Edisto and Congaree, while Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie and the Hartwell reservoir are among its largest inland waters. South Carolina covers about 30,060 square miles, is divided into 46 counties and had 5,118,425 residents in the 2020 census. It was one of the original thirteen colonies and became the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1788.