State of New Jersey | |||||
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Nickname(s): The Garden State | |||||
Motto(s): Liberty and prosperity | |||||
Official language | None | ||||
Spoken languages | |||||
Demonym | New Jerseyan (official), New Jerseyite | ||||
Capital | Trenton | ||||
Largest city | Newark | ||||
Largest metro | New York City metropolitan area | ||||
Area | Ranked 47th | ||||
• Total | 8,722.58 sq mi (22,591.38 km2) |
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• Width | 70 miles (112 km) | ||||
• Length | 170 miles (273 km) | ||||
• % water | 15.7 | ||||
• Latitude | 38° 56′ N to 41° 21′ N | ||||
• Longitude | 73° 54′ W to 75° 34′ W | ||||
Population | Ranked 11th | ||||
• Total | 8,958,013 (2015 est) | ||||
• Density | 1210.10/sq mi (467/km2) Ranked 1st |
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• Median household income | $68,357 (7th) | ||||
Elevation | |||||
• Highest point |
High Point 1,803 ft (549.6 m) |
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• Mean | 250 ft (80 m) | ||||
• Lowest point |
Atlantic Ocean sea level |
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Before statehood | Province of New Jersey | ||||
Admission to Union | December 18, 1787 (3rd) | ||||
Governor | Chris Christie (R) | ||||
Lieutenant Governor | Kim Guadagno (R) | ||||
Legislature | New Jersey Legislature | ||||
• Upper house | Senate | ||||
• Lower house | General Assembly | ||||
U.S. Senators |
Bob Menendez (D) Cory Booker (D) |
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U.S. House delegation | 7 Democrats, 5 Republicans (list) | ||||
Time zone | Eastern: UTC -5/-4 | ||||
ISO 3166 | US-NJ | ||||
Abbreviations | NJ, N.J. | ||||
Website | www |
New Jersey state symbols | |
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Living insignia | |
Bird | Eastern goldfinch |
Fish | Brook trout |
Flower | Viola sororia |
Insect | Western honey bee |
Tree | Quercus rubra (northern red oak),dogwood (memorial tree) |
Inanimate insignia | |
Colors | Buff and blue |
Dance | None |
Folk dance | Square dance |
Food | Northern highbush blueberry (state fruit) |
Fossil | Hadrosaurus foulkii |
Motto | Liberty and prosperity |
Nickname | The Garden State |
Soil | Downer |
Song | None |
State route marker | |
State quarter | |
Released in 1999
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Lists of United States state symbols |
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern United States and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania, and on the southwest by Delaware. New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state but the 11th-most populous and the most densely populated of the 50 United States. New Jersey lies entirely within the combined statistical areas of New York City and Philadelphia and is the third-wealthiest U.S. state by per capita income as of 2014.
New Jersey was inhabited by Native Americans for more than 2,800 years, with historical tribes such as the Lenape along the coast. In the early 17th century, the Dutch and the Swedes made the first European settlements. The English later seized control of the region, naming it the Province of New Jersey after the largest of the Channel Islands, Jersey, and granting it as a colony to Sir George Carteret and John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton. New Jersey was the site of several decisive battles during the American Revolutionary War in the 18th century.