
West Virginia has a very colorful history. Before the 17th century, a large number of Indians lived in this Atlantic coastal region of North America, as revealed by many artifacts found in almost every village. However, the earliest explorers of the land found few Indians here. Perhaps many of the Indians died of famine, disease or tribal wars.Since 1600, the land has been explored and claimed by British and French colonizers. It was named Virginia after Queen Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen." It remained a royal colony until 1776, when it was declared an independent commonwealth. In 1788, it became the 10th state of the United States.Soon after, the Civil War incited conflicts and divided the people of Virginia. In 1863, the Eastern and the Western parts of Virginia were formally separated, making West Virginia the 35th US state with Arthur I. Boreman as the first governor.West Virginia is situated within the Appalachian Mountain Range, thus, its name, the "Mountain State." It is found below the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, which also borders its west at the northeastern side of Kentucky.To date, this 24,077-square-mile state is composed of 55 counties that are inhabited by 1,808,344 people, based on the
.. more»