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Generally
rectangular in shape, Connecticut extends c.90
mi (145 km) from east to west and c.55 mi (90
km) from north to south. The state is divided
into two roughly equal sections, usually called
the eastern highland and the western highland,
which are separated by the Connecticut Valley
lowland. The Connecticut River, veers off to the
southeast at Middletown in central Connecticut.
The western highland, with the Taconic Mountains
and the Litchfield Hills, is more rugged than
the eastern highland. The Connecticut shore is
a popular summer resort area, and the protected
waters of Long Island Sound lure boating enthusiasts.
Bridgeport is the largest city, with Hartford,
the capital, and New Haven next in size.
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Though
famed for its rural loveliness, Connecticut derives
most of its wealth from industry. Textiles, silverware,
sewing machines, and clocks and watches are among Connecticut’s
historic manufactures. The state’s principal industries
today produce jet engines and parts, electronics and
electrical machinery, computer equipment, and helicopters.
Much of Connecticut’s manufacturing is for the
military. Firearms and ammunition, first produced here
at the time of the American Revolution, are still made,
and Groton is still a center for submarine building.
Sadly, agriculture accounts for only a small share of state income; dairy
products, eggs, vegetables, tobacco, mushrooms, and apples are the leading
farm items. High-grade broadleaf tobacco, used in making cigar wrappers,
has been a specialty of Connecticut agriculture since the 1830s. Largely
shade-grown in the Connecticut Valley, it remains a valuable crop. Many
varieties of fish, as well as oysters, lobsters, and other shellfish,
are caught in Long Island Sound, but the fishing industry is small and
has been hampered by pollution of the waters. Stone, sand, and gravel
account for most of the limited income derived from mining.
Insurance is important in Connecticut; the Hartford metropolitan area
is one of the industry’s world centers, with the home offices of
many insurance companies. Financial, real estate, and service industries
are also of major importance. The Foxwoods gambling casino and resort
on the Mashantucket Pequot reservation has since its opening in 1992
become one of the largest employers in the state, and the nearby Mohegan
Sun casino has joined it in attracting visitors to Southeast Connecticut.
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Inspired
by a memorial from the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter
of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Governor
O. Vincent Coffin, on May 29, 1895, introduced
to the General Assembly the first proposal for
the adoption of a State Flag. On that same day
the Assembly passed a resolution appointing a
special committee to prepare a designation of
the flag already generally accepted as the official
flag of the state. The General Assembly of 1897
provided an official description of the flag setting
the dimensions at five feet, six inches in length
and four feet, four inches in width, of azure
blue silk, with the armorial bearings in argent
white silk with the design in natural colors and
bordure of the shield embroidered in gold and
silver. Below the shield there is a white streamer,
cleft at each end, bordered in gold and browns,
the streamer bearing in dark blue the motto "Qui
Transtulit Sustinet."
(Above
text from "Connecticut Sites, Seals & Symbols")
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State
Information:
State Motto: "Qui
Transtulit Sustinet" (He Who
Transplanted Still Sustains)
State
Bird: The American Robin (Turdus
Migratorius)
State
Flower: Mountain Laurel (Kalmia Latifolia)
State
Tree: The Charter Oak (White Oak
Quercus Alba)
State
Insect: European Mantis (Mantis Religiosa)
State
Animal: Sperm Whale (Physeter Macrocephalus)
State
Mineral: The Garnet (Almandine Garnet)
State
Shellfish: Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea
Virginica)
State
Ship: USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
State
Fossil: Eubrontes Giganteus
State
Hero: Nathan Hale 1755-1776
State
Heroine: Prudence Crandall 1803-1890
State
Song: "Yankee Doodle"
State
Composer: Charles Edward Ives (1874-1954)
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