The largest state east of the Mississippi, and the last of the 13 colonies to be found, Georgia consist of three main land regions: in the north is a small section of the Appalachian Mountains; the Piedmont Plateau constitutes the middle; and in the south, coastal flatlands make up about threefifths of the state's total area. Landmarks include the Okefenokee swamp, one of the country's largest.

Mound Builders were the first known inhabitants of the Georgia region, followed in modern times by Creek and Cherokee Indians. Spanish explorer De Soto is thought to have been the first European to visit (1540) the area, but British claims soon conflict with those of Spain; in 1733, English philanthropist James Oglethorpe led a group of his countrymen in launching the first permanent settlement at Savannah as an asylum for debtors. England ended the Spanish threat in 1742, as forces under Oglethorpe defeated their rivals in the battle of Bloody Marsh.

The sale of rum and the introduction of slaves into the region were at first outlawed, but by about 1750 new legislation ended these restrictions. Many foreigners were amoung these restrictions, soon followed by settlers mainly from Virgina and the Carolinas.

Statehood dates from 1788. An economic milestone was Eli Whitney'sinvention (1793) of the cotton gin, near Savannah. The state saw much action during the Civil War; Union General William T. Serman burned Atlanta and led his embittering march to the sea, which left in its wake a vast path of destruction. the Reconstruction period and the subsequent ascendancy of tenant farming and sharecropping did little to foster the state's recovery

In May 1970, racial disorders in Augusta brought 1,200 National Guard troops into the back steets and left six people dead, all shot in the back - five reportedly by the police and one by an unknown assailant. Police said the deaths occurred during the looting of several businesses in the neighborhood.

Changes in social patterns are evident. Public accommodations accommodations throughout the state are generally desegrgated, in accordance with law, as are most school systems, although residential housing patterns in many areas limit the amount of actual school integration.

As in many other parts of the country, Georgians expressed concern over busing pupils to achieve racial balance in schools. In February, 1972, classroom boycotts to protest busing cut into school attendance at Auguata. There were efforts to promote a statewide boycott, but they failed.