The largest of the southern US states east of the Mississippi, Georgia does well to encapsulate everything the Deep South has to offer, from rural towns to sprawling and diverse cities. Its geography is also varied, with mountains in the north producing spectacular rivers, while the marshlands along the coast in the east are known for their fiddler crab habitations and long, wind-ravished cord grasses.

NATURE IN GEORGIA

Nature is an important part of life in Georgia; the state even boasts its own Seven Natural Wonders. These include the Amicalola Falls, Okefenokee Swamp, Providence Canyon, Stone Mountain, Tallulah Gorge, Warm Springs and Radium Springs.

As a prospective student looking to study in Georgia, however, you most likely be spending most of your time within the state key cities and towns, where the majority of the universities in Georgia are located.

State capital Atlanta is also the unofficial capital of the US South, due to its major role in the political, industrial and cultural reinvention and redevelopment of the region in the post-slavery era.

ABOUT GEORGIA

Outside of the capital, traveling southeast towards the coast, is the small historic city of Savannah, a quaint image of preserved pre-war architecture and low-lying charm. Inch further out to the sea and the state coastal barrier islands offer up luxurious resorts as well as a plethora of nature reserves. Jekyll Island caters to the glamorous, while the more adventurous might prefer hiking in Cumberland Island, or following in the footsteps of the most famous pirate of the 17th century by exploring the so-called wilderness area of Blackbeard Island.

GEORGIA : FAST FACTS

• In 2013, Georgia total population stood at just under 10 million.
• Georgia shares borders with Florida to the south, Alabama to the west, Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, and South Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
• As a southeastern state, Georgia climate is humid subtropical  producing hot summers and mild winters.
• The state is home to 17 companies in the 2014 Fortune 500 list, including Coca-Cola, Home Depot and Delta Air Lines.
• Famous Georgians include civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr, former US president Jimmy Carter, musician Ray Charles, actress Julia Roberts and professional egotist Kanye West.
• Georgia is known as the Peach State due to its history of peach growing; California and South Carolina actually produce more peaches, but many would say Georgia are the most delicious.
• Georgia is home to 350 species of bird.
• In 1945, Georgia became the first state to lower the legal voting age from 21 to 18.