Population
9.5 million—ranked 10th in the United States
+18.5% growth, twice the national average
65% net migration
195.8 persons per square mile (75.6 per square kilometer)

GDP
$380.6 billion
North Carolina’s GDP: 9th in the U.S. and 22nd in the world

Capital
Raleigh

Size
48,710 square miles (126,104 square kilometers)

Geography

Absolute Location: Between 33 degrees North and 37 degrees North latitude; between 75 degrees West and 85 degrees West longitude.

Relative Location: North Carolina is located in the Southeast region of the United States. The state is bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, South Carolina to the south, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean forms North Carolina’s eastern border.

Landforms: There are three distinct landforms of the Southeast and of North Carolina: the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, and the Appalachian Mountains. The Coastal Plain is low, flat to gently sloping land that extends along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Much of the Southeast lies within the Coastal Plain. The Piedmont, characterized by hilly, rolling land, borders the Coastal Plain. The Piedmont extends from Virginia to Alabama. The Appalachian Mountains, the largest range in the eastern United States, stretch from Canada to northern Alabama.

Time Zone: North Carolina is located in the Eastern Time Zone (GMT -5, EST.  The state observes Eastern Daylight Time).