Connecticut
|
Territory (land area) |
4,845 sq miles = 12,548 sq kms (Ranks 48th among states) |
|
Population (July 2005 estimate): |
3,510,297 |
|
Admitted: |
January 9, 1788, as the 5th state
of the US |
|
Capital: |
Hartford |
|
Largest city (incl.
metropolitan area): |
Bridgeport |
|
Abbreviation: |
CT |
|
Nickname: |
The Constitution State |
|
Region: |
|
Connecticut
(in pronunciation, the second ’c’ is silent) is the southernmost New England
state and the second smallest in the region after Rhode Island. Its origins go
back to Thomas Hooker, a Puritan minister, who founded Hartford in 1636 in
order to escape the authority of Massachusetts Puritans, and the colony was
incorporated in 1639. In general, the government of Connecticut was similar to
Massachusetts, but it allowed all property-owning men to vote, and not only
Puritan church members, so in this sense it was more democratic.
Lacking
large cities or other noteworthy features, nowadays Connecticut is primarily
known for its world-famous higher educational institution, Yale University,
located at New Haven.