So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in Delaware?

Delaware, the second-smallest state in the U.S., was one of the original Thirteen Colonies and is known as the "First State," owing to the fact that they were the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, the first legal document establishing the American states. It's bounded by Pennsylvania to the north, the Delaware River, New Jersey, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and Maryland to both the south and the west.

The state of Delaware is relatively flat. The highest point in the state is only about 450 feet above sea level. While the northern part of Delaware is full of rolling hills, the southern section is largely composed of flat, sandy, and, in some areas, swampy ground.

Because the majority of Delaware is part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the climate is moderated by the effects of the ocean. But, since it is basically a transitional area between two different climate types, the southern part of the state has, to some degree, a milder climate than the northern section of the state. The entire state of Delaware, however, has generally hot, humid summers.

The 2005 census placed the population of Delaware at 843,524. The largest ancestries in Delaware are African American (19.2%), Irish (16.6%), German (14.3%), English (12.1%), and Italian (9.3%). Of these, 90.5% speak only English at home.

While, historically, the Republican Party was dominant in Delaware's politics, in recent years, their influence has shrunk while the Democratic Party's has grown. In the 2004 election, John Kerry won the state over George W. Bush with 53.35% of the vote. Today, Democrats hold seven of the nine statewide elected offices.

In Delaware, 79% of the population consider themselves Christians. The largest majority of thest, 68%, are Protestant. However, a fairly substantial portion of the residents of Delaware, 19%, say they are non-religious.

The income tax of Delaware is broken into six different brackets, ranging from 2.2% to 5.95%. While the state doesn't impose a sales tax on consumers, it does, however, levy a tax on the gross receipts of most businesses, which is often passed on to the consumer. The business and occupational license tax ranges from 0.096% to 1.92%, depending on the type of business activity.

Due to its relatively small size, there are few colleges or universities that call Delaware home. The ones that are located here include such places as:

• Delaware State University

• The University of Delaware

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degree page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Delaware".

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