While the southern two counties have historically been predominantly agricultural, New Castle is more urbanized. The state is divided into three counties, having the lowest number of any state from north to south, they are New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County. Delaware's largest city is Wilmington, while the state capital is Dover, the second-largest city in the state. It is the second-smallest and sixth-least populous state, but also the sixth-most densely populated. ĭelaware occupies the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and some islands and territory within the Delaware River. The state takes its name from the nearby Delaware River named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor.
Interactive map showing border of Delaware (click to zoom)ĭelaware ( / ˈ d ɛ l ə w ɛər/ ( listen) DEL-ə-wair) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west Pennsylvania to its north and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east.