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Population

9.6 million—ranked 10th in the United States
+18.5% growth, almost twice the national average
66% net migration 
196.1 persons per square mile

GDP:

$424.9 billion—ranked 9th in the United States

Capital:

Raleigh

Size:

48,710 square miles

Absolute Location:

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

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 does observe Eastern Daylight Time).

Business:

Private nonfarm establishments (2009) 218,987
Private nonfarm employment (2009) 3,353,931
Private nonfarm employment, percent change (2000–2009) - 0.9%
Nonemployer establishments (2009) 620,363
Total number of firms (2007) 798,791
Black-owned firms, percent (2007) 10.5%
American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned firms, percent (2007) 1.0%
Asian-owned firms, percent (2007) 2.5%
Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms, percent (2007) 0.1%
Hispanic-owned firms, percent (2007) 2.7%
Women-owned firms, percent (2007) 28.2%
Manufacturer’s shipments, (2007) ($1,000) 205,867,299
Merchant wholesaler sales, (2007) ($1,000) 88,795,885
Retail sales, (2007) ($1,000) 114,578,173
Retail sales per capita (2007) $12,641
Accommodation and food services sales, (2007) ($1,000) 16,126,939
Building permits, (2010) 33,889
Federal spending, (2009) ($1,000) 85,843,896
Gross state product, (2010) $42,884 (per capita) 
Percent change in state real GDP, 2010–11: +1.8%
Unemployment rate, July 2012: 9.6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis