Virginia, is 35th state in size, it is located in the southern United States. It is bordered by the following states and bodies of water: District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, the Atlantic Ocean, and Chesapeake Bay. The state capital is Richmond while the largest city is Virginia Beach. The birthplace of eight U.S. presidents, the state is nicknamed the Mother of Presidents or Old Dominion.

The state enjoys a mild to humid coastal climate. While the average temperature is at 75 degrees F in the summer and 36 degrees F in the winter, Virginia can also experience extreme weather and hurricanes. Thunderstorms occur regularly, experiencing an average of seven tornadoes annually.

It has several rivers and the major ones are the Appomattox, Clinch, Dan, Elizabeth, Holston, James, New, North Anna, Nottoway, Potomac, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Shenandoah, South Anna, and the York rivers. Other major bodies of water include Lake Anna, Back Bay, Buggs Island Lake, Claytor Lake, Lake Gaston, Great Dismal Swamp, Smith Mountain Lake, and South Holston Lake.

Virginia has a diverse and balanced economy supported by the following industries: manufacturing, exports, tourism, technology, agriculture, and the government including military installations. Forbes Magazine has named it the best state in the nation for business, a distinction in earned four years in a row.

The ten presidents born in Virginia were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. Other notable personalities from the state are Pocahontas, Robert E. Lee, Edgar Allan Poe, and Ella Fitzgerald.