<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Released in 2000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Lists of United States state symbols </Td> </Tr> <P> Virginia (/ vərˈdʒɪniə / (listen)), officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States located between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains . Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as the first English colonial possession established in mainland North America and "Mother of Presidents" because eight U.S. presidents were born there, more than any other state . The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna . The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision . The Commonwealth's estimated population as of 2017 is over 8.4 million . </P> <P> The area's history begins with several indigenous groups, including the Powhatan . In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent New World English colony . Slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colony's early politics and plantation economy . Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution . In the American Civil War, Virginia's Secession Convention resolved to join the Confederacy, and Virginia's First Wheeling Convention resolved to remain in the Union; that led to the creation of West Virginia . Although the Commonwealth was under one - party rule for nearly a century following Reconstruction, both major national parties are competitive in modern Virginia . </P>

Where is virginia located in the united states
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