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Guide:
Regions & Cities:
Directory
Overview
The small state of South Carolina is dominated by agriculture,
with rolling hills and fertile farmland making up the interior and
attractive plantations along the coast. The flat plains and the
undulating pastoral landscapes hold little of interest for the
visitor; the South Carolina coast is the true jewel of the state
and has most of the attractions.
Miles of white sandy seashore stretch from the Grand Strand in
the north to the mouth of the Savannah River in the south. The
glitzy heart of the coast is the popular tourist resort of Myrtle
Beach that is famous for its family entertainment, amusement park
attractions and recreational activities, especially golf. A string
of resorts are dotted along the coast to historic Georgetown,
sitting between the carnival atmosphere of Myrtle Beach and the old
port grandeur of Charleston, one of the most elegant cities in the
country. South of Charleston the coastline breaks up into small
marshy islands that preserve traces of the Gullah culture. These
Sea Islands are home to black communities, descendants of the West
African slaves brought to the plantations who were given land when
they were freed in 1865, and who speak a dialect known as Gullah
that is unique to the African-Americans of the Sea Islands of South
Carolina and Georgia.
South Carolina, nicknamed the 'palmetto state', has a rich
history that is documented in the beautiful historic district of
Charleston, Civil War sites, including Fort Sumter in Charleston
harbour, and the restored plantation estates. In the 1800s the
state depended heavily on slave labour to work the plantations, and
as a result was the first state to secede from the Union and was a
leader in the dispute over slavery.