Wednesday, December 22, 2010

USA


USA Quarters-XIII
Rhode island state quarter
usa rhode island state quarterThe Rhode Island quarter honors the "Ocean State". Featuring a vintage sailboat gliding through Rhode Island's famous Narragansett Bay, and an image of the Pell Bridge in the background, with the design showcasing Rhode Island's most popular sport: sailing.

With more than 400 miles of coastline, Rhode Island, the smallest state in the Union, has more than 100 fresh water and salt water beaches. Known as the "sailing capital" of the world, Rhode Island was home to the America's Cup for more than 50 years. Narragansett Bay is crucial to the architecture of Rhode Island. An inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, extending into eastern Rhode Island, the Bay receives four major rivers, and has several islands. Rhode island is not actually an island but is called so because water is present everywhere there in the form of fresh water and salt water bodies, and not just the adjoining ocean.

Pennsylvania state quarter
usa pennsylvania state quarterThe Pennsylvania quarter depicts the statue "Commonwealth," an outline of the state, the state motto, and a keystone. This design was chosen to further help educate people about the origins of the state, founded on December 12, 1787.

The statue "Commonwealth," designed by New York sculptor Roland Hinton Perry, is a bronze-gilded 14' 6" high female form that has topped Pennsylvania's state capitol dome in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania since May 25, 1905. Her right arm extends in kindness and her left arm grasps a ribbon mace to symbolize justice. The image of the keystone honors the states nickname, "The Keystone State." At a Jefferson Republican victory rally in October 1802, Pennsylvania was toasted as "the keystone in the federal union." The modern persistence of this designation is justified in view of the key position of Pennsylvania in the economic, social, and political development of the United States.

Oregon state quarter
usa oregon state quarterThe oregon state quarter coin design features a portion of Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States, viewed from the south-southwest rim. The design incorporates Wizard Island, as well as Watchman and Hillman Peaks on the lake's rim and conifers. The coin bears the inscription "Crater Lake".

Crater Lake is a unique and stunning natural treasure, formed more than 7,700 years ago by the collapse of Mt. Mazama in what is now southern Oregon. At 1,949 feet, it is the deepest lake in the United States and the seventh deepest in the world, and has a record clarity depth of 134 feet. The main cause of Crater Lake's remarkable clarity is its isolation from incoming streams and rivers.

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