North Carolina is  a state in the Southeastern region of the United States . It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia to the southwest, and Tennessee to the west.   Abbreviation: NC Capital: Raleigh Temperature: 59 degrees, mostly sunny Time: 2:00 PM (same time zone) Nickname: "Tar Heel State"  In the 1770s, North Carolina produced a lot of tar to manufacture ships. Most tar production comes from small farms that also produce livestock and crops. North Carolina was and is a leading producer of tar, turpentine, rosin, and pitch.  ‘Tar Heel’ was a term used for workers who went barefoot to collect sap used for the production of tar and pitch. It was a derogatory term associated with low-class workers. During the Civil War, soldiers began to call themselves ‘tar heels’ and completely annulled the shame and humiliation associated with this moniker. Today, North Carolina is known the world over as the ‘T...