It is bordered to the north by North Carolina; to the south and west by Georgia, located across the Savannah River; and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina became a slave society after rice and indigo became established as commodity crops, and from 1708, a majority of the population were slaves, many born in Africa. It was the first of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution.

South Carolina was the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation. South Carolina later became the first state to vote to secede from the Union which it did on December 20, 1860. It was readmitted to the United States on June 25, 1868. It was also the 8th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on May 23, 1788.

South Carolina is the 40th most extensive and the 24th most populous of the 50 United States. Its GDP as of 2013 was $183.6 billion, with an annual growth rate of 3.13%. South Carolina comprises 46 counties. The capital and largest city of the state is Columbia with a 2013 population of 133,358. The largest MSA is Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin with a 2013 population of 850,965.