The Thirteen Colonies that formed the original United States numbered 13 in 1776.
These British colonies occupied the Atlantic seaboard from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. Their economies and societies differed considerably: New England had major maritime and commercial centers, the Middle Colonies were known for agriculture and trade, and the Southern Colonies relied heavily on plantation agriculture and enslaved labor.
The colonies cooperated politically during the American Revolution and became the first states of the new United States. They were not all identical in their political institutions, religious traditions, or relationships with Indigenous nations. Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were among the Middle Colonies, while Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia were Southern Colonies.
The number 13 is sometimes confused with the 50 states that exist today or with the 13 stripes on the modern U.S. flag. The stripes commemorate the original colonies, while the stars represent the states in the Union.