New Hampshire may be one of the smallest states, but it traditionally has played an outsize role in the nation’s greatest task: election of the president. The Granite State has jealously guarded its position as first in line for the quadrennial presidential primary elections. Political careers have been made, salvaged and busted in this first-in-the-nation primary, though its actual impact often is overshadowed by its legendary power: Since 2000, most of the New Hampshire primary winners have failed to win the White House.

The state’s natural beauty stands out more for its valleys, rivers, lakes and mountains than its mere 13 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline. Its highest peak, Mount Washington, stands at 6,288 feet in the White Mountains, and Lake Winnipesaukee is its best-known inland resort.

Among the 13 original colonies , New Hampshire was the ninth to ratify the U.S. Constitution at statehood in 1788. Historically, New Hampshire's economy depended heavily on paper mills fed by its forests and grain mills powered by its rivers. With the decline of millwork in the 20th century, New Hampshire turned to manufacturing for a time.