The Province of North Carolina (also known variously as the North Carolina Colony, and sometimes as the Royal Colony of North Carolina) was originally part of the Province of Carolina in British America, which was chartered by eight Lords Proprietor. The province later became the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee, and parts of the province combined with other territory to form the states of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_North_Carolina