Bordered by eight other states, Tennessee cuts a long, narrow path across much of the mid-South. Tennessee has often been thought of as three states in one because of its three so-called grand divisions--each represented by a star in the state flag. Although the citizens of the state share a common heritage and character, their unique geographical differences have affected their customs and viewpoints.
East Tennessee, the site of the Great Smoky Mountains, has high, thickly wooded terrain. Many people in this division trace their origins to settlers who trekked through the Cumberland Gap during the late 18th century. Its chief cities are Chattanooga, Knoxville, and the tri-cities of Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol. Middle Tennessee is the division between the Cumberland Plateau and the lower Tennessee River. A rolling farmland of foothills and pastures, it is also the site of Nashville, the capital city and the home of the Grand Ole Opry. West Tennessee is closely linked with the cotton economy of the Deep South. Its western edge lies in the Mississippi Floodplain. Memphis, the largest city in Tennessee, has been called the capital of the Mississippi Delta region.
Traditional one-crop farming culminated in soil erosion, a severe threat to the state by the early 1900s. However, crop diversification, contouring, and other conservation efforts have brought new fertility to the soil. Tennessee's economic progress became especially marked after the 1930s, when the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began to build hydroelectric and flood-control dams in the state. The promise of cheap electric power encouraged the establishment of many industries in Tennessee. Today manufacturing far outranks farming in the Volunteer State's economy.
Tennessee is named from the Indian word Tanasi, the name of a Cherokee village on the Little Tennessee River. Its nickname, the Volunteer State, came from the large number of Tennesseans who volunteered for service in the War of 1812, particularly in the battle of New Orleans. In the Mexican War also, the number of Tennessee volunteers far exceeded the state's quota.
Tennessee occupies a narrow strip of land in the south-central section of the United States. To the north are Virginia and Kentucky. To the west the Mississippi River separates Tennessee from Missouri and Arkansas. Three states lie to the south--Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. North Carolina is to the east. Missouri is the only other state that is bordered by eight states. From east to west Tennessee's greatest length is 432 miles (695 kilometers). Its greatest width is 115 miles (185 kilometers). The total area is 42,244 square miles (109,411 square kilometers), including 916 square miles (2,372 square kilometers) of inland water surface.
