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Tennessee lies adjacent to 8 other states: Kentucky and Virginia to the north; North Carolina on the east; on the south by Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi; and on the west by Arkansas and Missouri. The state is trisected by the Tennessee River. The highest point in the state is the peak of Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet, which lies on Tennessee's eastern border. The geographical center of the state is The state of Tennessee is traditionally divided into three Grand Divisions: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. Tennessee features six principal geographic regions: the Blue Ridge, the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region, the Appalachian Plateau, the Highland Rim, the Nashville Basin, and the Gulf Coastal Plain. The Blue Ridge area lies on the eastern edge of Tennessee, on the border of North Carolina. This region of Tennessee is characterized by high mountains, including the Great Smoky Mountains, the Chilhowee Mountains, and the Snowbird Mountains. The average elevation of the Blue Ridge area is 5,000 feet above sea level. Clingman's Dome is located in this region. Stretching west from the Blue Ridge for approximately 55 miles is the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region. This area of Tennessee is covered by fertile valleys separated by wooded ridges. The western section of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region, where the valleys become broader and the ridges become lower, is called the Great Valley. To the west of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region lies the Appalachian Plateau. Also called the Cumberland Plateau, this area is covered with flat-topped mountains separated by sharp valleys. The elevation of the Appalachian Plateau rises to 1,500 to 1,800 feet above sea level. Lookout Mountain, southwest of Chattanooga and in the southern section of plateau, provides views of seven states. To the west of the Appalachian Plateau lies the Highland Rim, an elevated plain that surrounds the Nashville Basin. The northern section (in Kentucky) of the Highland Rim is sometimes called the Pennyroyal Plateau. Surrounded by the steep slopes of the Highland Rim is the Nashville Basin. The Nashville Basin is characterized by rich, fertile farm country. West of the Highland Rim and Nashville Basin lies the Gulf Coastal Plain, which includes the Mississippi embayment. The Gulf Coastal Plain is, in terms of area, the predominant land region in Tennessee. It is part of the large geographic land area that begins at the Gulf of Mexico and extends north into southern Illinois. In Tennessee, the Gulf Coastal Plain is divided into three sections that extend from the Tennessee River, in the east, to the Mississippi River in the west. The easternmost section consists of hilly land that runs along the western bank of the Tennessee River. This section of the Gulf Coastal Plain is about 10 miles wide. To the west of this narrow strip of land is a wide area of rolling hills and streams that stretches all the way to Memphis. This area is called the Tennessee Bottoms or bottom land. In Memphis, the Tennessee Bottoms end in steep bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. To the west of the Tennessee Bottoms is the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, less than 300 feet above sea level. This area of lowlands, flood plains, and swamp land is sometimes referred to as The Delta region. |
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