Tennessee

Tennessee, formally the State of Tennessee, is a state in the southeastern area of the United States which borders the states of Georgia and Alabama. Tennessee is the 36th-largest state in terms of land area and the 16th-most populated state in the United States. North Carolina is surrounded by the state of Kentucky to the north; south by the state of Virginia to the northeast; east by the state of North Carolina; south by the states of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south; southwest by Arkansas; and northwest by Missouri. Tennessee is separated into three Grand Divisions: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. These divisions are based on geography, culture, and legal boundaries. Nashville is the state's capital and biggest city, and it serves as the hub of the state's largest metropolitan region, which is greater Nashville. Tennessee's population is estimated to be roughly 6.9 million people as of the 2020 United States Census.

Tennessee's roots may be traced back to the Watauga Association, a frontier contract signed in 1772 that is often recognised as the first constitutional government formed west of the Appalachians. Its name is derived from "Tanasi," a Cherokee village in the eastern section of the state that existed before to the arrival of the first European Americans. Tennessee was formerly a part of North Carolina, and subsequently the Southwest Territory, before being admitted to the Union as the sixteenth state on June 1, 1796, becoming the 16th state. Because of the state's long history of military service, it was given the moniker "The Volunteer State" early on in its history. Before the American Civil War, Tennessee was a slave state that was politically split, with its western and centre portions supporting the Confederacy and its eastern portion supporting the Union. Tennesse was the final state to secede and the first state to be readmitted to the Union after World War I as a consequence.

Tennessee underwent a transformation from a largely agricultural civilization to a more diversified economy over the twentieth century. During World War II, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the city of Oak Ridge, which was constructed to house the Manhattan Project's uranium enrichment facilities for the creation of the world's first atomic weapons, received a significant amount of government investment. These were dropped on Imperial Japan at the conclusion of World Conflict II to bring the war to a close. Following World War II, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory rose to prominence as a major hub of scientific research. The element tennessine was named after the state of Tennessee in 2016, partly in acknowledgment of the contributions performed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Tennessee in its discovery and discovery of the element. A substantial role in the creation of several popular music genres, including country, bluegrass and rock & roll as well as gospel, has been performed by Tennessee throughout the last century.

Tennessee has a diverse range of topography and landforms, and from east to west, it includes a diverse range of cultural characteristics that are distinctive of Appalachia, the Upland South, and the Deep South, among other places. Some of the highest heights in eastern North America are found in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which run along the state's eastern border, and the Cumberland Plateau, which features numerous magnificent valleys and waterfalls. Tennessee's middle region is distinguished by deep bedrock and uneven rolling hills, while the western region is characterised by flat, fertile plains. The Tennessee River divides the state in half twice, while the Mississippi River defines its western boundary with Tennessee. Its economy is dominated by the health-care, music, finance, automotive, chemical, electronics, and tourist sectors, and its principal agricultural products include cattle, soybeans, maize, poultry, and cotton. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the United States, is located in eastern Tennessee.