Physical features

The Appalachians extend almost 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) from north to south. They run through the Atlantic Provinces of Canada and the eastern United States. The mountains are more than 250 million years old and have been worn down over the years. Their highest point is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina. At 6,684 feet (2,037 meters) it is less than one third the height of North America's highest peak, Mount McKinley, in Alaska.

The Appalachian region, sometimes called Appalachia, consists of many areas and mountain ranges with names of their own. In the extreme north are the Long Range Mountains on the island of Newfoundland in Canada. In the United States are the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Southwest of the White Mountains are the Green Mountains of Vermont.

South and west of New England, Appalachia can be divided into four long and narrow regions called provinces, each running north to south. The easternmost province is called the Piedmont. The rolling hills of the Piedmont are covered with forests and fertile farmland. The word piedmont comes from an Italian phrase meaning “foot of the mountain.”

The Blue Ridge is actually a chain of forested ridges that begins as a narrow band in Pennsylvania and gets wider in the south. The province includes the Great Smoky Mountains, which rise in North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Mount Mitchell is in the Black Mountains in this region as well.

The Ridge and Valley Province starts in New York's Hudson Valley. It extends southward to Alabama and runs through the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia.

The Appalachian Plateau is rich in minerals. It includes the Catskill Mountains of New York, the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania, and the Cumberland Plateau farther south. The Cumberland Gap, near the point where Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee meet, is a pass into the plateau through the Allegheny Mountains. Pioneers used it to reach the continent's interior.

Climate

Because they extend so far north and south, the Appalachians have a wide range of temperatures. In Canada and in the White Mountains, Arctic conditions often prevail, especially at high elevations. On Mount Washington, in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, wind speeds up to 231 miles per hour (372 kilometers per hour) have been recorded. The south has milder weather, but heavy clouds and haze are common.

Plants and animals

Before settlers arrived from Europe, the Appalachian area from Maine to Georgia was completely covered by forests. The forested area is now smaller but still impressive. In the north at high elevations are evergreens such as red spruce and balsam fir. Northern hardwoods include sugar maple, buckeye, beech, ash, birch, and red and white oak. Further south are poplar, walnut, and sycamore. There were many chestnut trees before a fungus destroyed them in the 20th century. Dogwood trees blossom every spring. The region's others plants include rhododendrons, ferns, mosses, and mushrooms.

Hawks, wild turkeys, and many kinds of songbirds make the Appalachians their home. Foxes and wildcats are found in the more remote areas. In addition, caribou and moose roam the north. The region also has black bears, white-tailed deer, wild boars, raccoons, and beavers.

People

Before the arrival of Europeans, the northern part of the Appalachians was occupied by Native Americans of various Eastern Woodland groups, such as the Mahican and the Susquehannock. In the southern mountains, the Cherokee were the main inhabitants. By the middle of the 19th century, most of the Native Americans had been removed from the area. In the South, they were replaced by settlers who lived in isolated communities. Separated from the outside world by the hills, these people made their own distinctive culture and music.

Economy

The Piedmont region has rich farmland. Cotton is grown in the south, while tobacco and fruit are the main crops farther north. Forests provide raw material for a lumber and wood pulp industry.

The Appalachian area is also known for its minerals. Coal is mined in large quantities in the Appalachian Plateau from Pennsylvania to Alabama. There is also some petroleum and natural gas. The birthplace of the modern petroleum industry was Titusville, Pennsylvania, on the Appalachian Plateau. The world's first successful oil well was drilled there in 1859.

Mining, lumbering, and the industries that depend on them declined in the late 20th century. Now more and more people make their living selling and delivering goods and providing health care and financial services.

Tourism is also a major industry. The Appalachians offer splendid scenery and many opportunities for outdoor activities. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is in Tennessee and North Carolina. It was listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1983. Another national park, Shenandoah, is in the Blue Ridge section of Virginia. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a hiking path that winds through the mountains for about 2,100 miles (3,400 kilometers). It passes through 14 states on its way from Mount Katahdin, in Maine, to Springer Mountain in Georgia. Motor travelers can use the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, which links the Shenandoah and the Great Smoky Mountains national parks.

Study and exploration

The first European to enter the region of southern Appalachia was probably Hernando de Soto of Spain, in 1539. Early in the 1600s, the French explorer Samuel de Champlain explored the northern hills. But the mountains prevented many other Europeans from moving west of the original colonies. The terrain was rough and there were few natural passes. Eventually, however, settlers began to explore the area. In 1716, Alexander Spotswood led British colonists across the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Famed frontiersman Daniel Boone blazed the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky in 1775. The writings of the naturalist Horace Kephart in the early 20th century led to the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Environmental issues

The Appalachian region has been greatly affected by human activity. Forests have been cleared for agriculture. Pulp and chemical industries have polluted waterways. Coal mining operations have been very hard on the land. Air pollution, caused mostly by industry, has killed much plant life from North Carolina to Canada.

On the western side of the mountains, the Tennessee Valley Authority, a U.S. government agency established in 1933, has built dams on several rivers. While providing electric power and reducing flood danger, these dams have also changed the region's natural environment.