Transcript Tennessee Introduction The State Fun Facts: 1. The nation’s 36th largest state is size. 2.

Tennessee
Introduction
The State
Fun Facts:
1. The nation’s 36th largest state is size.
2. The state is about 500 miles long and 100 miles wide
3. Jonesborough is the oldest incorporated town, founded in 1779.
4. TN was the last state to secede from the Union in 1861, and was
the first state to be remitted to the Union after the Civil War.
The State
Eleven of fifteen West Tennessee counties submitting returns
wanted a convention call, but twenty-seven of twenty-nine at the
other end of the state opposed it.
Middle Tennessee was the most evenly-divided grand division.
The State
Shares a border with 8 other states: Missouri, Arkansas,
Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia,
Kentucky
The State
Label surrounding states and major cities:
Nashville
Jackson
Oak Ridge
Memphis
Murfreesboro Knoxville
Kingsport
Johnson City
Bristol
Kingsport
Greenville
Chapter 1
Three Grand Divisions
http://eerc.ra.utk.edu/etcfc/region.ht
ml
…by culture, physical features
and histories
TN Three Stars
Six Physical Regions
Six Physical Regions
Physical Regions of Tennessee
Physical Regions of TN
Physical Regions of TN
West TN
Middle TN
East TN
Six Physical Regions
This region is sometimes
called the Blue Ridge
Mountains and is part of
the Appalachian
Mountains. The Unaka
mountains have several
mountain ranges,
including the Great Smoky
Mountains, Unaka
Mountains, and Bald
Mountains.
The Three Grand Divisions
The southern part of
the Appalachians are
divided into two
mountain ranges – the
Blue Ridge to the east
and the Unakas to the
west.
At the widest part of
the Unaka range stand
the Great Smoky
Mountains. The
Smoky Mountains are
the tallest part of the
Unakas.
Six Physical Regions
“Unaka” is Cherokee for
“white.” It is believed that
the Cherokee named
these mountains “Unaka”
because of the white rock
or fog that often covers
their slopes.
This region is located
along the North Carolina
border and is not suitable
for agriculture.
Six Physical Regions
The highest elevations in
the state are in this area,
averaging about 5,000
feet. The highest peak in
the Smoky Mountain is
Clingmans Dome that rise
6,643 feet!
Clingmans Dome
Clingmans Dome Topo Map
At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is
the highest point in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. It is the
highest point in Tennessee, and the
third highest point in the
Appalachian Mountain range. Only
Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) and Mt.
Craig (6,647), both located in Mt.
Mitchell State Park in western North
Carolina, rise higher.
Gatlinburg just 20 miles away!
Clingmans Dome
It is said that Clingmans
Dome is the most
frequently visited of all
United States highpoints,
hosting nearly ten million
people annually.*
The observation tower
includes a neat ramp that
spirals from the trail to the
top of the tower.
The Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park America’s most
visited national park.
Congress established the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
on 15 Jun 1934, and turned its stewardship to the National Park
Service. Land acquisition continued and on Sep. 2, 1940,
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially dedicated the park.
See:
http://www.covebear.com/Smo
kies2.htm
The Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains has 1,500 bears! Also, it is home
to other large animals like deer and elk to the smallest
organisms. The Great Smoky Mountains has the largest
“biological diversity of any area in the world’s temperate zone.”
The Great Smoky Mountains
“The park is a world-renowned preserve of wildflower diversity—
over 1,660 kinds of flowering plants are found here, more than
in any other North American national park.”
White trillium, Trillium
grandiflorum, blooms snowy white,
but the flowers turn pink as they
fade with age.
Yellow Lady's Slipper orchids can
occasionally be found in the
woods at low to mid elevations
in the park.
Six Physical Regions
Six Physical Regions
Six Physical Regions
Sometimes this region is
called the Great Valley and
Ridge. This region has
fertile valleys separated by
mountain ridges on each
side. The Great Valley of
Tennessee is Tennessee’s
part of a larger region called
the Great Appalachian
Valley.
See:
http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernking
s/valleyfl.htm
Six Physical Regions
Cities include:
Bristol, Johnson
City, Knoxville,
Chattanooga
The Tennessee River is
formed in this region.
Review
What is the famous physical feature located near where
Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky all meet?
a) Clingman's Dome b) The Cumberland Gap c) Shiloh
Neyland Stadium
d)
Six Physical Regions
A plateau is flat-topped
highlands, ranging from
1,500 feet to 1,800 feet in
elevation above its
surroundings and has at
least one steep side.
See:
http://www.scienceclarified.com/landforms/OceanBasins-to-Volcanoes/Plateau.html
Six Physical Regions
1.Covered with flat top
mountains separated with
steep valleys.
2. Elevation – 1,500 to
1,800 feet above sea
level.
3. Lookout Mountain
provides a view of seven
states.
4. Rich in forestry and coal.
Six Physical Regions
Six Physical Regions
Six Physical Regions
The Cumberland Escarpment is
a long, steep slope or cliff
separating two surfaces that
are at different elevations.
This escarpment marks the
region’s boundary with the
Valley and Ridge region.
Escarpments are also frequently formed by faults. When a fault
displaces the ground surface so that one side is higher than the
other, a fault scarp is created. This can occur in dip-slip faults, or
when a strike-slip fault brings a piece of high ground adjacent to
an area of lower ground.*
Six Physical Regions
Six Physical Regions
TN’s largest physical region
is elevated to about 1000
feet. It surrounds the
Central Basin region.
The Highland Rim is part of
a larger region: the
Interior Plains.
This region has low hills
many valleys and
waterfalls.
Six Physical Regions
Six Physical Regions
Six Physical Regions
Highland Rim
Six Physical Regions
The Central Basin, also
called the Nashville Basin
is a region of fertile land
that is 300 – 500 feet
lower than the
surrounding rim. One could
say it is shaped like a
bowl.
Six Physical Regions
Six Physical Regions
A plain is a large stretch of
land that stays level (very
little changes in elevation).
Plains are generally lower
than the land around
them.
This is where the elevation
of TN is the lowest and
land is the flattest.
Memphis lies in lowest
elevation of Tennessee and
is the largest city in this
region
Six Physical Regions
The Gulf Coastal Plain has
some of TN’s best
farmland: soybeans,
cotton, corn, and wheat.
The eastern part of this
region has a lot of flooding
from the Mississippi River
Six Physical Regions
The Tennessee boarders the Gulf Coastal Plain in the east and
the Mississippi River boarders the left.
Six Physical Regions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1xvZVEgYg
Chapter 2
Three Grand Divisions
The Three Grand
Divisions are
represented
prominently by the
three stars on the
flag of Tennessee.
The Divisions are
based more on
culture and political
differences rather
than physical
characteristics.
The Three Grand Divisions
The East Division:
East Tennessee includes three
physical regions:
1. Unaka Mountains
2. Valley & Ridge
3. Cumberland Plateau
The Three Grand Divisions
The East Division:
East Tennessee includes three
physical regions:
1. Unaka Mountains
2. Valley & Ridge
3. Cumberland Plateau
East Tennessee is both geographically and culturally part of
Appalachia, and has been included— along with Western North
Carolina, North Georgia, Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, and
Southwest Virginia— in every major definition of the Appalachian
region since the early 20th century.
The Three Grand Divisions
East Tennessee begins
on the western edge of the
Cumberland Plateau to the
state’s eastern border.
East Tennessee was the
first part of the state to be
settled by Europeans.
East Tennessee is the most
mountainous of the Three
Grand Divisions. See:
http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/geograp
hy/e_4
The Three Grand Divisions
The "Unaka" originally came
from the Indian tribal name of
"Unaka." The actual word
means "white, hazy, fog
draped" and is a corruption of
the Indian word "uneka" which
simply meant "white."
The Three Grand Divisions
East Tennessee
The Three Grand Divisions
Middle Tennessee’s Regions:
1. Highland Rim
2. Central Basin
Middle Division:
Middle Tennessee begins along
the Tennessee River, on its west
side, to the western edge of the
Cumberland Plateau. This
boundary between East TN and
Middle TN is close to the line
separating the Eastern and
Central time zones.
This is the largest of
the Three Grand
Divisions.
See:
http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/geography/e_4
The Three Grand Divisions
Middle Tennessee
The Three Grand Divisions
West Divison:
West Tennessee runs from the
Mississippi River, to where the
Tennessee flows from south to
north.
This is where the elevation of TN
is the lowest and land is the
West Tennessee’s Physical Region:
flattest.
1. Gulf Coastal Plain
See:
http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/geography/e_4
The Three Grand Divisions
West Tennessee
The Three Grand Divisions
The geographic differences in the three parts of the state have led to differences in
culture, history and politics. For example:
* West Tennessee's soil and climate are great for growing cotton. Because of this, West
Tennessee evolved into the part of the state most dominated by large farms, once known
as plantations. These plantations had many African-American slaves. Therefore, to this
day, West Tennessee has a higher percentage of African-American residents than the
other two Grand Divisions.
* Middle Tennessee has two important rivers: the Cumberland and Tennessee. Of
Tennessee's Three Grand Divisions, Middle Tennessee probably has the best river system
in terms of navigability. Because of this, Middle Tennessee developed better trade than
the other two parts of the state. Nashville, for instance, was once considered the flour
milling capital of the South.
•Because of the steep terrain, there are parts of East Tennessee that are hard to reach,
even today. This has created more of an isolated culture in East Tennessee.
•From:http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/geography/m_1
Review
1. Memphis is in the:
a) Gulf Coastal Plain
Blues Zone
b) Highland Rim
c) Central Basin
d)
2. Nashville is in the:
a) Gulf Coastal Plain
County Music Zone
b) Highland Rim
c) Central Basin
d)
3. Which of the following are located in Tennessee?
a) Unaka Mountains b) Valley and Ridge c) Cumberland
Plateau d) All of the above
Chapter 3
Bodies of Water
The Tennessee River might
have the most interesting
history of any river in
America. It was vital to the
culture of several Native
American tribes (most notably
the Cherokee). It led the first
American settlers into the
heart of the frontier… (It saw,
on its shores, the bloody
battle of Shiloh …And in the
20th century it led to the
great government experiment
known as the Tennessee
Valley Authority.*
Bodies of Water
Use the map to label:
TN River
Mississippi River
Holston River
Nolichucky River
Cumberland River
http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/index.php?pg=xgalleries/x
mappgs/rivers.php
Bodies of Water
The Holston and Clinch rivers
are important East TN
tributaries of the Tennessee
River. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_River#Tennessee_River_tri
butaries
Did you know… The
Tennessee river flows in
two directions – North and
South? The river flows north
to south on the east side of
Tennessee, but south to
north on the west side of
Tennessee. This may seem
confusing, but remember
that the river does a "U"
shape in North Alabama and
flows back into Tennessee.*
Bodies of Water
Cumberland River drains much
of Middle Tennessee. It begins in
eastern Kentucky and flows
southwest into TN, then through
Nashville before turning
northwest back through
Kentucky. There the Cumberland
empties into the Ohio River.
Bodies of Water
Along TN western border
lies the Mississippi River.
Did you know the
Mississippi River has left its
borders along TN in 12
places? See
http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/geography/m_2
TN lowest point lies in the
Mississippi River at 178
feet above sea level.
Tennessee
River
Mississippi
River
Cumberland
River
Part 2: Major Rivers and Lakes of Tennessee 7.3.3
You will use answers more than once.
1._______________
This major river forms most of the western boundary
between Tennessee and its neighbors Arkansas and Missouri.
2._______________
This river runs through all three regions of Tennessee
and forms the boundary between Middle and West Tennessee
3._______________
This river originates in Kentucky and the city of Nashville
(Fort Nashboro) was built on it.
4._______________
The Harpeth River, in Davidson County, is a tributary of
this river.
5._______________
The Clinch and Duck Rivers are both tributaries of this
larger river.
8. _______________
This river led the first American settlers into the heart of
the frontier.
9. ______________
You can ride the General Jackson to LP Field on this
river.
Tennessee's Largest Natural Lake
Reelfoot Lake
In 1811 and 1812, there were dozens of earthquakes, including 4 very large ones, in
the area around west Tennessee, southwest Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, and
southern Illinois, culminating in the New Madrid earthquake on February 7, 1812, which
is thought to have been the strongest earthquake in the continental United States since
Europeans settled here. Legend has it that this earthquake was so strong that it caused
the mighty Mississippi River to flow backwards. Water overflowed the banks, and
formed Reelfoot Lake.
This is the story that everyone learns growing up in Tennessee, and that the park
rangers tell you when you visit the lake. Sure, it's unlikely that the Mississippi actually
flowed backwards, but the earthquakes did radically change the landscape over a very
short period of time, causing water to flow into what is now the lake. When water levels
drop, you can see the tree stumps from the forest that, before the quakes, had
occupied the area.
The scary thing is that scientists have been saying for years that the New Madrid fault
is due for another big quake. In 1811-1812, the region was sparsely populated, and
while there aren't good figures, the damage was minor relative to the size of the
quakes. Can you imagine, though, what would happen to a city like Memphis if a quake
that measured 8.0 on the Richter scale occurred just to the north?
http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2006/09/the_day_the_mississippi_flowed.php
Tennessee’s largest Natural Lake
Reelfoot National Park
Tennessee’s largest Natural Lake
Reelfoot Lake.
The lake has approximately 13,000 acres of
water and the average depth is only 5.2 feet.
The deepest area is only 18' deep. Due to the
shallow, fertile water and the abundance of
natural cover, Reelfoot Lake is one of the
world's greatest natural fish hatcheries.
Approximately 54 species of fish can be found
in the lake and there are thousands of
individual fish living within the lake. The
primary game fish include several types of
bream; white and black crappie; several
species of catfish; large mouth and yellow bass.
Many types of rough fish are also in the lake.
The rough fish most often caught while fishing
are carp, gar, bowfin, drum and shad. Reelfoot
Lake fishing varies on a seasonal basis, just like
all other lakes.
It is often called “the sportsman's resort.”
Caves in Tennessee
Tennessee is home to the most caves
in the United States, with over 8,350
caves registered to date.
Map Drawing
http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/geog
raphy/e_3
TRUE OR FALSE: The Tennessee River runs north to
south through western Tennessee.
Chapter 4
Natural Resources
Plant and Wild Life
More than half (55%) of TN is covered in forests.
The variety of physical features and climate zones has resulted in
a variety of flora (plants and trees) and fauna(animals). Some of
the flora found in the Unaka Region will be different from those in
Gulf Coastal Plain.
Natural Resources
Plant and Wild Life
Reelfoot lake has one of the
largest wintering populations of
Bald Eagles outside Alaska, and
the return of the Eagles has
become a major event
Cyprus Trees in
Reelfoot Lake.
Natural Resources
Plant and Wildlife
Did you Know?
• Tennessee is home to some of the
most diverse forests in the
temperate region of the world. Our
forests contain more species of trees
than all of Europe.
• Streams running through the
forests of Tennessee’s Cumberland
Plateau are among the most
biologically diverse temperate
freshwater communities in the world.
• Tennessee’s hardwood forests and
their habitats are among the most
diverse temperate forests in the
world.
Natural Resources
Plant and Wildlife
Did You Know?
•Tennessee has more federally listed
endangered species than forty-six
other states and, along with three
other states, has the highest
percentage of aquatic species at risk.
• The South now cuts more timber
than the rest of the country
combined, and more than any other
country in the World.
• To feed the South’s 98 paper mills
alone takes 175 million tons of trees
per year.
• Tennessee cuts nearly 5 million
tons of pulpwood each year and more
than half of this comes from native
hardwood forests.
Natual Resources
Plant and Wildlife
What does TN do with all the trees it cuts?
Tennessee leads the U.S. in the production of hardwood flooring
and wood pencils.
Natural Resources
Minerals
Study the Land Use and Resources map of TN on page
TN A in your text. Describe Tennessee’s natural
resources and identify The Three Grand Divisions in
which they are found.
Agriculture
1. Best agricultural areas where soils are most suitable for crop production:
a. West Tennessee
b. Central Nashville Basin
c. Great Valley and Ridge
2. Farming is declining in Tennessee
a. In 1950 there were 230,000 farms in 10 million acres
b. In 2002 there were 75,000 farms in 7 million acres
c. Majority of today’s farms are part-time, especially in East and Middle TN.
3. Livestock:
a. Walking horses – Central Basin
b. Tobacco – East and Middle
c. Cotton – West
d. Soybeans - West
e. Corn – West
f. Nursery Stock (trees, shrubbery, flowering bushes)- Highland Rim
g. Tomatoes - East
Agriculture
Energy in TN
Natural Resources
East Tennessee
Many coal mines are
found in the
Cumberland Gap
Area
TN Congressional Districts
http://www.tcwp.org/2012polguide.shtml
TN Congressional Districts
TN Congressional Districts
Moving to district 3
Moving to district 4
After the census
is taken, every 10
years, the state
legislature
redraws
congressional
lined to adjust for
population shifts.
When changing
the district lines it
is important to do
so because of
population NOT to
shift political
power.
TN Congressional Districts
People may complain
that district lines should
not be redrawn. But
legislators may make a
law (statutory
requirements) to make
the districts be redrawn.
TN Congressional Districts
Legislators may NOT
make people redraw the
lines to sort people into
groups, such as ethnic
minorities or members
of certain political
parties, into the same
district.
TN Congressional Districts
Residents of on
Congressional district
may vote to become
part of another district.
Question
The boundaries of Tennessee’s congressional districts are
sometimes redrawn. The boundaries can change for any of the
following reasons except when
A. The number of Congressional seats a state is assigned is
reapportioned as a result of population changes.
B. Residents of one Congressional district vote to become part
of another district.
C. Statutory requirements oblige the districts to be redrawn.
D. Legislators decide to sort similar groups, such as ethnic
minorities or members of certain political parties, into the
same district.
Which of the following physical regions of Tennessee lies farthest
west?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Unaka Mountains
Central Basin
Cumberland Plateau
Gulf Coastal Plain