Tennessee Details

Tennessee is a state located in the south-central United States. It borders Kentucky and Virginia to the north, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi to the south and Arkansas and Missouri to the west. It has a total land area of 41,217 sq mi. (106,752 sq km), making it the 36th largest state among all other member-states of the confederate.

The origin of Tennessee’s name is said to be that of Cherokee’s. Its meaning, however, remains unknown. This state is also known as the Volunteer State. Tennessee became the 16th member of the confederate in June 1, 1796.

Tennessee was first discovered by a Spanish explorer named Hernando de Soto in 1540. This state was later claimed by both France and England as a result of further explorations by several other people. Tennessee joined the confederate during the Civil War when there were many extensive military actions.

Tennessee is largely an industrial state. Its products include chemicals, textiles, apparel, electrical machinery, and furniture and leather goods. It also boasts of food processing, lumber, primary metals and metal products. This state boasts of massive deposits of marble, zinc, pyrite and ball clay. Apart from these mentioned, Tennessee is also a leading tobacco producer. It also produces large amounts of livestock and dairy products.

Major tourist attractions in Tennessee include the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site at Greeneville, the American Museum of Atomic Energy at Oak Ridge, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Hermitage (home of Andrew Jackson near Nashville), Rock City Gardens near Chattanooga, and three National Military Parks.

The capital of Tennessee is Nashville and its largest city is the Memphis. This state has an estimated population of 6,214,888 (2008 estimate) and is the 17th most populated state in the US.

Residents of Tennessee are called Tennessean.