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Tennessee [tenəsi: ʹ], abbreviated TN, US state; 109 158 km2,
6.8 million inhabitants (2018).The capital is Nashville.
Tennessee. State Map.
Nature
The floodplain along the Mississippi River at the far west is further
extended to the east by a rolling plains. Central Tennessee is the Nashville
Basin, which is surrounded by highlands to the west and east. The area is
drained by tributaries to the Tennessee River. The Cumberland Plateau further
east is an area of bedrock made of sandstones and shales, which is bounded by
a lowering towards the Appalachians with Tennessees highest peak, Clingmans Dome
(2,024 m above sea level).
Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains of eastern
Tennessee have been listed on UNESCO's World Heritage list since 1983.
The state has mild winters (around 5 ° C) and hot summers (around 25 ° C) and
an annual rainfall that normally exceeds 1,000 mm.
Population
Tennessee is relatively densely populated with an average of 45 residents per
mile 2, higher in the Tennessee Valley and in western Tennessee,
lower in other areas. About 17 percent of residents are African Americans, most
of whom live in major cities. The largest urban regions are the capital city of
Nashville – Davidson – Murfreesboro (1.6 million residents, 2019), Memphis (1.3
million residents), Knoxville (868,500 residents) and Chattanooga (551,600
residents).
Business
The state's economy has developed strongly since the 1930s, when the TVA
project (see Tennessee Valley Authority) started with the construction of dams,
power plants, etc.
Tennessee. The Norris Dam in the Chin River,
northeastern Tennesse, opened in 1936 and was the first major project for the
Tennessee Valley Authority.
About 35 percent of Tennessee's land is arable and pasture, 50 percent is
forest (mainly deciduous forest). Primarily, soybeans, tobacco, cotton and maize
are grown, but animal production (meat, dairy products) provides equally high
income for agriculture. Bergsbruket provides, among other things, zinc and
carbon.
Industry is the state's most important industry. The TVA project provided
access to cheap energy, which was utilized by, among other things, the chemical
industry. The rubber, plastic, textile and machine industries also play a role,
and the production of food and whiskey is also extensive. The music industry is
of great importance, and tourism is an important source of income in Tennessee.
Tourism and gastronomy
The state receives 50 million visitors annually, most from the rest of the
United States. The wide range of culture and entertainment, including in the
music field, contributes to Memphis (Beale Street, Graceland) and Nashville
(Country Music Hall of Fame) being the main destinations.
Tennessee. Beale Street in Memphis, which before
World War II was the center of the Memphis blues, is now a major tourist
attraction.
Large numbers of tourists are also looking to Knoxville and Chattanooga. The
American Museum of Science and Energy in the "atomic city" of Oak Ridge outside
Knoxville attracts many visitors.
In and around Chattanooga there are a number of well-visited memorial sites
from the Civil War battles, such as Lookout Mountain. On the border between
Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky lies Cumberland National Historic Park, a
mountain pass utilized by Daniel Boone and the subsequent colonizers of the
tracts west of the Appalachians. The area is also of interest to those seeking
nature experiences, which applies even more to the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, located on the border with North Carolina and one of America's
most visited parks.
Other popular recreational areas are Big South Folk and Land Between the
Lakes, both on the Kentucky border. The TVA project (see Tennessee Valley
Authority) has also created favorable conditions for tourism and recreation,
including through the addition of lakes and ponds that have provided rich
opportunities for water sports and fishing.
The corn and livestock breeding (mostly pork) characterize the recipe
offering, as well as the tradition of large, nutritious meals and the mixture of
English, French and African features. The wooded eastern parts gave birth to a
kitchen based on what was at hand after the day's hunting, pots and stews that
were sprinkled with corn cakes and bread.
Ham with redeye gravy, ham with sauce made on coffee, water and
cream, is usually referred to as "national dish". Hush puppies, that
is, fried corn flour balls, are often served for fish or as a snack, and strawberry
shortcake, strawberry cake is a regular dessert.
History
Tennessee was home to several Native American people when, after 1540, it was
visited by Spanish and French explorers. Britain gained supremacy in 1763 and a
permanent European settlement was established in 1768. The region's inhabitants
joined North Carolina but in 1784 sought to form their own state named
Franklin. However, this was never acknowledged and dissolved in 1789. After
North Carolina declared its claim, Tennessee became the 16th state of the United
States in 1796. Slavery was allowed, and in 1861 Tennessee joined the
Confederate States of America, though with great doubt and only since the Civil
War broke out. Several important battles were fought in Tennessee, but the state
resumed in the Union as early as 1866.
During the 1900s, agricultural dominance gradually ceased and
industrialization gained momentum, especially after 1933, when the Tennessee
Valley Authority was formed. As in other southern states, the issue of race has
been politically inflamed during the post-war period. Republicans have been
moving forward since the 1960s, and Tennessee can today be termed a two-party
state.
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