Tennessee: State Flag, Bird and Facts

About Tennessee

Eight states touch Tennessee, from Kentucky and Virginia in the north to Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi in the south. The state is split into three Grand Divisions: East, Middle and West. The Blue Ridge Mountains rise along the eastern edge, the middle has rolling hills over cave-filled rock, and flat fertile plains cover the west. Nashville is the capital and the largest city.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the east, draws more visitors than any other national park in the country. The Tennessee River crosses the state twice, and the Mississippi forms its western line. On the flag, a blue circle with a white border holds three white stars on a red field. A narrow blue strip edged in white runs down the outer edge.

Did you know?

• Kuwohi, once called Clingmans Dome, is the highest point in Tennessee, at 6,643 feet.
• The Watauga Association, a frontier pact from 1772, is often called the earliest constitutional government beyond the Appalachians.
• Tennessee's Butternut State nickname refers to the tan uniforms of its Civil War soldiers.