State of Tennessee

The Tennessee area was explored by the Spanish in the mid-16th century, and by the English and French at the end of the 17th century. In the early 1770s, dozens of families from Virginia and North Carolina settled in the valleys of the Houston, Watauga and Nolichucky rivers.

After the war of American Independence, the settlers of the Eastern part organized the state of Franklin, in 1784; Six years later, the United States government reorganized this area, which it gave the name off the Southern Territory of the Ohio River. In 1796, Tennessee was integrated as a state in the Union.

Oak Ridge was the place where the atomic bomb was developed.

In April 1968, Martin Luther King, leader of the movement for the defense of civil rights and racial equality, was murdered in the city During World War II, Oak Ridge was chosen as a laboratory of the Department of National Energy, one of the main places of the elaboration of the Manhattan project. Tennessee celebrated its bicentennial in 1996 by opening a new state park (Bicentennial Mall) under Capitol Hill in Nashville.

It is bordered to the north by the states of Kentucky and Virginia, to the east by North Carolina, to the south by [Georgia], Alabama and Mississippi, and to the west by Arkansas and Missouri. The Mississippi River marks its western limit. Among the important cities of the state, Memphis and Nashville-Davidson, the capital, stand out.

The climate is characteristically continental, with cold winters (similar to those of the Castilian northern plateau) and very hot summers. Rainfall is abundant and common in all seasons. Normally, three or four snowfalls are recorded throughout the winter, but they are usually of low intensity and the snow melts quickly.

The crop that reaches the highest value is soy, followed by tobacco, hay, cotton, corn, wheat, sorghum, beans, tomato, apple and peaches.

In confirmation of what is considered a typical feature of the southern character, people are usually very open, communicative and helpful, while being characterized by rather conservative social views and a very marked and publicly manifest religiosity.

During World War II, Tennessee became the main energy supplier for the aviation industry thanks to the construction of numerous hydroelectric plants. This capacity, subsequently increased, as well as the availability of magnificent water courses, both natural and artificial, allowed the installation of industries and services and favored the emigration of a large part of the rural population to large cities. Currently, commerce and industry provide the majority of state revenues and only ten percent of the gross product comes from agriculture.

In the state, the extraction of bituminous coal, phosphates, gems, copper, silver, clay, natural gas and oil predominates. The state is among the leading producers of marble in the United States and, along with Missouri, is the leading producer of zinc.

Tennessee is home to numerous international attractions, including Dollywood, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Grand Ole Opry radio show, Graceland, the Jack Daniels distillery, the National Museum of Civil Rights, the Tennessee Aquarium, Beale Street, the Country Music Museum and Hall of Fame and the Bristol racetrack. Famous events worldwide, such as Bonnaroo, the most important music festival in the United States, and the best barbecues in the world take place in Tennessee every year. More than 800 festivals throughout the year bring to light the rich culture and unique style of Tennessee.

State of Tennessee

State of Tennessee