Appalachian Mountains

Appalachian Mountains. Often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term “Appalachian” refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain.

The Appalachian range runs from the Island of Newfoundland in Canada, 2,050 mi (3,300 km) southwestward to Central Alabama in the United States. The highest peak of the mountain range is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina at 6,684 feet (2,037 m), which is also the highest point in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.

The Appalachian Mountains are a barrier to east–west travel, as they form a series of alternating ridgelines and valleys oriented in opposition to most highways and railroads running east–west. This barrier was extremely important in shaping the expansion of the United States in the colonial era.

The range is the home of a very popular recreational feature, the Appalachian Trail. This is a 2,175-mile (3,500 km) hiking trail that runs all the way from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, passing over or past a large part of the Appalachian range. The International Appalachian Trail is an extension of this hiking trail into the Canadian portion of the Appalachian range in New Brunswick and Québec.

The Appalachian Mountains in both the U.S. and Canada nurtured unique cultural identities that persist to this day. The isolation of these mountainous regions allowed for the development of distinctive music, folklore, and traditions. Appalachian music played a significant role in the broader evolution of American and Canadian music genres.

While each side of the border has its own cultural expressions, the shared geographical features and historical interactions contributed to common threads of self-reliance, resilience, and connection to nature that characterize Appalachian culture.