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WEST VIRGINIA
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See also:WEST See also:VIRGINIA , the See also:north-westernmost of the so-called See also:Southern states of the See also:United States of See also:America, lying between latitudes 370 10' and 4o° 40' N., and longitudes 77° 40' and 82° 4o' W. It is bounded on the north-west by See also:Ohio, from which it is separated by the Ohio See also:river, on the north by See also:Pennsylvania and See also:Maryland, the See also:Potomac river dividing it from the latter See also:state; on the See also:east and See also:south-east by Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, the boundary lines in the first two cases being meridians, in the last See also:case a very irregular See also:line following the See also:crest of See also:mountain ridges in places; and on the south-west by Virginia and See also:Kentucky, the Big Sandy river separating it from the latter state. The extreme length of the state from north to south is about 240 m., the extreme breadth from east to west about 265 M. See also:Area, 24,170 sq. m., of which 148 sq. m. is See also:water See also:surface. See also:Physical Features.—The state is divided into two distinct physiographic provinces; the See also:Alleghany See also:Plateau on the west, comprising perhaps two-thirds of the area of the state, and forming a See also:part of the See also:great Appalachian Plateau See also:Province which extends from New See also:York to See also:Alabama; and the Newer Appalachians or Great Valley Region on the east, being a part of the large province of the same name which extends from See also:Canada to Central Alabama. The Alleghany Plateau consists of nearly See also:horizontal beds of See also:limestone, See also:sandstone and shales, including important seams of See also:coal; inclines slightly toward the north-west, and is intricately dissected by extensively branching streams into a See also:maze of narrow canyons and steep-sided hills. Along the Ohio river, these hills rise to an See also:elevation of 800 to moo ft. above See also:sea-level, while toward the south-east the elevation increases until 3500 and 4000 ft. are reached along the south-east margin of the plateau, which is known as the Alleghany Front. The entire plateau area is drained by the Ohio river and its tributaries. Along the See also:flood-plains of the larger See also:rivers are fertile bottomlands," but the ruggedness of the plateau See also:country as a whole has retarded the development of the state, much of which is still sparsely populated. The coal beds are of enormous extent, and constitute an important See also:element in the See also:wealth of the state. See also:Petroleum and natural See also:gas also occur in the plateau rocks in great quantities. In the Newer Appalachian region, the beds which still See also:lie horizontal in the plateau province were See also:long ago thrown into folds and planed off by erosion, alternate belts of hard and soft See also:rock being See also:left exposed. Uplift permitted renewed erosion to See also:wear away the soft belts, leaving mountain ridges of hard rock separated by parallel valleys. Hence the region is variously known as the See also:Ridge and Valley See also:Belt, the Great Valley Region, or the Folded Appalachians. The mountain ridges vary in height up to 4000 ft. and more, the highest point in the state being Spruce Knob (486o ft.). The parallel valleys are drained by north-east and south-west flowing streams, those in the north-east being tributary to the Potomac, those farther south tributary to the Great Kanawha. Although the valleys between the ridges are not always easy of See also:access, they give broad areas of nearly level agricultural See also:land.
See also:Flora.—The plateau portion of West Virginia is largely covered by hardwood forests, but along the Ohio river and its See also:principal tributaries the valuable See also:timber has been removed and considerable areas have been wholly cleared for farming and pasture lands. Among the most important trees of this area are the See also: See also:Wild See also:ginger, See also:elder and See also:sumach are common, and in the mountain areas, rhododendrons, mountain See also:laurel and azaleas. See also:Climate.—Inasmuch as the state has a range of over 4000 ft. in See also:altitude, the climate varies greatly in different districts. The mean See also:annual temperatures for typical sections are as follows: Ohio Valleynorth of the See also:thirty-ninth parallel, 530 F.; south-western part of state, 56°; central plateau district, 52°; mountainous belt along south-eastern boundary of state, 48° to 5o°. Wellsburg, in the See also:northern Panhandle, has•a mean See also:winter temperature of 27°, a summer mean of 70°. See also:Parkersburg, farther down the Ohio Valley, has a winter mean of 34° and a summer mean of 74°. Martinsburg, in the eastern Panhandle, has nearly the same means, 32° and 74°. Terra Alta, in the north-eastern mountains, has a winter mean of 26°, a summer mean of only 67°. The first killing frosts generally occur about the See also:middle of See also:October in the Ohio Valley region, and about the first of October in the higher plateau and mountain region; the See also:average See also:dates for the last killing frosts in the same localities are the middle and last of See also:April respectively. In the Ohio Valley and eastern Panhandle the summer mean temperature is 74°, the winter mean 31° to 340. The highest recorded temperature for the state is to7°, the lowest–35°. Temperatures above too° and below–15° are rare. Precipitation is greatest in the mountains, over 5o in.; and least over the Ohio Valley, the eastern Panhandle and the extreme south-east, 35 to 40 in. Snows are frequent during the winter, and sometimes deep in the higher plateau and mountain districts. The prevailing winds are from south to west. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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