Population: 1,855,364 thousand pers. (2011)
Area: 62755.0 sq. Km
In the southeastern United States is West Virginia, which is the only area in the South Atlantic that has no access to the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Charleston. See West Virginia counties.
The lands of West Virginia lie in the territory of the Appalachians, the highest point of which is Mount Spruce-Nob. Large natural reservoirs are the rivers Monongahila, Potomac, Kanova. Most of the province is covered with forests. The state has a temperate continental climate. Floods often occur.
According to documentary sources in the territory of modern West Virginia lived Indian tribes Delaware, Shaun, Sakuehanna, Cherokee. The first European settlers in this area were Colonel Morgan, the founder of a colony on the Mill Creek River in 1726; John Van Meter is a fur trader and German who founded the village of New Mecklenburg-present Shepherdstown on the right bank of the Potomac. In addition, the lands of the present state in the middle of the 18th century were settled by immigrants from Ireland, Scotland and Germany. As a result, the cities of Wheeling, Point Pleasant, Parkersberg, and Charleston appeared on the territory of the current state.
Originally, West Virginia was part of the state of Virginia. But in October 1862, its inhabitants voted for the creation of their state of Canova with its capital in the city of Wheeling. A positive result was the adoption of the constitution in the mid-spring of 1862. In 1863, West Virginia became part of the United States and became its 35th state. In 1870, the capital city was Charleston.
According to citypopulationreview.com, the active development of minerals and the construction of new railways in the late 20th century gave another impetus to the economic development of the state. The mining industry is a leading industry in West Virginia. Between 1910 and 1970, the state ranked high on coal production in the country. Poultry and animal husbandry are well developed here. Well-groomed orchards give rich harvests of peaches and apples. Tobacco and corn are grown in the fields. The tourism industry is developed.
