Appalachian

Appalachian is a term used to describe both the Appalachian Mountains, a major mountain system of eastern North America, and the associated cultural region. The range runs from Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada to central Alabama in the United States, spanning roughly 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) and is among the oldest mountain systems on the continent. The mountains formed during a series of Paleozoic orogenies—the Taconic, Acadian, and Alleghanian—mountain-building events connected with the assembly of the supercontinent Pangaea. Erosion over hundreds of millions of years has produced rounded peaks and broad ridges, and the region hosts diverse forests and climates.

Appalachian also refers to the cultural and linguistic region known as Appalachia, covering parts of eastern North America. The area has a distinct history shaped by settlement, subsistence farming, and, in many places, coal mining. In recent decades, economic shifts have affected some communities, while tourism, outdoor recreation, and conservation have become important parts of regional development.

Notable features within the Appalachian domain include the Appalachian Trail, a 2,190-mile (3,524-kilometer) long-distance hiking route from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The region also contains or is adjacent to numerous parks and forests, such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park, which protect diverse ecosystems and historic sites.

The term Appalachian is used in geology, geography, anthropology, and cultural studies to describe both the physical mountains and the human communities that inhabit them.