Tennessee is an American state.
Tennessee -LRB- -LSB- tɛnᵻˈsiː -RSB- -RRB- -LRB- -LSB- ᏔᎾᏏ , translit = Tanasi -RSB- -RRB- is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States .. state. U.S. state. southeastern region. southeastern United States. United States. United States. Tennessee is the 36th largest and the 16th most populous of the 50 United States .. United States. United States. 36th largest. List of U.S. states and territories by area. 16th most populous. List of U.S. states and territories by population. 50 United States. List of U.S. states. Tennessee is bordered by Kentucky and Virginia to the north , North Carolina to the east , Georgia , Alabama , and Mississippi to the south , and Arkansas and Missouri to the west .. Mississippi. Mississippi. Kentucky. Kentucky. Virginia. Virginia. North Carolina. North Carolina. Georgia. Georgia ( U.S. state ). Alabama. Alabama. Arkansas. Arkansas. Missouri. Missouri. The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state , and the Mississippi River forms the state 's western border .. Mississippi River. Mississippi River. Mississippi. Mississippi. state. U.S. state. Appalachian Mountains. Appalachian Mountains. Nashville is the state 's largest city , with a population of 660,388 .. Nashville. Nashville, Tennessee. state. U.S. state. Tennessee 's second largest city is Memphis , which has a population of 652,717 .. Memphis. Memphis, Tennessee. The state of Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association , a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachians .. state. U.S. state. Watauga Association. Watauga Association. What is now Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina , and later part of the Southwest Territory .. North Carolina. North Carolina. Southwest Territory. Southwest Territory. Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June 1 , 1796 .. state. U.S. state. Union. Union ( American Civil War ). Tennessee was the last state to leave the Union and join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 .. state. U.S. state. Union. Union ( American Civil War ). Confederacy. Confederate States of America. American Civil War. American Civil War. Occupied by Union forces from 1862 , it was the first state to be readmitted to the Union at the end of the war .. state. U.S. state. Union. Union ( American Civil War ). Tennessee furnished more soldiers for the Confederate Army than any other state besides Virginia , and more soldiers for the Union Army than the rest of the Confederacy combined .. state. U.S. state. Virginia. Virginia. Union. Union ( American Civil War ). Confederacy. Confederate States of America. Beginning during Reconstruction , it had competitive party politics , but a Democratic takeover in the late 1880s resulted in passage of disfranchisement laws that excluded most blacks and many poor whites from voting .. disfranchisement. Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era. This sharply reduced competition in politics in the state until after passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-20th century .. state. U.S. state. In the 20th century , Tennessee transitioned from an agrarian economy to a more diversified economy , aided by massive federal investment in the Tennessee Valley Authority and , in the early 1940s , the city of Oak Ridge .. Tennessee Valley Authority. Tennessee Valley Authority. Oak Ridge. Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This city was established to house the Manhattan Project 's uranium enrichment facilities , helping to build the world 's first atomic bomb , which was used during World War II .. Manhattan Project. Manhattan Project. World War II. World War II. Tennessee 's major industries include agriculture , manufacturing , and tourism .. Poultry , soybeans , and cattle are the state 's primary agricultural products , and major manufacturing exports include chemicals , transportation equipment , and electrical equipment .. state. U.S. state. Poultry. Poultry. cattle. cattle. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park , the nation 's most visited national park , is headquartered in the eastern part of the state , and a section of the Appalachian Trail roughly follows the Tennessee-North Carolina border .. state. U.S. state. North Carolina. North Carolina. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Appalachian Trail. Appalachian Trail. Other major tourist attractions include the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga ; Dollywood in Pigeon Forge ; Ripley 's Aquarium of the Smokies and Ober Gatlinburg in Gatlinburg ; the Parthenon , the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum , and Ryman Auditorium in Nashville ; the Jack Daniel 's Distillery in Lynchburg ; Elvis Presley 's Graceland residence and tomb , the Memphis Zoo , and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis ; and Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol .. Nashville. Nashville, Tennessee. Memphis. Memphis, Tennessee. Tennessee Aquarium. Tennessee Aquarium. Chattanooga. Chattanooga, Tennessee. Dollywood. Dollywood. Pigeon Forge. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Ober Gatlinburg. Ober Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Parthenon. Parthenon ( Nashville ). Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Ryman Auditorium. Ryman Auditorium. Lynchburg. Lynchburg, Tennessee. Graceland. Graceland. Memphis Zoo. Memphis Zoo. National Civil Rights Museum. National Civil Rights Museum. Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol. Bristol, Tennessee