Map of Tennessee (TN)

The Great Smoky Mountains on Tennessee's border with North Carolina are part of the Blue Ridge mountain range (Appalachian Mountains).
Image: Evan Nichols

Tennessee State Flag

About Tennessee

Where in the United States is Tennessee? Location map of the State of Tennessee in the US.

The landlocked US state is situated in the central-southeastern United States.
Tennessee borders eight other US states, Kentucky and Virginia to the north, North Carolina to the east, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia in the south, Arkansas and Missouri along the Mississippi River in the west.

The states' nickname is "The Volunteer State."

The region of what is now Tennessee was originally part of North Carolina. In 1790 North Carolina ceded the area to the United States. Admission to the Union on 1st June 1796, it was admitted as the 16th state.

Tennessee was the site of many Civil War battles, including those at Shiloh and Chattanooga.

Tennessee State Map

General Map of Tennessee, United States.

The detailed map shows the US state of Tennessee with boundaries, the location of the state capital Nashville, major cities and populated places, rivers and lakes, interstate highways, principal highways, and railroads.

You are free to use this map for educational purposes (fair use); please refer to the Nations Online Project.

More about Tennessee

Some Geography

Topographic Map of Tennessee showing the location of the Appalachian mountain range, the Ridge and Valley region, the Cumberland Plateau, and the Gulf Coastal Plain. (click map to enlarge)

Tennessee occupies an area of 109,152 km² (42,144 sq mi), ^[1] compared it is about the size of Bulgaria or Cuba. Compared with other US states, Tennessee would fit into Texas more than six times.

Tennessee consists of 95 counties.

The Grand Divisions of Tennessee
The state has its own unique geographical and cultural feature, its called the "Grand Divisions of Tennessee." The three grand divisions are East, Middle, and West Tennessee.

Nickajack Lake reservoir on Tennessee River

Nickajack Lake Tennessee is a reservoir created by Nickajack Dam on the Tennessee River.
Image: Brian Stansberry

I. The southern part of the Appalachian Plateau, the Cumberland Plateau dominates East Tennessee, within this mountainous area there are East Tennessee's principal cities Knoxville, Chattanooga, and the Tri-Cities (Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol).

East Tennessee is almost entirely in the Eastern Time Zone (see: US Time Zone Map) while the rest of the state uses Central Time.

II. Middle Tennessee lies west of the Cumberland Plateau; the region features rolling hills and fertile river valleys and the state capital Nashville as well as Tennessee's largest metro, the Nashville Metropolitan Area with a population of 1.6 million people.

III: Between Tennessee River and the Mississippi lies West Tennessee, a mostly agricultural region except for the state's second-largest city Memphis.

Summit
The highest elevation in the state lies on the border with North Carolina in the east, the Clingmans Dome at 2,025 m (6,643 ft), a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains (which are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains).

World Heritage Site

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
Image: Thomas

Tennessee shares one UNESCO World Heritage Site with North Carolina.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

is a major North American refuge of temperate zone flora and fauna that survived the Pleistocene glaciations.
The park covers an area of over 200,000 ha, centered on the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains.

The park is home to the largest remnant of an Arcto-Tertiary Geoflora that once covered the Northern Hemisphere, and it provides a sense of what the late Pleistocene (Ice Age) flora may have looked like before recent human impacts.

The main park entrance in Tennessee is at Gatlinburg, and in North Carolina at Cherokee.

Population

Rendered image of Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville. The National Historic Landmark building is home of the General Assembly of Tennessee.
Image: Google

Tennessee has a population of 6.8 million people (2019 est.) ^[2]. Capital and largest city is Nashville; the largest metro area is the Nashville metropolitan area. The city is located on the Cumberland River in northern Middle Tennessee.

Other major cities are Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville, and Murfreesboro (see below).

Race and Ethnic groups
Tennessee's population is composed of White 73.7%, African American 17.1, Hispanic or Latino 5.6%, Asian 1.9%, and Native Americans 0.8%. ^[3]

Busiest airports are Memphis International Airport (IATA code: MEM), and Nashville International Airport (Berry Field; IATA code: BNA).

Cities and Towns in Tennessee

The map shows the location of following cities and towns in Tennessee:

The Delta Queen steamboat when it was was moored in Chattanooga, Tennessee

The Delta Queen is a famous sternwheel steamboat and a National Historic Landmark. The riverboat was moored in Chattanooga, Tennessee serving as a floating hotel.
Image: Brent Moore

Largest cities in Tennessee with a population of more than 100,000:

Nashville (671,000), Memphis (651,000), Knoxville (187,600), Chattanooga (167,000), Clarksville (133,000), Murfreesboro (109,000)
Population figures est. 2014

Other cities and towns in Tennessee:

Athens, Bolivar, Bristol, Brownsville, Cleveland, Columbia, Cookeville, Dickson, Dyersburg, Fayetteville, Franklin, Gallatin, Gatlinburg, Germantown, Greeneville, Hendersonville, Jackson, Johnson City, Kingsport, Lawrenceburg, Lebanon, Lexington, Linden, Livingston, Martin, Maryville, McMinnville, Milan, Millington, Morristown, Newport, Oak Ridge, Oneida, Paris, Portland, Pulaski, Savannah, Selmer, Shelbyville, Smyrna, Tullahoma, Union City, and Waverly.