Quiz challenge
One state touches Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia by land. Which one?
Select an answer to continue.
The correct answer is D) Virginia.
Virginia is the state that touches Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia by land.
The geographic landscape of the eastern United States features an intricate web of state boundaries defined by mountain ridges, river channels, and centuries of historic land grants. While several states in the region share borders with multiple neighbors, pinpointing which state touches specific trios of surrounding jurisdictions requires a clear understanding of regional topography. Test your geography knowledge with this multi-state border challenge.
The correct answer
D) Virginia
Virginia is the state that touches Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia by land.
Virginia shares direct terrestrial borders with five states as well as the District of Columbia. At the far southwestern tip of the Commonwealth, Virginia meets both Kentucky and Tennessee near the historic Cumberland Gap. Heading north and northwest along the Appalachian Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, Virginia shares an extensive land boundary with West Virginia, a state that was originally part of Virginia until it split away during the American Civil War. Additionally, Virginia touches North Carolina to the south and Maryland to the north and east.
More context
The unique tri-state border region where Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee meet centers around the Cumberland Gap, a natural mountain pass carved through the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. During the late eighteenth century, this narrow gap served as the primary transportation corridor for hundreds of thousands of settlers moving into the American interior along the Wilderness Road, a famous trail explored by Daniel Boone. Today, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park preserves this historic intersection, featuring a popular trail leading to a tri-state marker where visitors can stand in all three states at once. Farther north, Virginia and West Virginia share hundreds of miles of rugged, mountainous borders that were established when fifty western counties separated from Virginia in 1863 to remain loyal to the Union during the Civil War. This dramatic political and geographic division altered the regional map forever. As a result of these historic shifts and mountain boundaries, Virginia maintains one of the most geographically diverse border profiles in the eastern United States, bridging the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Appalachian regions.
Quick facts
- Virginia shares terrestrial borders with five states: Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia, plus a boundary with the District of Columbia.
- The Cumberland Gap Tri-State Peak marker allows park visitors to step into Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee within a single stride.
- West Virginia was created from fifty western Virginia counties during the Civil War, receiving official U.S. statehood in 1863.
- Virginia's southern border stretches more than 430 miles from False Cape on the Atlantic Coast all the way westward to Lee County.
- Lee County, located in the far southwestern tip of Virginia, is geographically closer to eight other state capitals than to Virginia's own capital city of Richmond.
Sources
- Virginia – Census Bureau — U.S. Census Bureau Virginia borders Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
- Cumberland Gap National Historical Park – Overlooks — National Park Service The Cumberland Gap region forms the tri-state intersection of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
