Quiz challenge
Name the state that borders both Georgia and Missouri.
Select an answer to continue.
The correct answer is B) Tennessee.
The state that borders both Georgia and Missouri is Tennessee.
Geography enthusiasts love map challenges that reveal surprising territorial links across America. While Georgia anchors the Deep South with its historic Atlantic coastline and rolling red hills, Missouri sits in the heart of the Midwest along the mighty Mississippi River. Looking at a national map, these two states appear geographically and culturally separate. However, a single state serves as a vital bridge connecting the Southeastern region to the Midwestern interior. Identifying this stretch of land requires looking closely at how state boundaries were surveyed during nineteenth-century expansion.
The correct answer
B) Tennessee
The state that borders both Georgia and Missouri is Tennessee.
Tennessee shares its southern border with Georgia and its northwestern border with Missouri across the Mississippi River. Extending over four hundred miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Mississippi River, Tennessee occupies a central location in the Eastern United States. Its broad east-to-west expanse allows it to touch eight distinct states, tying Missouri for the national record of most bordering neighbors. Along its southern perimeter, Tennessee meets Georgia near the thirty-fifth parallel. On its western edge, Tennessee touches Missouri along a boundary defined by the Mississippi River near the historic riverport city of Memphis.
More context
The geography of Tennessee and Missouri holds a celebrated place in American cartography. Both states hold the national record for bordering the most states, touching eight neighbors each. Tennessee borders Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri. Meanwhile, Missouri borders Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. The physical link between Tennessee and Missouri lies along the Lower Mississippi River near the New Madrid Seismic Zone, a region famous for powerful earthquakes in the early nineteenth century. Western Tennessee and southeastern Missouri rely on the river as both a border and a vital commercial trade corridor. Historical border quirks also exist. A surveying error in 1818 placed the boundary between Tennessee and Georgia slightly south of the intended parallel, causing sporadic state debates over water access. Nevertheless, modern maps clearly show Tennessee joining Georgia and Missouri together.
Quick facts
- Tennessee and Missouri tie for the most state borders in America, touching eight neighboring states each.
- The Mississippi River serves as the natural western border separating Tennessee from Missouri and Arkansas.
- An 1818 survey error placed the Tennessee and Georgia border roughly one mile south of the intended parallel.
- Tennessee spans about 440 miles from its eastern border with Virginia to its western river bank.
Sources
- Tennessee State Geography Profile — U.S. Census Bureau Tennessee borders eight surrounding states including Georgia and Missouri.
- Interstate Waters of Missouri — Missouri Department of Natural Resources Missouri borders Tennessee along the Mississippi River.
- U.S. States Bordering the Most Other States — WorldAtlas Tennessee and Missouri tie for bordering the highest number of other states in the U.S.
