West Virginia

West Virginia is located within the Appalachian mountain range in the eastern United States. The state is almost entirely mountainous, although a few flat areas are located in river valleys. This gives the state a rugged landscape noted for its natural beauty. The mountainous nature of the terrain also makes large-scale farming virtually impossible. The abundance of resources such as coal, oil, natural gas, and hardwood forests fueled an industrial expansion in the twentieth century. West Virginia’s principal manufactured products today are steel, chemicals, and glass. The state’s coal industry is ranked second and contributes 15% of the country’s total coal production. Tourism in West Virginia is augmented by dozens of state parks and national forests. Manufacturing and mining are still the pillars of the state’s economy.