West Virginia Important Statistics 1. Area of WV: 24,231 square miles (41 in the nation) Land Area – 24,119 square miles Inland water area – 112 square miles 2. Number of boarding states – 5 3. Number of counties – 55 4. Forested Land – 80 % (3rd in the nation) 5. Boundary length – 1,180miles 6. Population (2010) 1,852,994 (37 in the nation)

7. Highest Point in the State - Spruce Knob (4863’) 8 7. Highest Point in the State - Spruce Knob (4863’) 8. Lowest Point in the State - Potomac River at Harpers Ferry (240’) 9. Average Elevation of WV - 1500’ 10. Date of Statehood - June 20, 1863 11. State Motto - Mountaineers are Always Free 12. State Nickname - Mountain State

West Virginia’s Location Location within the U.S. - East, South Atlantic Region Geographical center of the state - Elk River Public hunting Area- Braxton County Miles east to west – 265 miles Miles north to south – 237 miles

WV’s Latitude and Longitude Between 37° 12’ and 40° 38’ north latitude Between 77° 38’ and 82° 55’ west longitude

Geography: What is it? Geography is the study of Earth as the home for humans. There are five themes of geography: 1. Location 2. Place 3. Human Environmental Interaction 4. Movement 5. Regions

Location Relative Location Absolute Location - describes where a place is compared to other places. (ex. SHMS is located between Lost Creek and West Milford.) Absolute Location - identifies a precise position on Earth’s surface (ex. GPS reading, address,)

Latitude and Longitude Latitude and Longitude are measured by degrees, hours, and minutes 1 degree is equal to 69 miles Latitude lines measure the distance North (N) and South (S) of the equator. These are called parallels. 0° latitude is the equator. Longitude lines measure the distance East (E) and West (W) of the Prime Meridian (runs from the North Pole through Greenwich, England and part of Africa to the South Pole). These lines are called Meridians. SHMS sits at 39°11’13” N and 80°23’14”W

West Virginia is basically an oval shape with two panhandles. West Virginia’s natural boundaries make it the most irregularly shaped, non-coastal state in the U.S. WV is known as the “most northern of the southern states”

WV Boundaries Our boundaries are mostly natural: With Ohio – Ohio River With Kentucky – Big Sandy and Tug Fork Rivers With Virginia – Mostly mountain ridges from the Allegheny Mountains With Pennsylvania – The Mason-Dixon Line With Maryland – most of the border follows the Potomac and North Branch Rivers. The U.S. Supreme Court settled the rest in 1912 by declaring the Fairfax Stone was the starting point and go due north to the Mason-Dixon Line.