I.

Introduction

West Virginia, one of the eastern states of the United States, bordered on the north by Ohio and Pennsylvania; on the north-east by Maryland; on the east and south by Virginia; and on the west by Kentucky and Ohio. The Potomac River forms part of the north-eastern boundary; the Tug Fork and Big Sandy rivers form almost all of the south-western boundary; and the Ohio River forms the western and north-western boundaries.

West Virginia entered the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state. It was part of Virginia until the American Civil War (1861-1865), when its inhabitants, loyal to the Union, formed a separate state after Virginia became part of the Confederacy. The economy of West Virginia was principally agricultural until the late 19th century, when mining and manufacturing began to grow in importance. In the 1990s the state was a major producer of bituminous coal, primary metals, and chemicals. It is known as the “Mountain State”.