II.

Land and Resources

West Virginia has an area of 62,761 sq km (24,232 sq mi) and is roughly oval in shape, with panhandles in the north and north-east; its extreme dimensions are about 425 km (265 mi) from east to west and about 380 km (235 mi) from north to south. Elevations range from 73 m (240 ft), along the Potomac River in the north-east, to 1,482 m (4,863 ft), at the top of Spruce Knob, in the east; the approximate mean elevation is 457 m (1,500 ft), the highest of any state east of the Mississippi River.

A.

Physical Geography

All of West Virginia is underlain by folded sedimentary rocks, and the state has only two major physiographic regions: the Ridge and Valley Region and the Allegheny Front. In the relatively small Ridge and Valley Region in the east, the rock is strongly folded, and narrow, crested ridges have developed on sandstone, with valleys on the limestone and shale. The Allegheny Front, the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau, rises abruptly to a crest more than 1,219 m (4,000 ft) high. The Appalachian Plateau then slopes gently north-west, so that summit elevations near the Ohio River in the west are only about 305 m (1,000 ft) above sea level. The difference in elevation between hilltops and valley floors is more than 305 m (1,000 ft) near the Allegheny Front, but decreases to less than 152 m (500 ft) near the Ohio River.

Principal rivers include the Ohio, Monongahela, and Kanawha. West Virginia has no large natural bodies of water, but several big lakes have been formed by dams on rivers. These include Bluestone, East Lynn, Summersville, and Tygart lakes.

B.

Climate

West Virginia has a humid continental climate, with warm summers and cool to cold winters. Charleston, in the west, has an average January temperature of 1.4° C (34.5° F) and an average July temperature of 23.9° C (75° F); Elkins, in the east, has a mean January temperature of -1.1° C (30° F) and a mean July temperature of 24.1° C (75.3° F). The recorded temperature in the state has ranged from -38.3° C (-37° F), in 1917 at Lewisburg, to 44.4° C (112° F), in 1930 at Moorefield and in 1936 at Martinsburg.

C.

Plants and Animals

About three quarters of West Virginia is forested. The dominant tree species are beech, tulip tree, basswood, sugar maple, buckeye, oak, hemlock, hickory, and pine. Among the state’s many flowering plants are aster, azalea, dogwood, goldenrod, hepatica, laurel, redbud, and rhododendron.

Large mammals of West Virginia are Virginia deer and black bear. Common smaller mammals include raccoon, skunk, opossum, cottontail rabbit, and groundhog. Bass, trout, perch, and pike abound in the state’s rivers and lakes. Among the many birds are the cardinal, scarlet tanager, ruffed grouse, and wild turkey.

D.

Resources, Products, and Industries

The best-known industry is the mining of bituminous coal. Apart from coal, other important minerals are oil, natural gas, limestone, salt, stone, sand and gravel, clay, and silt.

Because of its rugged topography, West Virginia is not well suited to agricultural production. Leading farm commodities include beef cattle, hay, dairy products, apples, corn, and poultry.

Second-growth oak, yellow poplar, beech, and other hardwoods are harvested in considerable quantity. Major products from the forestry industry are hardwood, veneer logs, rustic fencing, and pulpwood.

Leading manufacturing industries include the production of primary metals (notably iron, steel, and aluminium), glass, pottery, industrial machinery, printed materials, wood products, processed food, electronic equipment, and clothing and textiles.