Allegheny Mountains
| Allegheny Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Map of the Allegheny Mountains |
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 View from the Spruce Knob observation tower |
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| Highest peak | Spruce Knob ( 1482 m ) |
| location | Pennsylvania , West Virginia (USA) |
| part of | Appalachian Mountains |
| Coordinates | 38 ° 42 ′ N , 79 ° 32 ′ W |
The Allegheny Mountains form part of the Appalachian Mountains .
The Allegheny Mountains used to refer to the entire area of the Appalachian Mountains. The name Alleghany , which the English settlers from the north gave the mountains, comes from the Indians and probably means "endless". It can occasionally be found with this meaning in older travel literature or in adventure novels that have North America as the setting.
The mountain range extends south-southwest more than half a mile from northern Pennsylvania to southwest Virginia . The highest mountains in Pennsylvania are Mount Davis (979 m) and Spruce Knob (1,482 m) in West Virginia . They consist of almost parallel north-east and south-west ridges, which were created by canyons cut by the northern arm of the Potomac and New River . As part of the Monongahela - George Washington - and Jefferson - National Forests are known for their natural beauty. Once they formed the natural border with the western areas - today they are crossed by railways and motorways.
Until the US declaration of independence in 1776, the Allegheny Mountains formed a natural boundary for western expansion.
The Allegheny Plateau
The Allegheny Plateau , also known as the Alleghenies, forms the western part of the Appalachians and extends southwest from the valley of the Mohawk River in New York State to the Cumberland Plateau in southern West Virginia. The plateau was divided by currents, forming the Catskill Mountains , Alleghenys, and other mountain ranges. The Allegheny , Delaware , and Susquehanna Rivers flow through the northern portion of the plateau, while the Ohio River flows through the southern portion. The plateau is mostly overgrown with hardwood forests.
With the discovery of coal, the settlers began to pour in. This led to an early isolation awakening in this part of the Appalachians. The regional economy is heavily dependent on coal mining, natural gas and the petrochemical industry.
source
- Allegheny Mountains in Encyclopedia Britannica
- Allegheny Plateau in Encyclopedia Britannica
