ABSTRACT
Many of the early proponents of environmental determinism, when stating the close relationship of physical character and human adaptation, rested their case on the Appalachian example. In the brief treatment of Appalachia's physical geography, this chapter reviews several outstanding features of the environment that are relevant to an understanding of past, present, and future settlement and development in the region. The rugged nature of the terrain in an otherwise relatively flat eastern United States has tended to impede or divert settlement and development. The Appalachian mountain system is very old; much older, for example, than the ranges of the western United States. The eastern portion of the Appalachian Plateaus Province is quite mountainous; the entire region can best be described as an elaborately dissected plateau. To appreciate the complexity of the pattern of forest vegetation, and the wealth of species present in Appalachia, it is necessary to understand several key points about the physical and historical geography of the region.
