The Great Smoky Mountains Research Paper

Leaders of the United Nations chose this day, Dec. 11, to bring attention to the importance of mountains in everyday life. A quarter of the earth’s surface juts with mountains of all shapes and sizes, providing fresh water for over half of the world’s population, a plethora of minerals, and habitats enabling biodiversity and minerals. As perpetrators of climate change and resources for goods like honey, cocoa, herbs and spices, mountains prominently influence people’s lives around the globe whether we are aware of it or not.
Each year, a suggested theme presents which sector of mountainous gratitude to celebrate. Peace, climate change and freshwater are a few chosen themes of previous years, and this year promotes mountain products to spark
the economy, fueling sustainable mountain development projects. However, rejoice International Mountain Day by whatever means you wish! How about exploring a mountain, like the famous Great Smoky Mountains extending from North Carolina into Tennessee?
The Great Smoky Mountains
"There are trees here that stood before our forefathers ever came to this continent; there are brooks that still run as clear as on the day the first pioneer cupped his hand and drank from them. In this Park, we shall conserve these trees, the pine, the red-bud, the dogwood, the azalea, the rhododendron, the trout and the thrush for the happiness of the American people."
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Around 300 million years ago, the Great Smoky Mountains formed, therefore are some of the oldest mountains in the world, entailing 70 miles of the Appalachian trail winding through abundant biodiversity. High latitudes provide ideal climates for animals common in northern states who escaped the last ice age, and below the mountain heights, a wide range of animals found in the ‘lowlands’ thrive.
Mammals are not the only creatures dwelling in the Great Smoky Mountains. Known as the “Salamander Capitol of the World”, over 30 sorts of these squiggly amphibians slither the land, among 43 other amphibian species, 39 reptiles, 200 birds and 67 fish. Also, more kinds of trees than any National Park in North America grow within the 800 square miles of the Great Smoky Mountains, and over 1,600 types of wildflowers blossom! Basically, the Great Smoky Mountains contains every sort of life to suit anybody’s possible interests.
Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the Great Smoky Mountains is the largest park east of the Rockies, providing maximum motive for people to drop by!
As the most visited National Park in North America with over 2 million people visiting each year, doubling the average of any other park’s guests in the USA (possibly because admission is free!), endless adventures entertain explorers of all ages such as the 550 trails adept for horseback riders, Cades Cove - a popular valley with pioneer homesteads, hiking trails and an old mill, and Clingman’s Dome, the highest peak reaching 6,643 feet.
Clingman’s Dome does not stand alone as a mighty mountain – 16 mountains reach over a whopping 6,000 feet! However, Clingman’s Dome holds the most popular and for good reason; on a clear day, the short, vertical hike to the precipice of the dome provides a 360 degree view of SEVEN states! The name ‘Clingman’s Dome’ came about in 1858, when North Carolina Senator Thomas Lanier Clingman helped measure the peak.
On the topic of names, the Great Smoky Mountains earned its title due to the heavy, blue fog sifting atop the mountains after a penetrating rainfall and in dewy mornings. The plentiful leaves of the Smoky’s breathe in carbon dioxide, exuding misty gleams of oxygen and energizing the
surroundings.
What better way is there to celebrate mountains than to absorb the picturesque Great Smoky ones? Pick up some local mountainous produce, like exquisite natural remedies, to remember this heavenly for moments to come while supporting the region!