West Virginia is a state within the Southeastern and Appalachian parts of the United States, bounded by Virginia towards the southeast, Kentucky towards the southwest, the state of Ohio to the northwest, the state of Pennsylvania towards the northeast and Maryland to the east. The capital and largest city is Charleston.
Following the Wheeling Conventions, West Virginia became a state breaking from Virginia during the American Civil War. On June 20, 1863; the state of West Virginia became admitted to the Union and was a key border during the civil war. The state of West Virginia was the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state, and was amongst only two states formed during the American Civil War (the other one being the state of Nevada, which separated from Utah Territory).
The state of West Virginia is considered to be part of the south, based on the Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers. The states northern panhandle extends next to the state of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The West Virginia cities of Wheeling and Weirton are merely across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, whilst the city of Bluefield is less than 70 miles or 110 km from North Carolina and Harper's Ferry. Bluefield is considered to be part of the metro Washington area. The unique position of the state of West Virginia means that it is often included in some geographical regions, including the Upland South, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Southeastern United States. Notably, it is the only state which entirely lies in the area served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, which is a common definition of "Appalachia".
West Virginia is popular for its political and labor history, its diverse topography and mountains, and coal mining industries and significant logging. The state is a densly karstic area, making it a fantastic place for recreational caving and scientific research. The karstic lands contribute to much of West Virginia's cool trout waters. It is also popular for a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities, such as whitewater rafting, skiing, hiking, fishing, hunting and mountain biking.
According to the 2009 World Bank projections, West Virginia's economy is on par with the economies of Iraq and Croatia, placing the state of West Virginia as the 62nd biggest economy around the globe. According to 2009 International Monetary Fund projections, the state ranked 64th behind Iraq and ahead of Libya. The state of West Virginia has a projected nominal GSP of $63.34 billion during the year 2009 according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis report of November 2010, and a real GSP of $55.04 billion. The real GDP growth of the state during the year 2009 of .7% was the 7th best in the nation. West Virginia was only among the ten states in the year 2009 that grew economically.
Though per capita income fell 2.6% nationally during 2009, West Virginia's grew at 1.8%. Through the first half of 2010, exports from the state of West Virginia topped $3 billion, growing 39.5% over the same period from the prior year and ahead of the national average by 15.7%.