For those interested in studying in West Virginia, we have a very useful list. We selected the best West Virginia institutions for prospective students. Please know that rankings are based on academic research, alumni reviews, graduation rates, as well as assessment from peer colleges. On the page, you will find major admissions stats such as acceptance rate, tuition fees, average SAT scores for each ranked college or university.
| Rankings | Schools |
| 1 | West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV) Tuition: in-state: $6,090, out-of-state: $18,868 Total enrollment: 29,617 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 84.8% Average freshman retention rate: 80% 6-year graduation rate: 57% Classes with under 20 students: 32.8% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 21-26 |
Physiographic regions of the United States
In the United States of America, you can see a wide variety of landforms: coastal lowlands, vast plains, vast plateaus and majestic mountain systems.
In the continental United States, there are eight major physical-geographic regions (which, in turn, can be divided into provinces):
- Atlantic lowland
- Appalachians
- Laurentian Upland
- inner highlands
- interior plains
- Rocky Mountains
- Intermountain plateaus
- Pacific mountains
In addition to the “continental” states, the United States also includes Alaska and Hawaii.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest US state by area. Four regions are distinguished on the territory of the state: the Pacific Mountains, the Intermountain Plateaus, the Cordilleras and the Arctic Lowlands.
The Pacific Mountains in Alaska are several mountain systems located along the south coast and further into the Aleutian Islands. The largest of them is the Alaska Range, which stretches along an arc in the southern and central parts of the peninsula for more than six hundred and fifty kilometers. These are very high mountains, it is here that Mount Denali (formerly known as McKinley, 6,194 meters above sea level) is located – the highest point in the United States of America. In addition, the mountains Chugach, Kenai, the Aleutian Range and others belong to this region.
North of the Pacific Mountains, in the interior of Alaska, is the Intermountain Plateau, the largest of the regions of the peninsula. This is a vast area, occupied by rolling hills and swampy river valleys. Several relatively low (up to about 1,600 meters above sea level) mountain ranges are also located here: the Kuskokuim Range, the Aklan Mountains, and the Yukon-Tanana Highlands. On the territory of the Intermountain Plateau flows the largest river in Alaska – Yukon.
Further north is the Brooks Range, part of the Cordillera mountain system. It stretched from west to east across northern Alaska (and on into the Yukon Territory of Canada). The length of the ridge is more than a thousand kilometers, and the highest point is Mount Ista (2,736 meters above sea level.
In the very north of Alaska, the Arctic Lowland, bound by permafrost, is located.
Hawaii
The islands of the state of Hawaii belong to the Pacific Mountains region. This is an archipelago of eight large volcanic islands, more than one hundred and thirty small islets, as well as numerous atolls and reefs, located in the North Pacific Ocean, 3,200 kilometers southwest of the continental United States. The highest peak in the region is Mount Mauna Kea (4,207 meters above sea level).
All the Hawaiian Islands were created thanks to volcanic activity and now there are several active volcanoes, the largest of which is Mauna Loa (4,169 meters above sea level), located on the youngest and largest island of the archipelago – the island of Hawaii on the territory of the Hawaiian Volcanic National Park.