Tennessee, a constituent state of the United States of America, is in the upper South of the eastern United States. In 1796, Tennessee became the 16th state of the union, and it is known for its unique geography. The capital of the state is Nashville and the largest city is Memphis. Tennessee stretches 695 km in breadth from the Appalachian Mountain boundary with North Carolina in the east to the Mississippi River borders with Missouri and Arkansas in the west. Whereas, its narrow width, only 112 miles (180 km), separates its northern neighbors, Kentucky and Virginia, from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, to the south.