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State Profile

North Carolina is one of the most naturally diverse and beautiful states in America.

North Carolinians cherish the beauty of the apple blossom, the mountain laurel and blue spruce. The Blue Ridge Mountains—the most ancient mountains in the world—roll into flowing foothills to the Piedmont, where the land is ever changing, with red clay, pine and oak. To the east, the red clay changes to a white sand, and if you look close enough, you might find ancient fossils or shell. The ocean once was here.

The flat land eventually reaches the coast, with its waterways and cypress trees heavy with Spanish moss. Then, there's the Outer Banks—where centuries ago, pirates hid from the law and the Wright Brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk.

From west to east, North Carolina has many special places to see, including Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

North Carolina faces many conservation and environmental protection issues. Acid rain has damaged many high-elevation forests in the southern Appalachians. Seven counties in the Charlotte metropolitan area do not meet clean air standards for low-level ozone

Working together, we can conserve North Carolina's outstanding natural heritage for the pleasure and benefit of future generations.

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