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Newfound Gap in Sevier County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Land of Diversity
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
 
Land of Diversity Marker Photo, Click for full size
By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2012
1. Land of Diversity Marker
 
Inscription.
Few places in North America sustain a greater variety of life than the Great Smoky Mountains. The forests, streams, and meadows here support more than 100 types of native trees, some 50 kinds of fish, some 1,500 flowering plants, more than 240 bird species, and an array of mammals that includes black bear, squirrel, and gray fox.

Such abundance is a function of topography and climate. Varying elevations provide endless combinations of moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, and soil types. Most plant species of eastern North America can find a niche somewhere among the slopes and coves of the Smokies. And in a few cases, the region has nurtured species all its own; some plants and animals here are found nowhere else.
 
Erected by National Park Service.
 
Location. 35° 36.645′ N, 83° 25.508′ W. Marker is in Newfound Gap, Tennessee, in Sevier County. Marker can be reached from Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) north of Clingman's Dome Road, on the right when traveling north. Click for map. Marker is near the parking lot of the Oconaluftee Valley Overlook, just north of the NC state line. Marker is in this post office area: Gatlinburg TN 37738, United States of America.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker
 
Land of Diversity Marker Photo, Click for full size
By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2012
2. Land of Diversity Marker
 
. People of the Mountains (a few steps from this marker in North Carolina); The Appalachian Trail (within shouting distance of this marker in North Carolina); The Great Smokies (within shouting distance of this marker in North Carolina); A Mountain Sanctuary (within shouting distance of this marker in North Carolina); Rockefeller Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Great Smoky Mountains National Park (within shouting distance of this marker in North Carolina); Land of Blue Smoke (about 300 feet away, in a direct line in North Carolina); “To the free people of America” (about 400 feet away). Click for a list of all markers in Newfound Gap.
 
More about this marker. The right side of the marker features a photo of a forest in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The lower left of the marker contains pictures of a Pink ladyslipper, and a salamander. The later has a caption of “The aptly named slimy salamander is one of more than 30 salamander species found in the Great Smoky Mountains. The Smokies have one of the most diverse salamander populations on earth.”
 
Marker in Great Smoky Mountains NP Photo, Click for full size
By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2012
3. Marker in Great Smoky Mountains NP
 
 
View from Marker Photo, Click for full size
By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2012
4. View from Marker
 
Credits. This page originally submitted on August 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 59 times since then. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 29, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.
 
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