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The state flag,
adopted in 1929, bears the state coat of arms. The state seal,
which incorporates the coat of arms, was adopted in 1863. The
design on the front includes a miner and a farmer. The rock
between them shows the date of West Virginia's statehood. In the
foreground, rifles symbolize the willingness to fight for freedom.
The landscape on the back of the seal includes an oil derrick, a
log cabin, sheep and cattle, a factory, a railroad, and wooded
mountains.
West Virginia, in the Appalachian Highlands, has some of the most
rugged land in the United States. The state has few large areas of
level ground, except for strips of valley land that lie along the
larger rivers. Mountain chains cover the eastern and central
sections of West Virginia. Steep and rolling hills and narrow
valleys make up the region west of the mountains. The extreme
ruggedness of the land gives West Virginia its nickname, the
Mountain State. |
