| a state in the E United States. 1,949,644; 24,181 sq. mi. (62,629 sq. km). Capital: Charleston. Abbreviation: WV (for use with zip code), W.Va. |
| West Virginia Abbr. WV or W.Va. A state of the east-central United States. It was admitted as the 35th state in 1863. West Virginia was part of Virginia until the area refused to endorse the ordinance of secession in 1861. Charleston is the capital and the largest city. Population: 1,810,000. West Virginian adj. & n. |
State in the southeastern United States bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the north, Virginia to the east and south, and Kentucky and Ohio to the west. Its capital and largest city is Charleston.
Note: Separated from Virginia after Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861; it was granted statehood in 1863, during the Civil War.
Note: Ranks first in bituminous coal production, with about twenty percent of the nation's total.