The
Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the
Appalachian Plateau in the
Appalachian Mountains of the
United States. It includes much of eastern
Kentucky and
Tennessee, and portions of northern
Alabama and northwest
Georgia. The terms "
Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the dissected plateau lands lying west of the main
Appalachian Mountains. The terms stem from historical usage rather than geological difference, so there is no strict dividing line between the two. Two major rivers share the names of the plateaus, with the
Allegheny River rising in the Allegheny Plateau and the Cumberland River rising in the Cumberland Plateau in Harlan County, Kentucky.