Question: What is the only major mountain ranged located between the Appalachian Mountains and the mountains higher than those which contain temperate parts of the state first formed out of a federally-controlled territory?

Interior Highlands, the only major mountainous region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. The Great Plains lie west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains. A large portion of the country's agricultural products are grown in the Great Plains. Before their general conversion to farmland, the Great Plains were noted for their extensive grasslands, from tallgrass prairie in the eastern plains to shortgrass steppe in the western High Plains. Elevation rises gradually from less than a few hundred feet near the Mississippi River to more than a mile high in the High Plains. The generally low relief of the plains is broken in several places, most notably in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, which form the U.S. <SEP> It was the first state created from territory under the jurisdiction of the United States federal government. Apart from the former Thirteen Colonies only Vermont and Kentucky predate Tennessee's statehood, and neither was ever a federal territory. The state boundaries, according to the Constitution of the State of Tennessee, Article I, Section 31, stated that the beginning point for identifying the boundary was the extreme height of the Stone Mountain, at the place where the line of Virginia intersects it, and basically ran the extreme heights of mountain chains through the Appalachian Mountains separating North Carolina from Tennessee past the Indian towns of Cowee and Old Chota, thence along the main ridge of the said mountain (Unicoi Mountain) to the southern boundary of the state; all the territory, lands and waters lying west of said line are included in the boundaries and limits of the newly formed state of Tennessee. Tennessee was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796 as the 16th state. Part of the provision also stated that the limits and jurisdiction of the state would include future land acquisition, referencing possible land trade with other states, or the acquisition of territory from west of the Mississippi River. <SEP> the topography of the state is roughly defined by the continental divide, which splits much of the state into distinct eastern and western regions. most of montana's 100 or more named mountain ranges are concentrated in the western half of the state, most of which is geologically and geographically part of the northern rocky mountains. the absaroka and beartooth ranges in the south-central part of the state are technically part of the central rocky mountains. the rocky mountain front is a significant feature in the north-central portion of the state, and there are a number of isolated island ranges that interrupt the prairie landscape common in the central and eastern parts of the state. about 60 percent of the state is prairie, part of the northern great plains. <SEP> The Gulf of Mexico is the dominant factor in the climate of Tennessee, with winds from the south being responsible for most of the state's annual precipitation. Generally, the state has hot summers and mild to cool winters with generous precipitation throughout the year, with highest average monthly precipitation generally in the winter and spring months, between December and April. The driest months, on average, are August to October. On average the state receives 50 inches (130 cm) of precipitation annually. Snowfall ranges from 5 inches (13 cm) in West Tennessee to over 16 inches (41 cm) in the higher mountains in East Tennessee. Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate, with the exception of some of the higher elevations in the Appalachians, which are classified as having a mountain temperate climate or a humid continental climate due to cooler temperatures. <SEP> natural features of north america include the northern portion of the american cordillera, represented by the geologically new rocky mountains in the west; and the considerably older appalachian mountains to the east. the north hosts an abundance of glacial lakes formed during the last glacial period, including the great lakes. north america's major continental divide is the great divide, which runs north and south down through rocky mountains. the major watersheds all drain to the east: the mississippi / missouri and rio grande into the gulf of mexico, and st. lawrence into the atlantic. <SEP> The Appalachian Mountains (French: les Appalaches), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They once reached elevations similar to those of the Alps and the Rocky Mountains before experiencing natural erosion. The Appalachian chain is a barrier to east - west travel, as it forms a series of alternating ridgelines and valleys oriented in opposition to most highways and railroads running east - west.