Editing White County, Tennessee (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Sparta-overlook-tn4.jpg|upright=1.15|thumb|Sunset over White County, viewed from US-70 at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau]]

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|379|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|377|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|2.8|sqmi}} (0.7%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_47.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 14, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref> The eastern part of the county lies atop the [[Cumberland Plateau]], while the western portion is situated on the [[Highland Rim]], at a lower elevation. The Plateau Escarpment is visible from much of the western part of the county.

The [[Caney Fork]], the county's primary drainage, flows across the southern portion of the county, and forms part the county's border with [[Van Buren County, Tennessee|Van Buren]], [[Warren County, Tennessee|Warren]] and [[DeKalb County, Tennessee|DeKalb]]. The river descends from the Cumberland Plateau to the Highland Rim through [[Scott's Gulf]], a dramatic gorge noted for scenic waterfalls, most notably the {{convert|110|ft|m|adj=on}} [[Virgin Falls]]. The section of the Caney Fork in southern White County is part of Great Falls Lake, an artificial reservoir created by [[Great Falls Dam (Tennessee)|Great Falls Dam]] at [[Rock Island State Park (Tennessee)|Rock Island State Park]]. Downstream from this dam, the river enters a second reservoir, [[Center Hill Dam|Center Hill Lake]].

The [[Calfkiller River]], a tributary of the Caney Fork, flows through the central part of White County, and drains the county seat, Sparta. The [[Falling Water River]], also a tributary of the Caney Fork, flows through the northwestern part of the county, and forms part of the county's border with [[Putnam County, Tennessee|Putnam County]]. The Falling Water River is noted for its {{convert|136|ft|m|adj=on}} waterfall, [[Burgess Falls]], which straddles the Putnam-White line.

White County also boasts over 1,200 documented caves (over 3.17 caves per square mile), which makes White County one of the most cave-dense regions in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.subworks.com/tcs/|title=Tennessee Cave Survey|website=www.subworks.com|access-date=March 29, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Virginfallstn.JPG|thumb|upright|Virgin Falls]]

===Adjacent counties===
The following counties are adjacent to White.<ref>{{cite web |title=White County, TN - Geographic Facts & Maps - MapSof.net |url=https://www.mapsof.net/white-county-tn |website=www.mapsof.net |access-date=May 26, 2023}}</ref>
*[[Putnam County, Tennessee|Putnam County]] (north)
*[[Cumberland County, Tennessee|Cumberland County]] (east)
*[[Van Buren County, Tennessee|Van Buren County]] (south)
*[[Warren County, Tennessee|Warren County]] (southwest)
*[[DeKalb County, Tennessee|DeKalb County]] (west)

===Blue Spring Cave===

[[Blue Spring Cave]], located five miles northeast of Sparta, is the longest mapped cave in Tennessee and the tenth longest cave in the United States, with {{convert|38|mi|km}} of passages. The footprints of extinct Pleistocene (Ice Age) jaguars were discovered in the cave in 1990 by Bill Walter.<ref>Larry E. Matthews and Bill Walter, ''Blue Spring Cave'', Published by the National Speleological Society, 2010, 346 pages. {{ISBN|978-1-879961-36-4}}</ref>

===Major highways===
{{div col}}
*{{jct|state=TN|US|70}}
*{{jct|state=TN|US|70S}}
*{{jct|state=TN|TN|1}}
*{{jct|state=TN|Sec|84}}
*{{jct|state=TN|TN|111}}
*{{jct|state=TN|Sec|135}}
*{{jct|state=TN|Sec|136}}
*{{jct|state=TN|Sec|285}}
*{{jct|state=TN|Sec|289}}
{{div col end}}

===State protected areas===

*[[Bledsoe State Forest]] (part)
*[[Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness Wildlife Management Area]] (part)
*[[Burgess Falls State Park|Burgess Falls State Park and Natural Area]] (part)
*[[Rock Island State Park (Tennessee)|Rock Island State Park]] (part)
*[[Sparta Rock House|Sparta Rock House State Historic Site]]
*[[Virgin Falls State Natural Area]]