The Appalachian Mountains are a major mountain range located along the eastern part of North America. They stretch over approximately 1,500 to nearly 2,000 miles (around 2,400 to 3,200 kilometers), beginning in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador in the north and extending to central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The range passes through 15 U.S. states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. The range is traditionally divided into three sections: the Northern Appalachians (extending from Canada through the northeastern U.S.), the Central Appalachians (covering Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia), and the Southern Appalachians (reaching into the southern states including North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama).