Printable Blank Map of Tennessee with Counties
Delineating all 95 counties across 42,143 square miles, this blank vector map of Tennessee captures the Volunteer State spanning 440 miles from the Mississippi River floodplains at Memphis east across the Cumberland Plateau to the Great Smoky Mountains. Projected in Tennessee State Plane (EPSG:32136), it provides distortion-minimized geometry for Tennessee Valley Authority mapping, river basin studies, and county governance analysis.
About this Blank Map of Tennessee
This printable blank map represents Tennessee on the authentic NAD83 (2011) / WGS84 ellipsoidal datum. All 6 interactive visual variants—including Blank Outline, Counties Boundaries, Centroid Labels, Capital City Marker (Nashville), and High-Contrast Printer B&W—are generated synchronously from identical coordinate geometry.
| Specification | Value | Compliance & Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction / Entity | Tennessee | US State |
| Subdivisions Rendered | 95 Counties | Verified Topological Polygon Mesh |
| Primary Capital City | Nashville | Marked on the capital variant |
| Cartographic Projection | TENNESSEE STATE PLANE | Distortion-Minimized Coordinate Map |
| Reference Datum | NAD83 (2011) / WGS84 | NOAA NGS / EPSG:32136 (State Plane Coordinate System) |
Tennessee Counties at a Glance
- Counties
- 95
- Capital
- Nashville
- Population (2020)
- 6,910,786
- Land area
- 41,235 sq mi
Most populous counties
- Shelby County (Memphis): 930,020 people, 13.5% of the state
- Davidson County (Nashville): 715,878 people, 10.4% of the state
- Knox County (Knoxville): 478,966 people, 6.9% of the state
- Hamilton County (Chattanooga): 366,209 people, 5.3% of the state
- Rutherford County (Murfreesboro): 341,483 people, 4.9% of the state
Largest counties by land area
- Shelby County (Memphis): 760.6 sq mi
- Wayne County (Waynesboro): 734.1 sq mi
- Fayette County (Somerville): 704.8 sq mi
- Cumberland County (Crossville): 681.3 sq mi
- Hardeman County (Bolivar): 667.8 sq mi
Neighboring states
Figures: US Census Bureau 2020 Census populations and Gazetteer land areas. The full sortable list with seats and FIPS codes is on the Tennessee county map & list page.
Geography Notes: Tennessee
Tennessee Single-Zone Lambert Conformal Geodesy
A single Lambert Conformal Conic projection covers all 95 counties with standard parallels at 35°15'N and 36°25'N.
Because Tennessee is elongated east-to-west across 440 miles but narrow north-to-south (about 110 miles), a single-zone projection keeps horizontal scale error under 1:10,000 across the entire state.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Department of Transportation rely on this unified datum to coordinate reservoir flood control models and highway corridors without regional seams.
EPSG:32136 preserves metric scale from the Reelfoot Lake earthquake bluffs east to Clingmans Dome in the Smokies.
The Three Grand Divisions of Tennessee
Tennessee is constitutionally divided into three distinct Grand Divisions symbolized by the three stars on the state flag.
West Tennessee occupies the Gulf Coastal Plain along the Mississippi River, anchored by Shelby County (Memphis) and fertile cotton bottomlands.
Middle Tennessee features the fertile Nashville limestone basin centered in Davidson County, while East Tennessee encompasses the Ridge-and-Valley province and Great Smoky Mountains in Knox and Hamilton counties.
Shelby County (Memphis) encompasses 763 square miles of land area, standing as the state's largest county by surface area.
Curated Classroom Activities & Spatial Labs for Tennessee
Pedagogical lesson plans and spatial analysis activities designed specifically for printable vector maps of Tennessee:
The Three Grand Divisions & Tennessee River Loop Lab
Objective: Map the three constitutional Grand Divisions and trace the unusual loop of the Tennessee River.
Materials: Printed blank map of Tennessee, colored pencils, state drainage atlas.
- Draw the division lines separating East, Middle, and West Tennessee.
- Trace the Tennessee River flowing south from Knoxville through Chattanooga into Alabama, then curving back north across Tennessee to Kentucky.
- Highlight Davidson County (Nashville) as the state capital and central healthcare/music economic engine.
Great Smoky Mountains & Cumberland Plateau Study
Objective: Analyze physical barriers separating eastern mountain counties from the central limestone basin.
Materials: Printed Tennessee county outline map, fine-tip markers.
- Shade the elevated Cumberland Plateau crossing Cumberland, Fentress, and Morgan counties.
- Outline the Great Smoky Mountains National Park overlapping Sevier and Blount counties along the North Carolina border.
- Compare Shelby County (Memphis) in the far west with Carter and Johnson counties in the extreme northeast.
The 6 Synchronized Variants Explained
We generate 6 synchronized variations of Tennessee from the same master vector dataset. Each variant is aligned to identical coordinate geometry:
1. Blank Boundary Outline
The foundational boundary outline of Tennessee. Rendered with a clean exterior stroke and zero fill—the optimal version for in-class labeling exams, custom cartographic overlays, or clean graphic design.
2. With Subdivisions (95 Counties)
Displays the exterior boundary plus internal administrative borders for all 95 counties. Each subdivision possesses a unique SVG element ID for direct styling and choropleth shading in vector editors.
3. Labeled with True Centroids
Features authentic typographic labels positioned at each administrative territory's mathematical center of mass. Perfect as a master grading answer key or self-study reference sheet.
4. Adjacent-Contrast Color Fill
Filled using an adjacency-contrast pastel palette so neighboring jurisdictions never blend together. Excellent for tactile visual discrimination and regional geography units.
5. With Capital City (Nashville)
Pinpoints the official capital city of Nashville using a high-visibility star marker and typographic callout, positioned at precise geodetic coordinates.
6. High-Contrast Printer B&W
Optimized specifically for monochrome desktop laser and inkjet printers. Uses pure black vector paths (#000000) and ultra-clean white fills to prevent ink-bleeding and toner smudging.
Tools to Use With This Map
- Interactive US county mapZoom into county lines on a live map.
- What county am I in?Find your county from your device location.
- True size comparisonDrag Tennessee over other places to compare real areas.
- Map area calculatorDraw a shape and measure its area on the WGS84 ellipsoid.
- Color a mapShade regions online and download your own map.
Tennessee County Map & Full List
See 2020 Census populations, seats, land areas and FIPS codes for every county in Tennessee, with an on-page map and CSV export.
Need Definitions for Map Projections, SVG Vectors, or Centroids?
Explore our centralized Cartography Glossary for detailed definitions of national and global geodetic datums, equal-area vs. conformal projections, TopoJSON topological arcs, and choropleth classification standards.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennessee Blank Maps
Authoritative answers to common questions regarding printing, licensing, vector customization, and curriculum use:
What is the largest county by land area in Tennessee?▼
Shelby County in the southwestern corner along the Mississippi River (seat: Memphis) is the largest county by area at 763 square miles.
What are the "Three Grand Divisions" of Tennessee on a map?▼
Tennessee is legally divided into East, Middle, and West Tennessee, representing the mountainous east, the central Nashville basin, and the Mississippi coastal plain.
Why does Tennessee use a single State Plane coordinate zone?▼
Because Tennessee is long east-to-west but narrow north-to-south, a single Lambert projection (EPSG:32136) maintains distortion under 1:10,000 across all 95 counties without coordinate seams.