<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Geology </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Orogeny </Th> <Td> Alleghenian </Td> </Tr> <P> The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee--North Carolina border in the southeastern United States . They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province . The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains and the name is commonly shortened to the Smokies . The Great Smokies are best known as the home of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which protects most of the range . The park was established in 1934, and, with over 11 million visits per year, it is the most visited national park in the United States . </P> <P> The Great Smokies are part of an International Biosphere Reserve . The range is home to an estimated 187,000 acres (76,000 ha) of old growth forest, constituting the largest such stand east of the Mississippi River . The cove hardwood forests in the range's lower elevations are among the most diverse ecosystems in North America, and the Southern Appalachian spruce - fir forest that coats the range's upper elevations is the largest of its kind . The Great Smokies are also home to the densest black bear population in the Eastern United States and the most diverse salamander population outside of the tropics . </P>

Are the smoky mountains and the appalachian mountains the same