The mountains in this region are in the Blue Ridge mountain chain that ends in Georgia. At over 1 billion years of age, the Blue Ridge mountains are among the oldest mountains in the United States and sometimes mistaken to be the oldest mountains in the world (they are only about one third of the age of South Africa's 3.6 billion year old Barberton greenstone belt.). The mountains in this region are also a part of the vast system of North American mountains known as the Appalachian Mountains that spans most of the United States longitudally along the eastern areas of the nation and terminates in Alabama.
The region is known for its ruggedness and scenery.[citation needed] The Cherokee who lived in these mountains called them ᏌᏆᎾᎦ/Sah-ka-na'-ga - "Blue Smoke Mountains". Large portions of the North Georgia mountains are included in the more than 750,000 acres (3,000km2) that comprise the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Geography
The mountainous part of the region contains the Georgia counties of:
The Chattahoochee and Chestatee are west of the Eastern Continental Divide along with Little Tennessee, while the others are east. The divide bisects northeast Georgia, running from near the northeastern tip down to the city of Atlanta.