where was the cherokee tribe located

The Cherokee are Native American people originally living in the Southeastern United States, with their traditional homelands spanning parts of present-day North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Virginia. After intense pressure from European-American settlement, many were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory in the present-day state of Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears. Today, three federally recognized Cherokee groups exist: the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band (UKB) in Oklahoma, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in western North Carolina. Each group maintains headquarters andReservation/territory areas within their respective regions, while members and descendants reside across the United States and beyond.