Transcript GeorgiaGeographyNotes

5 Physiographic Regions
 Coastal
Plains
 Piedmont
 Blue Ridge
 Ridge & Valley
 Appalachian Plateau
Coastal Plain
 Central
to Southern GA
 60% of the state
 Boundary is marked by the Fall Line
 FL=Marks the prehistoric ocean shoreline
 Rivers pick up speed b/c elevation drops
 Soil consists of sand and clay
Piedmont
 North
to central GA
 Means “foot of the mountains”
 Hilly region with valleys
 Makes up 30% of the state
 Cotton, soybeans, & wheat
 Bedrock (granite, gneiss, & marble)
 Streams & rivers flow N to S
 Most populated
Blue Ridge
 Central
to Eastern portion of North GA
 Blue Ridge Mtns. (highest in the
Appalachians)
 Brasstown Bald (4784 feet)
 Chattahoochee & Savannah begin here
(due to great amt. of rainfall)
 Steep slopes & high rainfall lead to high
levels of erosion
Valley & Ridge
 Northwestern
area
 Long, parallel ridges overlooking valleys
 Mostly forests
 Valley used for farming & pastures
 Corn, soybeans, wheat, & cotton
Appalachian Plateau
Northwestern section of GA
 Part of the Cumberland Plateau, which
consists of 300 sq. miles of GA
 Lookout Mountain
 Coal, corn, and soybeans
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Other Areas---Coastal Wetlands
& Barrier Islands
 Coast
is less than 100 miles long
 Swamps, rivers, streams, estuaries, &
islands
 Saltwater marshes (estuary) because of
the tide & rivers
 Wetland= area of low-lying land covered
by water most of the time, where plants &
animals are found
 Okefenokee Swamp
Barrier Islands
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Chain of sea islands that form a barrier from
waves hitting the mainland
“Golden Isles”
Millionaires owned many as winter retreats
State & federal authorities control most now as
wildlife reserves
National island= Cumberland Island- largest
(Carnegies)
Most visited=Tybee, St. Simons, & Jekyll
Other islands are accessed by helicopter or boat
Jekyll Island
 “Millionaires’
Village” (Rockefellers,
Pulitzers, Astors, Vanderbilts, Morgans,
Goulds, & Jennings)
 State park in 1947; owned by Jekyll Island
Authority
 Today, residents own home but lease land
from the state
 1st transcontinental telephone call in 1915
 1st brewery in GA (barley, hops, & cotton)
Other Islands
 Ossabaw
Island- used by Creek Indians
as a hunting ground; Chatham Cty.; now
NWR
 Sapelo Island - McIntosh Cty.; UGA
research center; Hog Hammock
 St. Catherine’s Island- Liberty Cty.;
privately owned & undeveloped
 Skidaway Island- Chatham Cty.; suburb of
Savannah & research center of UGA
Forests & Agriculture
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Forests cover 65% of GA
Pinetrees, hardwood trees, & live oak trees
(state tree)
Farms cover 1/3 of the land
One of the leading states for egg and “broiler”
production (NE)
Hogs (SE), beef (NE), & dairy (N)
Cotton (1st)(SE & NE), Peanuts & pecans (2ndleads U.S.; SW)
Tobacco (SE) & Peaches (S-Peach County)
Mining
 Leads
US in clay production
 Leading producer of kaolin (S) & fuller’s
earth
 Granite (NE & N Central)
Manufacturing
 Manufacturing=
$60 billion annual industry
 processed foods & beverages (1st)
 Baked goods, beer, chicken, soft drinks, &
PB
 Textiles (2nd)-carpet & cotton fabrics
 Chemicals (3rd), Transportation Equipment
(4th), & Paper products (5th)
How GA’s Climate Played A
Role In Its Settlement
Same
latitude as China, India,
Persia, & Palestine (similar crops)
Some crops would not grow b/c
of humidity & diseases of coastal
climate
Lake Hartwell
Lake Lanier
Lake Allatoona
Savannah River
Lake
Oconee
Chattahoochee
River
Flint River
Ocmulgee
River
St. Mary’s River
Factors That Cause GA’s Climate &
The Effects
 Relative
closeness to Equator
 Near bodies of water (Gulf of Mexico &
Atlantic Ocean)
 Near eastern edge of continent
 Results= hot summers, mild winters, &
usually, abundant rainfall (avg. 50 inches
annually)
 Mild winters have led to a migration to GA
 Also, attracted military (13 bases)
Why So Much Rain?
•Gulf Water evaporates & is blown
northeast
•Warm Gulf air meets the colder current
that blows down from Canada
•Rainiest months are July & August; driest
are October & November
Prevailing Westerlies & Gulf
Stream
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Explorers, traders, & merchants realized that
they could use the air & ocean currents to go
from North America to Europe
 PW= between 35-60 degrees N, cold high
pressure from the polar region influences wind
that blows from W to NE
 GS= warm water current that helps to have mild
climate (flows from Caribbean to just S of
Greenland)
 “Sea winds” were replaced with “trade winds”
(traders)
Highway System
*Google Maps*
 East-West
highways (raise in number from
South to North; I-10, I-20, I-30, I-40, etc.)
 North-South highways (raise in number as
the highways move West to East; I-5, I-15,
I-25, I-35, I-45, etc.)
 Created for defense purposes by
President Eisenhower (during Cold War)
 Federal Highway Act of 1956