Unit 1 Notes

Sources:
New Georgia Encyclopedia
Georgia In The American Experience
Georgia The History of an American State

Unit 1 Geography of Georgia

SS8G1   The student will describe Georgia with regard to physical features and location.

a.  Locate Georgia in relation to region, nation, continent, and hemisphere.

Reading a map

-all maps should have four key features

1.  A title

2.  a compass rose

3.  scale

4. and legend (key)

Location

-two types of location

1.  relative location—describes where a place is located compared with other places

2.  absolute location—identifies a precise position on Earth’s surface.

Map reading

-hemispheres—the two halves of a sphere (Earth)

--latitude (parallels)—lines that run east to west on a globe and measure north and south (remember horizontal rungs of a ladder “ladder-tude”)

-longitude (meridians)-lines that run north and south on a globe and measure east and west

-equator- the 0˚˚ latitude line that goes around the globe exactly halfway between the north and south poles.

-prime meridian—line running from the north pole through England and South Africa to the South Pole, located at 0˚ longitude.

Continents

-North America, South America, Antarctica, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia

-Georgia is located on the North American continent

Nations

-Georgia is part of the Unites States of America

Regions

-region—an area on Earth’s surface that is defined by certain unifying characteristics, such as cultural, human, physical, government, a common language, climate, situation and physical landforms.

            -the basic unit of study in Geography

-Georgia is located in the southern region of the United States

-Georgia’s location within the south is the southeast

-within the southeast Georgia is bordered by five states, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

Georgia’s Five Geographic Regions

b.  Describe the five geographic regions of Georgia:  include the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ridge and Valley, Appalachian Plateau, Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

Georgia consists of five (5) major physiographic regions:  1. Appalachian Plateau, 2. Ridge and Valley, 3.  Blue Ridge Region, 4. Piedmont Plateau, 5. Coastal Plain

                        -these natural divisions differ in both area and their land base, such as limestone, clay, shale or marsh

1.  The Appalachian Plateau Region

            -smallest physiographic area

            -a.k.a. the “TAG Corner”—the Tennessee Alabama Georgia Corner

            -a.k.a. the Cumberland Plateau

            -dominated by Lookout and Sand Mountains

            -consists of a mixture of soils—limestone, shale and sandstone

            -poor farming due to sandy soil

            -this area is good for growing hardwoods and for its pastures

            -elevation of up to 2, 000 feet.

            -location of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Parks and Cloudland Canyon

2. The Ridge and Valley Region

            -lies between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau

            -elevation ranges from 700-1,600 feet

            -soil is a mixture of shale and limestone on the ridges and limestone and clay in the valleys

            -forests, pastures (beef cattle), and fertile farmlands (fruits grains and vegetables)

            -region runs from Polk and Bartow counties northward to Chattanooga     

            -known for apples in Ellijay and Carpets in Dalton—the “carpet capital of the world”

3.  The Blue Ridge Region

            -located in the northeastern part of Georgia

            -homes of the highest and largest group of mountains in Georgia

            -this region is extremely important to Georgia, the mountains are the first barrier to warm, moist air rising from the Gulf of Mexico

                        -when that warm air hits the mountains, it cools and causes precipitation (rain)

                                    -Eighty inches of rain per year in this region.

                        -soil is a blend of sandy loam (clay, sand, and organic matter)-erodes easily

            -Appalachian trail begins here

            -this region is good for hard-wood forests, vegetables, and apples

            -notable places—Tallulah Gorge in Raburn County, Helen in White County, Amicalola Falls and Dahlonega (the first gold rush in the United States, 1828)

--Location of Georgia’s highest point, Brasstown Bald (4,784 ft elevation), in Townes County.

***All of Georgia’s 3 northern regions contain parts of the Appalachian Mountain chain,

4.  The Piedmont Plateau

            -piedmont=foot of the mountain

            -known as the “heartland” of the state

            -home to about one half of the states population

-well drained soils, loam and red clay

            -good for hardwood timber, pine, and agriculture 9soybeans, corn, poultry, and cattle)

            -known as the cotton belt during the antebellum, civil war, and post-war periods

            -this area is highly industrialized

            -home to Georgia’s largest cities—Atlanta (the capital), Athens, Madison, and Milledgeville

            -Stone Mountain is located here

5.  The Coastal Plain

            -takes up three fifths of the states land area

            -consists of two parts—The Inner Coastal and the Outer Coastal Plain

           

--Inner Coastal Plain

                        -Mild Climate

                        -Good supply of ground water

                        -the major agricultural region of the state

                        -Vidalia onions (a sweet onion) grow here

                        -the Dougherty Plain……the western corner of the state, is known for peanuts, corn and pecan trees.

            --Outer Coastal Plain

                        -Does not have drained soil

                        -Known for its naval stores and pulp production

                        -Flat and swampy along the coastline

                        -home to the 681-square-mile Okefenokee Swamp

c. Locate and evaluate the importance of key physical features on the development of Georgia; include the Fall Line, Okefenokee Swamp, Appalachian Mountains, Chattahoochee and Savannah Rivers, and barrier islands.

Key Physical Features

-the Fall Line-geological boundary between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain

            -twenty miles wide, running from Columbus to Augusta.

            -called the fall line because of all of the waterfalls located along the rivers

            -the cities of Columbus, Macon, Milledgeville, and Augusta were located along the fall lines of the Chattahoochee, Ocmulgee, Oconee, and Savannah Rivers

            -These cities are located at the upstream limit of navigation, ships could not go any further north

            -cargo was transferred from ships and barges to trains and wagons

            -early settlers, and Indians, found the Fall Line to be a barrier

            -the water falls have served as great way to generate power

Okefenokee Swamp—“land of trembling earth”

            -freshwater wetland—a low-lying area that holds water

            -wildlife refuge—four hundred vertebrates, two hundred types of birds, and over sixty plus reptiles

            -largest swamp in North America

            -received federal wildlife refuge status in 1937 from Franklin D. Roosevelt

-Appalachian Mountains

            -the southernmost part of the Appalachian Mountain chain is the Blue Ridge Mountain Chain

            -extends one hundred miles into Georgia

            -Brasstown Bald

            -80 inches of rain per year—a major benefit to Georgia, i.e. drinking water

            -Known for tourism

                        -Outdoor activities

            -the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains forms the Continental Divide

                        -determines the direction in which rivers flow

                                    -rivers west of the divide empty into the Gulf of Mexico and those east of the divide flow into the Atlantic

            -location of Georgia’s only major coal deposits.

-Chattahoochee River

            -Flows from the Blue Ridge Mountains west towards the Alabama state line

                        --flows over the fall line

            -steamboats running from the Gulf of Mexico to Columbus, a journey that took several months, quickly led to Columbus becoming a center for the thriving cotton market.

            -a fast moving creek northeast of Atlanta that powered many sawmills and gristmills

            -today, many dams are located along the river and serve to control floods and generate electricity

            -valued more today as source of drinking water than for transportation purposes.

            --Atlanta depends heavily on this river for its water supply

--Savannah River

            -serves as the natural boundary between Georgia and South Carolina

            -begins at Lake Hartwell and empties north of the city of Savannah into the Atlantic Ocean

            -the river is a shipping channel for the port of Savannah—an extremely busy shipping port

            -the river has many dams located along it that generate hydroelectricity

            -a major source of drinking water for Georgians

-Barrier Islands  aka—the “Island of Gold”

            --fourteen islands along the coast of Georgia

            --the islands protect Georgia’s mainland by blocking wind, sand and water and preventing erosion

            --they also absorb energy from hurricanes and tropical storms and protect Georgia’s coastline

            --Blackbeard Island, Cumberland Island, Jekyll Island, Little St. Simons Island, Ossabaw Island, Sapelo Island, Sea Island, ST. Catherines Island, St. Simons Island, Tybee Island, Wassaw Island

d.  Evaluate the impact of climate on Georgia’s development

-Climate

            -climate-the average weather condition over a long period of time

            -weather-the current atmospheric conditions

-Georgia is in the warm temperate subtropical zone

-climate determines the types of homes, clothing, types of industries, and what crops are grown in an area.

-Georgia has four distinct seasons