Georgia Geography

Georgia Geography Created by Blair Weikel Adapted by Megan Rainwater

AKS: • describe Georgia with regard to physical features and location (GPS SS8G1) (8SS_C2007-30) • 30a - locate Georgia in relation to region, nation, continent and hemisphere • 30b - differentiate the five geographic regions of Georgia including the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ridge and Valley, Appalachian Plateau, Piedmont and Coastal Plain • 30c - locate and evaluate the importance of key physical features on the development of Georgia including Fall Line, Okefenokee Swamp, Appalachian Mountains, Chattahoochee and Savannah Rivers, and barrier islands • 30d - evaluate the impact of climate on Georgia’s development

Lets get specific: • What hemisphere is Georgia located in? • Northern Hemisphere • What continent is Georgia located on? • North America • What nation is Georgia located in? • United States of America • What region of the USA is Georgia located in? • Southeast Now, lets use our maps to illustrate these locations.

My Example North Georgia NORTHERN HEMISPHERE North American Continent USA Southeastern Part of the USA West East SOUTHERN Hemisphere South

Georgia’s Geographic Regions Created by Blair Weikel Adapted by Meg Rainwater

Before we begin… • Using page 9 of your book label the following regions: • Coastal Plain • Piedmont • Blue Ridge Mountains • Ridge and Valley • Appalachian Plateau

Coastal Plain Fall Line On your map of Georgia, color each of the Geographic Regions. Geographic Regions Brown Orange Blue Green Yellow Red Line

With your group, use pages 9-21 in your bookto fill in the chart below. You have 10 minutes.

Appalachian Plateau • Characteristics: • Smallest in state • Northwest corner of the state • Lookout Mountain is located in this region • Part of TAG Corner, where Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia meet

Appalachian Plateau • Economic: Goods & Services • Hardwood forests • Limestone • Tourism to Lookout Mountain, Cloudland Canyon, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Parks (to see Civil War Battle Sites) • Smallest region economically

Fall Line Ridge & Valley Region • Characteristics: • Open Valleys • Narrow Ridges • Shale & Sandstone Soil • Limestone Ridges • Pasture Land • Orchards

Ridge & Valley Region • Economic Goods and Services • Mining • Farming • Apples are famous in Ellijay • Carpet & Textiles are located in Dalton, GA • Dalton GA is the CARPET CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

Blue Ridge Region • Characteristics: • Southernmost portion of the Appalachian Mountains • Highest point in the State- Brasstown Bald, 4784 feet above sea level • First gold rush in the USA took place here in 1828 • Highest & largest group of mountains in the state located here • Precipitation is prevalent & provides water for entire state • Lots of erosion due to poor soil • Beginning of the Appalachian Trail

Blue Ridge Region • Economic Goods and Services • Tourism in the Mountains • Helen GA & Brasstown Bald are tourist attractions • Hardwood forests • Vegetable farming • Apples

Piedmont Region • Characteristics: • Means “Foot of the Mountains” • Most populated region of the state • Once home to plantations • Gently rolling hills • Heartland of the state know for its red clay soil • ½ of the state’s population lives here • Home to the state and regions largest city: Atlanta • Home to the state’s capital: Atlanta

Piedmont Region • Economic Goods and Services • Cars & planes are built here • Peaches are grown here • Cotton belt of the south before the Civil War • Wheat • Soybean • Corn • Poultry • Cattle • Business and Industry flourish here • Atlanta is the regional business hub of the Southeast • Home to the states Airport • Where several interstate highways meet • Home of Chattahoochee, Flint, and Ocmulgee, and Oconee River

Fall Line • Characteristics: • Geographic boarder where rivers produce waterfalls • This is the ancient coastline that GA use to have when the ocean levels were higher • Divides GA’s water sources: • North of the Fall line, people rely on surface water or man-made reservoirs • South of the Fall Line, aquifers allow people to use wells

Fall Line • Economic Goods and Services • Early settlers were deterred in their exploration due to all of the waterfalls • Later settlers and current businesses use the waterfalls to provide power to their businesses • Fertile soil and easy power make a great place to settle • Cities like Augusta, Milledgeville, Macon & Columbus were formed because cargo was transferred form boats to trains and wagons

Coastal Plain • Characteristics: • Forms Georgia’s boarder with Florida • Forms the Atlantic Ocean Boarder • 3/5 of the state • Largest region • Dougherty Plain= fertile region where peanuts, corn, and pecan trees thrive • Home to Savannah & Brunswick • Home to barrier islands • Cumberland Island • Continental Shelf: part of the continent that extends into the Atlantic Ocean

Coastal Plain • Economic Goods and Services • Farming Hub of the state • Onion farming (Vidalia Onions) • Fishing • Peanut Farming • Cotton Farming • Vegetable Farming • Tree Farming • Center for Navel stores • Savannah & Brunswick Shipyards were liberty ships were built during WWII– Now, major ports in the state • Tourism hub of state because of coastal towns

Georgia’s Physical Features Created by Blair Weikel Adapted By Meg Rainwater

Georgia’s Physical Features • You will receive a map of Georgia to label several physical features on the back of the map, you will draw a chart to fill in about the features.

What states border GA? • FL • AL • TN • NC • SC

Okefenokee Swamp • Means: • Land of the Trembling Earth • Where: • Southeastern part of Georgia • Outer coastal plain • What: • Second largest freshwater swamp in the USA • Covers ½ million acres • National Wildlife Refuge is home to more than 1000 types of plants & animals • Cypress trees dominate the landscape • Black bears, snakes, alligators, armadillos, frogs, deer, water birds • Home to the Seminole Indians

Appalachian Mountains • Stretch from GA to Maine • Southeastern end of the Appalachian Mountain chain lies within Georgia’s Blue Ridge Region • Brasstown Bald is the highest point in Georgia • One hundred million years of erosion has worn away the Blue Ridge Mountains, they were once 75% taller than they are today • Mining put this region on the map • GOLD was discovered in Dahlonega in 1828! • Home to the Cherokee Indians

Chattahoochee River • 436 mile waterway • Creates the border between GA and AL • Supplies water for Atlanta • Transportation artery has carried cotton, delivered power to textile mills, moved freight, furnished hydroelectric power, and provided drinking water for the state • Cherokee for “river of the painted rock” • Manmade lakes dot it: • Lake Lanier • West Pointe Lake • Walter E. George Reservoir

Savannah River • 314 mile waterway • Forms the boarder between SC and GA • The only river in GA that flows from outside the states boarders • Means, “blue water” • Three manmade lakes are along this river: • J. Strom Thurmond • Lake Lake Russell • Lake Hartwell • Savannah & Brunswick Ports are located along the river • Hernando de Soto was the first European to “see” this river

Barrier Island • What • Interlocking chain of islands, marshes, rivers, & tributaries • Name reflects their purpose: they protect the coast from storms by blocking the coast from winds, waves, and water that could erode the mainland • Form a barrier • Significance? • Early forts, were built here to protect settlements • Sea Islands are popular tourist attractions • Jekyll Island is primarily a state park & Cumberland Island is a national seashore. • 2/3 of the barrier islands remain wilderness sanctuaries

Atlantic Ocean • GA has 100 miles of coastline along the Atlantic • Major economic resource for the state: • Tourism, ports, fishing, wildlife refuges, businesses • Provides access to intracoastal waterway • 1000 mile inland waterway that links New York to Miami, FL

Savannah River • Okefenokee Swamp • Appalachian Mountains • Atlantic Ocean • Chattahoochee River • Barrier Island • Florida • Alabama • Tennessee • North Carolina • South Carolina Mini Quiz • The Chattahoochee River forms a border between Georgia and this state. • This feature flows along Georgia’s Eastern border. • This state borders GA to the South. • Gold was found in this area in the early 1800s. Today, tourists love to come here. • The Savannah River forms a border between GA and this state. • This state borders GA to the Northwest. • Forts were built here to defend early settlements of Georgia. • This area is a National Wildlife Refuge with more than 1,000 plants and animals. • This state borders GA to the Northeast. • This physical feature has tides. • This major river provides drinking water for Georgians and forms part of the state’s western border.

Climate!30d.Evaluate the impact of climate on Georgia’s development Created by Blair Weikel Adapted by Meg Rainwater

Basic Definitions • Climate - The day-to-day conditions and changes over a period of time. A regions’ climate remains stable over time. • Weather - Refers to the day-to-day conditions and changes in the atmosphere. Weather varies constantly! • Precipitation - The amount of water falling to earth at a specific place within a specified period of time; "the storm brought several inches of precipitation“ • The lack of precipitation over a period of time that results in water shortages.

Georgia • Mild Climate • Four distinct seasons • Hot Summers • Highest temperatures in state occur in July • Moderately cold winters • Coldest temperatures in state occur in January

Why would the climate be an economic boom to the state? • Companies are drawn to the state due to employees enjoying the weather. • Lower heating & air conditioning costs for businesses. • Fewer weather related injuries & absences. • Longer growing seasons for crops. • Agriculture is a major industry employing 1 in 6 Georgians. • Rainfall in Piedmont allows tobacco & peanuts grow successfully. • Cotton grows successfully in GA which was once the states most lucrative (wealth gaining) crops! • Textile mills grew up here b/c of the cotton crops. • Forests grow rapidly for pulp and paper industries. • People like the weather and enjoy living here! • Brainstorm with the class…

Drought: • How could a DROUGHT effect Georgia’s economy adversely (in a bad way)?

More Definitions • Global Warming is the term that describes the raising of the average temperature on earth due to excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Researchers are finding rising temperatures and precipitation amounts as results from global warming. • Spawned when waters if 80 F or more transform the heat energy of tropical waters into strong winds and heavy waves • Funnel shaped wind whirlwinds that are dangerous cyclonic wind that move in a counterclockwise direction. As they touch the earth, they literally pull debris up into the air. .

Global Warming: What are some concerns that you have about Global Warming? What are your solutions to Global Warming?

Transportation! explain how the interstate highway system, Hartsfield - Jackson International Airport and Georgia’s deepwater ports help drive the state’s economy (GPS SS8G2) (8SS_C2007-31) 31a - explain how the three transportation systems interact to provide domestic and international goods to the people of Georgia 31b - examine how the three transportation systems provide jobs for Georgians

How do goods come into the state? • Georgia is the center for transportation in the Southeast because…

What transportation systems, located in Georgia, lead to its economic success? • Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport • Interstate Highways • Seaports of Savannah, Brunswick and St. Marys

The Interstate Highway Systems • Atlanta is located along the Interstate Highway System • 3 highways meet at the city (I-85, I-75, & I-20) • These three interstates crisscross the state • I-95 runs along the Atlantic Coast

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport • The busiest airport in the world • Handles close to 54,000 metric tons of cargo a month

Savannah, Brunswick & St. Mary’s Shipyard! • Deepwater ports handle enormous loads of cargo • Cars • Containers • Fruits • Vegetables • Computers • Appliances • Etc

What are the benefits of Georgia’s Transportation System? • Provide state producers & service providers with excellent ways to distribute their products to national and international markets. • Think GA Peaches in China • Trucks carry shipments & containers to seaports & airports • Ships carry parts to manufacturers in other countries • Airplanes carry people and products all over the globe. • GA’s investment in transportation systems is a huge factor in the states economic success! • More jobs are available for GA residents!

Jobs… • How do the transportation systems in GA increase the number of jobs in the state?

Jobs Grow: • People are needed to: • Drive, load, unload, and service trucks, planes & ships • 16,000 jobs are supported for every $1 Billion of goods exported

Georgia Geography