GeorgiaGeorgia and the American Experienceand the American Experience

Chapter 1:Chapter 1:Where in the World is Georgia?Where in the World is Georgia?

Study Presentation Study Presentation

© 2005 Clairmont Press© 2005 Clairmont Press

Georgia Georgia and the American Experienceand the American Experience

Section 1: Section 1: What is Geography?What is Geography?

Section 2: Section 2: Geographic Regions of Geographic Regions of GeorgiaGeorgia

Section 3: Section 3: Georgia’s ClimateGeorgia’s Climate

Section 1: What is Geography?

• Essential Question

- What roles do the six essential elements of geography play in our lives?

Section 1: What is Section 1: What is Geography?Geography?

• What geographic terms do I need to know?

-- geography

-- absolute location

-- relative location

What is Geography?What is Geography?

• Geographica (Greek origin) means “earth’s description”.

• Science of studying Earth as the home of humans.

• Geography helps us understand why Georgia’s native peoples and later settlers chose certain parts of the state for their home.

Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Spatial GeographySpatial Geography

• Spatial: How Georgians organize their space and environment: – 159 counties

– five bordering states

Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Places and RegionsPlaces and Regions

• Places and Regions: People create regions to understand Earth’s complexities

• Georgia has five physiographic regions

• 18 islands

• 58, 910 square miles

• 854 square inland water miles

Understanding Georgia through Geography

• Physical Systems: Physical processes that shape the earth’s surface

• Coastal islands (southeast Georgia)

• Appalachian Mountains (north Georgia)

• Fall Line divides east and west Georgia

Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Human SystemsHuman Systems

• Human Systems: Where Georgians migrated and settled

• Atlanta (Fulton County) is the capital • Twiggs County (geographic center)• Port of Savannah (first major

settlement)• Brasstown Bald (highest geographic

point)

Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Environment and SocietyEnvironment and Society

• Environment and Society: Actions of humans modify the environment

• Suburban sprawl in metropolitan Atlanta

• Interstates and highways

• Urban population centers

• Rural farmlands and agricultural regions

Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Uses of GeographyUses of Geography

• Uses of Geography: Interpret Georgia’s past, understand its present, plan for its future

• Location from one settlement to another affects how each settlement develops

• Georgia’s location relative to other states affects Georgia’s growth and economic development

Understanding Location

• Absolute location: A precise position on Earth’s surface

• Georgia is located at 30°– 35°N latitude, 80°– 85° W longitude

• Georgia borders Florida (south), Alabama (west), Tennessee and North Carolina (north), and South Carolina (east).

Understanding LocationUnderstanding Location

• Relative Location: Where Georgia is located compared with other places

• North America • Southeastern United States• Atlantic coast

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Section 2: Geographic Section 2: Geographic Regions of GeorgiaRegions of Georgia

• ESSENTIAL QUESTION

-- How would you describe the geographic regions of Georgia?

Section 2: Geographic Section 2: Geographic Regions of GeorgiaRegions of Georgia

• What words do I need to know?

-- Fall Line

-- Region

-- Precipitation

-- Wetland

-- Barrier Island

-- Continental Shelf

Section 2: Geographic Section 2: Geographic Regions of GeorgiaRegions of Georgia

• What regions do I need to know?

-- Appalachian Plateau Region

-- Ridge and Valley Region

-- Blue Ridge Region

-- Piedmont Plateau

-- Coastal Plain Region

-- Okefenokee Swamp

Appalachian Plateau Region• Georgia’s smallest physiographic region

• Many limestone caves, deep canyons, rock formations

• Cumberland Plateau (Lookout Mountain and Sand Mountain separated by limestone ridges)

• Limestone, shale, and sandstone soils

Ridge and Valley Region• Between Blue Ridge Mountains and

Appalachian Plateau

• Low open valleys parallel to narrow ridges

• Elevations ranges from 700 to 1600 feet above sea level

• Forests and pastures dominate the region

• Limestone and clay soils in the valley

• Shale and sandstone on the ridges

Blue Ridge Region • Northeastern part of state• Contains state’s highest and largest group of

mountains• Brasstown Bald, Georgia highest mountain

is here• Mountains provide much precipitation

(water) for the state • Sandy loam and clay soils• Hardwood forests, vegetable farming, and

apples

Piedmont Plateau

• Begins in mountain foothills and goes to state’s central part

• Gently sloping hills in north, flatlands in the south

• Hardwood timber, pine, and agriculture• Red clay and granite base• Chattahoochee, Flint, Ocmulgee, and

Oconee rivers

Coastal Plain Region

• Largest region, three-fifths of state• Inner Coastal Plain: Mild climate, good

underground water supply, state’s major agriculture region

• Outer Coastal Plain (southwest corner): rich soil for peanuts, pecans, corn, and pulp production

• Low-lying freshwater wetlands

Okefenokee Swamp

• 681 square miles

• Located south of Waycross

• Largest swamp in North America

• Freshwater wetland

• Water lies close to the surface

Islands of Gold

• Spanish explorers called the barrier islands “islands of gold”

• Protect beaches by blocking sand, winds, and water that could erode the mainland

• Two-thirds remains wilderness areas• Much recreation, seafood gathering• Deep water ports for shipping

Shelves and Lines

• Georgia’s continental shelf is portion of coastal plain that extends into the ocean

• The Continental slope falls into deep plateaus and into the Atlantic Ocean depths

• The Fall Line, a natural boundary, separates the Coastal Plain from the Piedmont Plateau

Fall Line Features

• Hilly or mountainous lands meet the coastal plain

• Runs from Columbus (west) through Macon to Augusta (east)

• Many waterfalls caused by water from the hills cutting channels into the softer soil of the plains

• Fall Line waterfalls provide power source for several Georgia communities

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Section 3: Georgia’s Section 3: Georgia’s ClimateClimate

• ESSENTIAL QUESTION

-- How would you describe the climate of Georgia?

Section 3: Section 3: Georgia’s Climate Georgia’s Climate

• What concepts do I need to know?

-- Difference between weather and climate

-- Effect of weather conditions on the state

-- Different types of weather phenomena

Georgia’s Temperature

• Mild climate, subtropical feel along the coast

• Hot, humid summers and mild winters• Four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer,

Fall, and Winter• Vertical climate (higher elevation in

mountains causes colder temperatures) • July is hottest month; January is coldest

Georgia’s Precipitation

• In normal year, Georgia gets 40-52 inches of rain in central and southern regions and 65-76 inches in the northern mountains

• July is wettest month; October is driest• From 1998 to 2002, Georgia

experienced a major drought (extended lack of precipitation)

Winds and Currents

• Air masses from Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean control summer’s warm months.

• Air masses from polar regions of Alaska and Canada control Georgia’s winters.

• Ocean currents, trade winds, and prevailing westerlies aided travel for early explorers and settlers to Georgia.

Storms over Georgia

• Georgia averages 21 tornadoes each year, resulting in one to three deaths

• Most tornadoes in Georgia occur from March to May

• Georgia’s most hurricane-like storm (in terms of lives lost) occurred in Savannah in 1893

• Called the “Sea Islands Hurricane,” the storm resulted in 1,000 deaths.

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