The Geography of Ohio
Unit 1 Lesson 1
Ohio in the World
• Ohio is part of the North American continent.
– Continent  one of the seven largest land areas
on Earth
• Ohio is one of the 50 states that make up the
United States of America.
• Ohio is just south of Lake Erie, one of the
Great Lakes.
– Lake Erie forms part of the border between Ohio
and Canada.
Ohio within the USA
Ohio in the World
• Five states surround Ohio
– Pennsylvania (PA)
– West Virginia (WV)
– Kentucky (KY)
– Indiana (IN)
– Michigan (MI)
Ohio’s Borders
Ohio’s Natural Wonders
• 35 states are larger than Ohio
• Even though Ohio is a small state, it has
different natural regions.
– Natural region  an area made up of places
that share the same natural features (similar
landforms, bodies of water, etc.)
Ohio’s Natural Wonders
• Ohio’s natural regions formed more than
10,000 years ago.
• Glaciers (huge sheets of ice) covered much
of the land and over time, slowly moved.
• As a result, the land changed.
– Glaciers flattened mountains and carved valleys.
• When they melted, they left behind till.
– Till  a mixture of clay, sand, and rock that
makes soil very rich
Ohio’s Regions
• Glaciated Appalachian Plateau
– Central and northeastern Ohio
– Glaciers moved over the area and flattened the
land.
– Till
• Unglaciated Appalachian Plateau
– Southeastern Ohio
– Glaciers did NOT move over this part of the state
– Steep hills, deep valleys, rivers, waterfalls
Ohio’s Regions
• Till Plains
– West of the Appalachian Plateau
– Plain  area of flow, flat land
– Named from the till in the area
• Bluegrass
– Southeastern Ohio
– Triangle-shaped area between the Till Plains and
Appalachian Plateau
– Ohio River forms the southern border of this
region
– Much of the soil has washed away.
Ohio’s Regions
• Lake Plains
– Northern Ohio
– Glaciers formed flat land
– Northern edge of this region is Lake Erie
• Formed by melting glaciers
Ohio Land Regions Map
Label!
• Till Plains
• Lake Plains
• Blue Grass
• Glaciated Appalachian
Plateau
• Unglaciated Appalachian
Plateau
A Midwestern State
• Ohio is one of the 12 states that make up
the Midwest
– Ohio is the farthest east
• One of the six Midwestern states that
border the Great Lakes
A Midwestern State
Ohio’s Climate
• Climate  the kind of weather a place has
most
• Ohio has a temperate climate.
– neither very hot nor very cold
– Temperatures at times can be very hot or very
cold thought depending on the season
• Winters  cold, snowy
– Snowiest area is the northeast
• Summers  typically hot and humid
Lake Effect Snow
Lake Effect Snow
Ohio’s Climate
• Ohio receives about 40 inches of
precipitation each year
– Precipitation  water that falls to Earth’s
surface as rain, sleet, hail, or snow
• Many plants grow in Ohio
– More than 2,300 species of wildflowers grow
in Ohio