Climate &
Vegetation
& Wildlife
Political &
Regional
REGION :Coastal South
Includes parts of VA,NC, SC, GA, Ala, MS, LA and TX. Florida is the only state that is entirely within the region.
Divisions
Location Continental margin of east and southeastern USA. Abuts Inland South.
Transition from poorly drained coastal area to better drained interior.
Humid subtropical predominates, true tropical and tropical savanna in southern
Fla. (Cfa to Aw)
All soil orders present in region with the exception of Aridosols and Andisols.
Soils of this region are the most complicated on the continent.
Original vegetation to east was mixed forest on better drained soils and hardwood bottom land forests in poorer drained areas. Marshy grasslands along coast surrounding cheniers (“islands”) with hardwood trees, esp. in LA. SW LA to west is prairie grassland, replaced by scrub. Swamps of FLA dominated by saw-grass with patches of woodland in elevated areas. Everglades is home to
North America’s only mangrove swamp. Invasion of exotic species is common and extensive in some areas.
Major wintering ground for migratory birds – Mississippi Flyway and coastal areas for water-bird species. Swampy habitat home to mink, otter, muskrats and nutria (imported as fur animal then released). Last stand for America Cougar – everglades and swamps in eastern US. With the exception of these areas,

Climate &
Vegetation
& Wildlife
Geomorphic
Processes
Cougars have been considered extinct in the wild in the eastern half of the US.
America Alligator – SE Coast region is its natural habitat. Exotic species that have been released esp. in FLA, have done well competing with native species and forcing them out (Quaker Parrots, parakeets). Other species accidentally introduced (or have expanded range) have also thrived (Walking catfish, cattle egrets, armadillos)
Topography has little relief. Almost uniformly flat with open drainage.
Unconsolidated marine sediments & broad continental shelf. Low lying sandy islands offshore NC and TX, erosional remnants of old beach ridges offshore
GA and MS. Florida Keys are remnants of a coral reef dissected by tidal currents and uplifted limestone shoals . Rim characterized by coastal subsidence complete with drowned river mouths and swamps. Surface is cut by multiple meandering streams, old and newer deltaic formations and deposits, esp. in LA. Tidal action along the rim has contributed to coastal erosion and formation of some offshore islands, esp. in NC and TX. Florida peninsula is recently emerged mass of carbonate rock (karst). Karst is characterized by sinkhole and cavern development, network of artesian springs . ( Review karst development/geomorphology and mechanics of artesian springs ) Fla. Has greatest concentration of artesian springs in country. Fla. Drainage is complex and dominated by swamp (Everglades, Okeechobee). Fluvial and deltaic processes dominate LA – shifting of Mississippi River built LA. Terrain is crosscut with bayous and swamps. Atchafalaya River Basin is secondary channel to Mississippi.

Dominant
Economic
Activities
Primary Level Economic Activities -
Commercial Fishing – every state in region has a fleet. Total catch 2 nd only to
Alaska. Shrimp – most valuable ocean product in USA. 50% of total number of shrimp landings made in this region. For every 1 pound of shrimp caught there is 10 pounds of “bycatch.” LA 2 nd only to Alaska in seafood catch. Half of all leading fish ports are on Gulf of Mexico or South Atlantic.
Timber
– most of region was originally forested, many places have been deforested multiple times. Pulp-wood, lumber, tar & pitch (turpentine) important industries. Tar & pitch very important to region – region produces more than half of world’s resin and turpentine.
Agriculture
– Farming not continuous in region. Arable land broken up by swamps and other poorly drained areas. Pests common. Unpredictable frosts make agriculture difficult on large scale. Complex marketing structures. High cost crops. Farmers have learned to specialize in growing and marketing to recoup losses. Citrus Fruits – central FLA and lower Rio Grande Valley of
TX. FLA produces 75% of national orange and tangerine crops, 85% of grapefruit, and limes and tangelos. Crops have shifted southward to avoid increasing number of killing frosts. Use of farm/orchard cooperatives help defray some costs. Most of crop is processed for frozen concentrate, waste used in cattle feed. In Texas citrus production is irrigation based, specializing and seedless pink grapefruit. Sugar Cane production – in delta areas (LA) and
Texas coastline. Sugar cane introduced by Jesuits in 1751 – ironically,

Dominant
Economic
Activities primarily for production and sale of alcoholic drink to generate cash. Cane production in the area has increased some over the decades since the 1960s when USA cut off trade with Cuba. Most production is done on huge corporate plantations that have tens of thousands of acres. Plantation economy is used in cane production because growing conditions preclude the use machinery
Workers are imported from Caribbean for cane cutting. With rise of sugar prices, sugar cane production is increasing slowly – Lower Rio Grande Valley of TX.
Plantation Economy – characterized by large landholdings, monocropping, harvesting for commercial market, labor intensive.
Truck Farming – most of nation’s winter vegetables are grown here (FLA, TX
Rio Grande Valley). Focus on production of early vegetables that do well in high organic soils, such as mucks or alluvial soils. Tender vegetable production in radishes, green peppers, squash, celery, tomatoes. Idea is to harvest before first killing frost.
Rice – SC, GA were impt. rice producing areas during colonial times. LA developed rice as a commercial crop about 100 years ago. TX also a rice producer (East Texas was a rice producer using paddy structures dependent on rainfall, these areas have largely dried up and are now being farmed for corn or other silage crops). Rice production is increasing in US, mostly in SE marginal areas. Can be an economical crop if you have the cash to invest in the mechanization necessary for processing.

Dominant
Economic
Activities
Other Crops – cotton, tobacco, peanuts, sorghum
Livestock – After Great Plains were open for grazing, pastures of the Gulf
Coast fell out of use. With intro. Of new breeds, cattle industry revitalized
(Brahma). Florida major cattle raising state (Florida Bush Poppers, Florida
Crackers – cowboys use whips to push cattle through brush). Brahma introduced to cross breed with local cattle to produce cattle better able to handle heat. Santa Gertrudis developed on King Ranch – first true America breed.
Most cattle in this region are F1 cattle (Cross between 2 different types or registered cattle) F1 are preferred for sale at sale barns. Turkeys & hog production. NC leading state in both.
Mineral Industries- Phosphate production for fertilizers. 75% of total US output of phosphates comes from FLA. Salt production found throughout the region (salt domes). Mining for salt limited to LA and TX – 2 leading salt states in USA. Salt domes found in conjunction with oil & gas, hollowed out salt domes used for crude oil field storage. Sulfur – also found in conjunction with salt domes and oil & gas production. LA and TX produce 2/3rds of North
America’s sulfur.
Oil – region includes Gulf Coast Petroleum Province – produces 1/5 th of oil produced in USA. Oil found in conjunction with salt domes. Off shore resources – same geology (salt domes etc.) found on continental shelf “tidelands.” Offshore drilling has progressed further and further out into gulf. Off shore platforms found predominantly off the coast of
LA and ALA. Increased price of oil has made off shore drilling more economically feasible. Multiple wells are drilled from a single platform,

Dominant
Economic
Activities platforms drill at various angles (slant drilling). Natural gas production – tideland reserves are estimated to be “gigantic” but have not been fully utilized because of the high cost of drilling and the comparatively low profit margin.
Oyster Shell Processing - used as road building material and fill.
Secondary Level Economic Activities-
Manufacturing - region has experienced a boom because of
1.
large supplies of resources (oil, natural gas, sulfur, salt, lime)
2.
Low cost power – natural gas
3.
Marginal location good for shipping in bulky raw materials and exporting
FPs.
4.
Cheap labor for standardized industry
5.
Growing local market
6.
Significant venture capital available from large landowners, oil industrialists
Most manufacturing is specialized based on local resources and access to markets. Baton Rouge – oil refining specialization. Crude is brought in from all over the world to be refined here – one of few locations in the world that specializes in the refinement of high sulfur crude oil. Chemical industries are a multiplier industry from petroleum refining as well as plastics and petrochemical production.
Other industries include – sulfuric acid & soda ash production, alumina, pulp & paper, rice milling, sugar refineries and seafood processing.

Dominant
Economic
Activities
Tertiary & Quaternary Level Economic Activities-
Mostly urban based activities. Cities are a magnet for in-migration. All major cities are ports, but for some, activities around the port are not what drives urban growth. New Orleans – tourism as well as Miami. Tourism is a major part of the region’s economy based on climate & history.
Military bases throughout the region. NASA
Transportation & Economic Activities
Economy of Coastal South is oriented more toward trade and commerce than the Inland South.
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway – extends from Brownsville to Florida panhandle. Waterway behind barrier islands using a network of lagoons when possible and cutting across coastal plain. Shallow water suitable only for barge and tug traffic. Heavily used in between Houston and Mississippi. Connects with Mississippi system for inland travel and traffic. From there it can connect to river systems of the southeast such as Ohio, Missouri and Tennessee rivers even up into the Great Lakes system via the Illinois River.
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway – Used primarily for pleasure boating.
Doesn’t tap into inland waterways. Under-used for industry and tourism. Use could be expanded.

Population
Distribution and
Movement
Cities
Rural to urban migration pattern dominant. This is a rim-land, continental margin area, with a relatively high population density, although the population is not evenly distributed. Population hugs the coastal margin in discrete areas of city growth. Coastal areas are exposed to natural hazards such as hurricanes.
Because of the high number of rivers that cut through the area, flooding is also a problem.
Region is one of cultural mixing (“mixing zone”) – Includes people of
European (Spanish & French primarily) African, Caribbean and Latin
American descent. Also influenced by early Native Americans, including
Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole (5 “civilized tribes”).
Natchez – descendants of “mound builders” who built effigy and temple mounds throughout area – many actually in Inland South. Major mounds and complexes of mounds are on rivers, probably used as trading sites, connecting
Native American groups up and down Mississippi and possibly throughout the
South (example – Poverty Point)
Houston – largest city in South, fastest growing city. Busy port. NASA.
Houston
“megalopolis” includes Pasadena, Baytown, Texas City,
Galveston . These areas have progressively grown together (coalesced) in the past 40 years.
New Orleans – port depends on income from oceanic commerce rather than coastal shipping. Limited industrial base. Economy dominated by tourism.
Recovering from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

Cities Miami – Palm Beach - Fort Lauderdale – Economy dominated by tourism and commerce. Tourism is declining due to crime. Airport hub – “Gateway to
Latin America” also Miami has replaced NYC as leading US port of departure
(and port of entry) for international sea passengers. City must come to grips with large numbers of immigrants from Latin America and Caribbean (Cubans
& Haitians). This immigration has been sudden. No other city has experienced this type of sudden change in ethnic composition and employment.
Tampa – St. Petersburg – phosphate port
Orlando Winter Park – major inland metropolis. Kennedy Space Center, Walt
Disney World-Epcot Center.
Lakeland-Winter Haven – mid-state megalopolis.
Other Industrial Centers –
Baton Rouge – refining
Corpus Christi – Port city
Beaumont – oil refining, rice milling & wood products manufacturing
Port Arthur – petrochemicals & synthetic rubber
Orange – ship building
Older ports of Charleston & Savannah – both are experiencing new growth.
Mobile – ore importing port for Birmingham steel industry, goods are moved in and out of inland waterway system through Mobile. Ship building, paper production, alumina reduction. (Thank the port of Mobile for the Fire Ant)
Brownsville – deep water harbor – activities focus on agriculture

Environmental
Problems
Environmental
Advantages
Developmental
Weaknesses &
Problems
Exposure to natural hazards including flooding and hurricanes. Water
(surface) pollution common in coastal areas. Ground water contamination from agriculture and oil drilling. Significant areas of air pollution in oil refining and pulp producing areas. Soil erosion, deforestation in some areas.
Wet lands extremely threatened by urban expansion and development esp. in
FLA., LA., and TX. Invasive species – Fire Ants introduced into Mobile,
Alabama in the 1930s. Kudzu, imported from Japan in 1876. Invasive species do well here as a result of climate. Nutria – introduced into southern
Louisiana as a fur animal. Invasive species also include plants, such as
Nandina, imported from Japan as an ornamental, now common in East Texas woodland areas.
Mild climate. Multiple natural areas for expansion into recreational facilities such as wildlife preserves for hiking etc.
Industrial economies largely concentrate on oil & natural gas production.
While this is fine while the prices are high, justifying exploration and drilling for new wells, this is not a renewable resource. When this industry fails, it severely impacts the region. Oil bust of 1980s led to massive out-migration in
LA. Loss of jobs in oil industry across the board from the wildcatters to the engineers, to the university departments/professors that trained geologists, such as in NLU. Collapse of geology and geoscience programs due to lack of funding.

Developmental
Weaknesses &
Problems
Developmental
Strengths
Oil industry provides monies for investment opportunities, but region needs to further diversify its economy. Regional level planning may be effective in this area , as each state could benefit from diversification– however, it has not really been used here.
Transportation linkages –
Inland Waterways –
Expansion in agricultural specialization may benefit the region.