No. 1
Georgia’s Geography
SS8G1 The student will describe Georgia
with regard to physical features and
location.
(a, b, c, d)
• Location?
Location:
CREATED/PUBLISHED
Cincinnati, E. Mendenhall, 1864
• Georgia is located on the
southeastern coast of the
U.S.
• It’s absolute location is 30°35° N latitude and 80° - 85°
W longitude
• It’s relative location is north
of Florida, east of Alabama
and south of Tennessee
• Georgia is located in the
Northern and Western
Hemisphere
• Within Georgia there are
five geographic regions and
many natural physical
features
Can you locate Georgia?
The Regions of Georgia are based upon
physical geography and are referred to
as …
naturalhistory.uga.edu
Hodler, T.W. and H.A. Schretter. 1986. The Atlas of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, Athens.
Blue Ridge
• Located in the northeastern corner of the
state below North Carolina and west of
South Carolina
• It’s major physical feature is the mountain
ranges of Cohutta and Blue Ridge
Ridge and Valley
• Located between Blue Ridge and Appalachian
Plateau regions in north Georgia
• Georgia’s “Apple Capital”
• Carpet Capital of the world is in Dalton, GA
which is located in this region
Appalachian Plateau
• TAG corner, northwestern
edge of the state on the
borders of Tennessee,
Alabama and Georgia
• Smallest region
• Many historic Civil War
battles took place here, i.e.
Chickamauga
• Lookout Mt with many
hardwood forests
Piedmont
• Known for its red clay and rolling hills
• Home of the state’s capital, Atlanta, and most
of the state’s population (½)
• North of the fall line
• Was once known as the cotton belt
• produces wheat, soybeans, corn, poultry and
cattle, also much of the states business and
industry are found here
• Chattahoochee, Flint, Ocmulgee and Oconee
Rivers
Atlanta
Fall Line
• Boundary between the rolling hills of the
Piedmont and softer soil of the Coastal Plain
region
• Marks the ancient shore line when the
Atlantic Ocean once covered the Coastal Plain
• Many cities are located along this line that
marks a change in elevation
• Columbus, Macon, Milledgeville, Thomason
and Augusta
• Waterfalls provide a good source of power
Savannah River near Augusta, fall line waterfall.
Coastal Plain
• Largest region, located south of the Piedmont and
Fall Line
• Includes the 14 Barrier Islands
• The rivers Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, Satilla and
St. Marys all empty into the Atlantic Ocean in this
region
• Many of the State’s valuable crops are farmed in this
region’s fertile soil, Vidalia onions, peanuts, pecans,
corn and soybeans
• Important wetlands such as the freshwater
Okefenokee Swamp and the tidewater salt marshes
Farms, Islands,
Salt Marshes
SS8G2 The student will explain how Interstate
Highway System, Hartsfield-Jackson International
Airport, and Georgia's deep-water ports help
drive the states economy.
Georgia has a vast network of Interstate Highways
which connect many of our borders and cities.
Interstate Highways
• Five major interstates include:
I-85, I-75, I-20, I-95, I-16
• Interstate highways have
limited access and higher
speeds compared to regular
roadways. This
transportation mode moves
people and products across
our state quickly.
• Multiple jobs are required to
maintain these roads, support
the travelers, and provide for
the motor vehicles
Income is generated from roads…
Georgia has two major deep-water
ports, Savannah and Brunswick.
• Not only do these ports provide jobs for
Georgians but they move foreign and
domestic products into Georgia, (known as
container shipping)
• These ports are then connected to the
Interstate system as well as Georgia’s vast
railroad network.
• Thereby, providing more jobs to transport and
sell these goods.
Waterways
• Georgia also has two inland barge terminals , Bainbridge
and Columbus
• There are also many rivers in Georgia which provided
early settlers with a ready means for travel
• The largest rivers in Georgia are the Savannah,
Chattahoochee, Flint, Altamaha, Ogeechee, Oconee,
Ocumulgee, St. Marys and Satilla
Airports
• Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport in
Atlanta is the busiest
airport in the world. This
links our local businesses
with the world.
• Hub for Delta, Airtran,
UPS
• Georgia has 104 total
airports
Railroads
• Railroads are connected to the deep water
ports and to many cities in Georgia as well as
across the country.
• Georgia’s major Railroads are CSX, Norfolk
Southern, and GDOT short lines.
Georgia’s Railroads
Georgia’s physical features
• There are five physiographic regions
• Many rivers, mountains, swamps, marshlands,
and barrier islands
• Transportation is key to Georgia’s economic
development with the many miles of
interstate highways, railroads, deep-water
ports and airports
For addition information on regions or
transportation try these websites
• http://naturalhistory.uga.edu/~gmnh/gawildlif
e/index.php?page=information/regions
University of Georgia Museum of Natural
History
• http://www.n-georgia.com Maps of Georgia
• http://www.georgia.org/Pages/default.aspx
Georgia Department of Economic Development
• www.georgiaencyclopedia.org