Georgia
and the American Experience
Chapter 1:
Where in the World is
Georgia?
Study Presentation
© 2005 Clairmont Press
Georgia
and the American Experience
Section 1: What is Geography?
Section 2: Geographic Regions
of Georgia
Section 3: Georgia’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
Geography?
• What geographic terms do I need
to know?
-- geography
-- absolute location
-- relative location
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:
Spatial Geography
• Spatial: How Georgians organize
their space and environment:
– 159 counties
– five bordering states
Understanding Georgia:
Places 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:
Human 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:
Environment 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:
Uses 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 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
Regions of Georgia
• ESSENTIAL QUESTION
-- How would you describe the
geographic regions of Georgia?
Section 2: Geographic
Regions of Georgia
• What words do I need to know?
-- Fall Line
-- Region
-- Precipitation
-- Wetland
-- Barrier Island
-- Continental Shelf
Section 2: Geographic
Regions 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
Climate
• ESSENTIAL QUESTION
-- How would you describe the
climate of Georgia?
Section 3:
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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