1. Where in the world is Georgia?

2. Understanding Hemispheres

3. Georgia’s location within the US

4. Georgia’s Relative Location
Located in northern & western hemispheres
Continent of North America
Southeastern United States
bordered by Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama

5. Important Definitions to Understand
Absolute Location – identify location by specific longitude and latitude points on a map or globe
What can be used to determine absolute location?
Relative location – describes where a place is compared with other places
Now work with a partner and provide the relative location of each of the following:
RMS
Lawrenceville
Gwinnett County
Georgia

6. Georgia’s 5 Geographic Regions
Georgia is divided into five geographic regions
Appalachian Plateau
Ridge and Valley
Blue Ridge
Piedmont
Coastal Plain
Inner Coastal Plain
Outer Coastal Plain
The Fall Line divides the Piedmont & Coastal Plain

7. Appalachian Plateau Smallest and least populated of the five regions
Limestone caves, deep canyons and interesting rock formations
Location of the TAG corner (point at which Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia meet)
Location of Lookout Mountain
Only part of Georgia where coal is located

8. Ridge and Valley Rich soils Fruits, grains and vegetables are grown
Known for textile and carpet manufacturing
Home of Dalton “Carpet Capital of the World”
Appalachian Trail begins at Springer Mountain

9. Blue Ridge Northeastern Georgia Highest and largest group of mountains
Home of Brasstown Bald, highest point in elevation in Georgia
Highest annual rainfall due to the Appalachian Mountains—the first barrier to the warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico
This precipitation provides water to the rest of the state

10. Piedmont Atlanta, the state capital, located there
Half of state’s population is located in Piedmont
Financial and transportation hub of Georgia
Characterized by gently sloping hills with primarily sandy loam and red clay soils
Piedmont means “foot of the mountain”; known as the “heartland”

11. Coastal Plain Largest of the regions
Divided into two parts, the Inner Coastal (major agricultural region of the state) and Outer Coastal (the Atlantic coast area and barrier islands)
Okefenokee Swamp – largest freshwater swamp in North America
First area settled
Deepwater ports and major shipyards—Brunswick & Savannah

12. Fall Line Natural boundary that separates Piedmont and Coastal Plain
Rivers and creeks flowing from the Piedmont into the Coastal Plain experience a drop in elevation at this point which creates waterfalls
Cities (Augusta, Macon and Columbus) and industry grew along the Fall Line as early settlers could not travel over the steep and rushing falls
Teach the cities along the Fall Line as AMC (like the movie theaters) or August, Macon in the Middle and Columbus. Sometimes kids remember MAC—that is just not in the correct geographic order.

13. Appalachian Mountains
Run through the Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley and Appalachian Plateau regions
Home to Brasstown Bald in Blue Ridge (highest elevation point in Georgia)

14. Boundary Rivers
Chattahoochee River – forms the boundary between Georgia and Alabama
Savannah River – forms the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina
St. Mary’s River – forms part of the boundary between Georgia and Florida

15. Barrier Islands
Protect the beaches and mainland from erosion caused by wind, water and storms
Most are protected by the state and federal governments to preserve the natural environment
Known as the Golden Isles

16. Georgia’s Climate
Mild climate with humid subtropical feel along the coast
Warm summers and cool winters
Due to comfortable temperatures most of the year, many companies find Georgia a desirable location
Long growing seasons make agriculture an important aspect of Georgia’s economy
Georgia’s climate has influenced the types of homes built, industries that developed, clothing styles and crops that are grown
Make sure to cover difference between climate (refers to the type of weather a region experiences over a long period of time) and weather (the day to day conditions). While weather varies constantly, climate remains stable.
The top map is a precip map of GA for the 1990s
The graph shows temperatures for GA from 1895 to 2000

17. GA Lakes GA does not have any natural lakes
All of GA’s lakes are manmade by building dams on major rivers
Most have been created to be sources of hydroelectric power as well as for recreation.
Lake Hartwell
West Point Lake

18. Transportation in Georgia
Why is Georgia so popular with businesses?

19. Interstate Highways
The Highways that link state to state across the nation.
Transport many of the goods you use every day.
Which interstate do you live near?

20. Atlanta Major transportation hub of the southeastern U.S.
Served by 3 different interstate highways—85, 75, & 20
Work with a partner:
List the 3 pros of highway transport
List 3 cons of highway transport

21. Air Freight/Travel Transporting goods through the air is fast.
Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is the busiest airport in the world
Work with a partner:
List 3 pros of air freight/travel
List 3 cons of air freight/travel

22. Sea Transport
Almost everything that comes from overseas comes in on a ship.
GA is served by two different deep water ports:
Savannah
Brunswick
Work with a partner:
List 3 pros sea transport
List 3 cons of sea transport

23. Rail Transport Goods are also transported around the US by railroads
GA has major rail lines connecting Atlanta to the coast & surrounding states
Work with a partner:
List 3 pros of rail transport
List 3 cons of rail transport

24. Think About It: Work with a partner: Create a chart
Label your chart “Transportation and My Classroom”
Create 4 subsections & label them Road, Air, Sea and Rail
List as many items in the classroom as you can under the correct subheading regarding how it got to GA, or Lawrenceville, or RMS