Geography of Georgia: Geographic Regions

Appalachian Plateau Smallest region Part of the Appalachian Mountains Contains Georgia’s only coal deposit Caves, canyons, and rock formations are found here

Valley and Ridge Home to several Civil War Battles Lots of hardwood trees Narrow ridges Valleys are fertile for farming Large textile industry found here

Piedmont Rolling hills Granite and kaolin mineral resources Largest above ground granite mountain Red clay Most populated region Manufacturing Poultry

Blue Ridge Mountains Part of the Appalachian Mountains Home to the site of GA’s tallest peak: Brasstown Bald Marble resource has helped make GA famous

Blue Ridge Mountains (continued) Apple trees provide a big industry Receives most of the rain Gold was discovered here Whitewater rafting Commercial forests

Coastal Plains Divided into Upper and Lower Plains- Makes up 60% of the state Once the bottom of the ocean floor Upper plains has the best farmland in the state Lower plains is too sandy for farming Flat landscape/Navigable rivers

Coastal Plains (continued) Crops(Inner)= Peanuts, onions, peaches and pine trees Okefenokee Swamp Important seaports Marshes Barrier Islands Sparsely populated

Geography of Georgia: Physical Features

6 Physical Features: Fall Line Okefenokee Swamp Appalachian Mountains Chattahoochee River Savannah River Barrier Islands

Fall Line Separates the Piedmont from the Coastal Plains Waterfalls offered sources of water power and many grist mills (used to grind in wheat and corn) located on the fall line. Cities on the fall line include: Columbus Augusta Macon

Okefenokee Swamp Covers 700 square miles Largest freshwater swamp in North America Now protected by the federal government Hundreds of species live in the area, the most well known is the American alligator

The Appalachian Mountains Southernmost point of the Appalachian Mountains are in Georgia. Highest peak in Georgia is Brasstown Bald

The Chattahoochee River Begins in Blue Ridge Region Forms border between Alabama and Georgia Difficult to navigate between the Piedmont and Coastal Plains region Primarily used as water source for Georgians in the Piedmont Also used for industry and recreation

The Savannah River Border between Georgia and South Carolina One of Georgia’s longest waterways Source of water, food, and transportation Today the river is used for: Shipping Drinking water Cool nuclear power plants in South Carolina Hydroelectric power

Barrier Islands (Sea Islands or Golden Isles) Chain of sandy islands off the coast of Georgia 14 Barrier Islands including: Tybee, Jekyll, St. Simons, and Cumberland Some islands are wildlife refugees, state, or national parks, and 3 ( Little Cumberland, Little St. Simons, and Little St. Catherine’s) are privately owned. Today, they are mainly tourist and recreation destinations