NC Geography

5 Themes of Geography Location Place Region Movement Human-Environment Interaction

Location “Where am I?” Absolute location- coordinates of longitude and latitude What is Charlotte’s absolute location???? Relative location- describes where an area is relative to another area Ex: North Carolina is north of South Carolina; North Carolina is in the Southeastern US

Place Place refers to the physical and human characteristics of an area Physical characteristics are natural features: Physical setting Plants Animals Weather These characteristics determine where people settle Some areas have good farming, others have waterways Human characteristics include things like language and diversity

Region A region has certain shared characteristics that set it apart Physical setting, climate, language, or even religion Which region is North Carolina in? Which 4 regions make up North Carolina?

Movement Movement refers to shifting of people, goods, and ideas from one place to another People move in search of better places to live and movement causes ideas to spread as well! Ex: Research Triangle in NC (UNC, Duke, NC State) Very populated area, many new people moving there and hence new ideas too

Human-Environment Interaction Refers to the way people interact with their environment Ex: Cutting down trees Ex: Building a dam Ex: Coal-based industrial plants

Definitions Outer Banks- long chain of sandbars and barrier islands off coast of NC Piedmont- hilly region between Coastal Plain and Mountain Region (App. Mtns) Climate- main kind of weather that a region experiences Sun Belt- strip of warm weather states that runs across the Southern US Topography- physical terrain

4 Regions of NC From west to east….. Name them

Mountain Region Western most region in NC Appalachian Mtns Natural resources: Timber, coal, gemstones (rubies, garnets, sapphires, and even a few diamonds have been found) Economy?

Piedmont Region We live in the Piedmont Charlotte is a part of the Piedmont Natural Resources: Many kinds of minerals (used for building such as slate, granite, quartz) and GOLD Red clay Hilly and rocky making it difficult to farm Economy? Charlotte is the 2nd largest banking city in the United States only behind???

Coastal Plains Fertile soil, flat land= great for farming Many rivers run through this region/plenty of water Economy?

Tidewater Eastern most region of NC Borders the Atlantic Ocean Include the Outer Banks Borders the Atlantic Ocean Economy?

NC’s Climate NC is in the Sun Belt meaning….