Geography… What is it? -Comes from a Greek word that means the “Earth’s Description.” -The science of studying the earth as a home for humans.

Geography & Me…  Why would I need Geography? Reading maps Vacations or moving Terrain awareness Etc. Stranded!

Geography and the Sharks  How are directions given on water? - LATITUDE and LONGITUDE- - LATITUDE and LONGITUDE- Latitude - The distance North or South of the Equator Longitude- The distance east or West of the Prime Meridian.

In what ways can you describe the size of Georgia? Georgia is the 24 th largest state in the nation Area: 59,489 square miles Greatest width: 250 miles Greatest length: 315 miles 2 nd largest state in southeast.

How can you describe the location of Georgia? SSSStates: (Surrounding) Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina BBBBodies of water: Atlantic Ocean

All states are divided into counties Georgia has 159 counties Smallest: Clark Largest: Ware In what county is the Geographic center of Georgia located? Twiggs County Twiggs County

From North to South How does the physical geography change in the state from north to south? Flat Plains-Mountains In the Middle? The elevation in Georgia increases the farther north you travel. Why are elevation and physical characteristics of a state good things to know? Jobs?

5 Geographic Regions of GA.  Appalachian Plateau  Blue Ridge  Ridge and Valley  Piedmont  Coastal Plains

Appalachian Plateau  Smallest region  Located in north west corner of the state  Consist of 2 mountain plateaus- Lookout Mt. and Sand Mt.  Made up of 2 counties- Dade & Walker  Referred to as TAG Corner because you can see Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia from Lookout Mt.  Start of the Appalachian Trail

Blue Ridge  Home to the highest and largest mountains in Georgia  Highest mountain in Georgia located here- Brasstown Bald  The Mountains are responsible for much of the precipitation in the state by blocking in the warm air from the Gulf  Cities located in this region…Helen, Cleveland, and Blairsville

Ridge and Valley  Narrow ridges and low open valleys  Flat and fertile farm land  Polk to Barrow Counties north toward Chattanooga, TN  Dalton, GA “Carpet Capital of the World”

Piedmont  Begins in the foothills and goes to the central part of the state.  Piedmont- “foot of mountains”  Approx. ½ of the state’s population lives here  Was the cotton belt in antebellum days.  Largest cities are Atlanta, Athens, and Milledgeville

Coastal Plains  Occupies 3/5ths of state, Largest region  Divided into the Inner Plains and Outer Plains  Inner Plains- a majority of agriculture in the state in this area  Outer Plains- does not have well drained soil. Okefenokee Swamp located here  Consists of Marshes and barrier islands

Fall Line  Separates Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions  From Columbus on west through Macon and Augusta  Many Waterfalls  Many mining operations  large deposits of minerals like Kaolin

Okefenokee Swamp  Located in near Folkston and Waycross in the outer coastal plains.  Largest swamp in the State.  Covers ½ million acres.  Name means “Land of the trembling earth”  Home to many endangered species Barrier Islands  The barrier Islands protect the mainland and marshes the erosion caused by wind and waves.  Barrier Islands-Jekyll, St. Simons, Cumberland, etc.

Climate and Weather  Climate- refers to weather in a region over a period of time  Weather-refers to day-to-day changes in temp, precipitation, wind, etc.  Average temp of GA is approx. 65 degrees

Air Quality  Ozone is a protective layer in the upper atmosphere that reduces the suns harmful rays  When ozone layer is low it can be harmful (Smog) to human health  Transportation contributes to the ozone problem especially in urban areas  Alternate fuel sources may reduce this problem

Precipitation  Snow from Mts. melts and provides runoff to the lakes, rivers and streams that feed the state.  GA averages in. of rain per year according to the region  1994 Flood occurred when it rained 23 in. In one week.

Winds  Affects the weather patterns in GA  Warm months wind comes from the Gulf and the Atlantic  Cold air from Canada and Alaska  Wind Currents: a continuous movement or flow of air.  Explorers use the Trade Winds to sail toward the New World and returned home on the Westerlies.

Ocean Currents  71% of world is covered in water  5 main oceans:  Atlantic  Pacific  Artic  Antarctic  Indian

Hurricanes  Created when warm waters (80+) transform heat energy into strong winds and heavy waves.  Hurricane season is from June-Nov  Hurricane strength is measured from 1-5  Level mph winds and 18ft+ waves

Tornadoes  GA has average of 19 tornadoes per year  Most damaging are referred to as maxis- 200mph+ winds  Appear and end suddenly  Highly unpredictable  Tornado season from March-July

Rivers  Georgia has 12 principal river systems  Savannah River  Chattahoochee River  Flint River  Altamaha River

Savannah River  Indian Name: Isondega- “Blue Water”  314 miles long  Major sea port at Savannah  Flows directly into Atlantic Ocean

Chattahoochee River  Indian Name- “River of painted rock”  436 miles long  Pollution has made it one of the 10 most polluted rivers in the nation

Flint River  Runs through Albany  256 miles long  Empties into Lake Seminole

Altamaha River  Indian Name: “Chief’s Lodge”  Empties into Atlantic Ocean at Darien, GA

Lakes  Georgia has NO large natural lakes  6 artificial lakes that provide recreation, reservoirs, hydroelectric power  6 lakes-  Lake Allatoona,  Carter Lake,  Lake Lanier,  Lake Walter George,  West Point Lake,  Lake Seminole

Flora and Fauna  Flora refers to natural vegetation of the land  Fauna refers to the animal life of the land Trees and Plants  GA has twice the national average of land covered in trees  The most well-known trees-Pecan and Peach  Pine trees for pulp production  Kudzu vine brought to America from Japan to stop soil erosion; not effective

Kudzu

Georgia Wildlife  Mammals  Over 40 species found in GA  Whitetail Deer was almost extinct in early 1900’s, but is now found in all 159 counties  Birds  Home to the Bald Eagle  Quail, Dove and Brown Thrasher*