1. Describe Georgia with regard to physical features and location. SS8G1
Georgia’s Geography
Describe Georgia with regard to physical features and location. SS8G1

2. Where are we?
Take a moment and make a list of ways you can describe Georgia’s location locally, nationally, and globally.
List on the board student responses.

3. Georgia’s location Southeast region of America.
Northern and Western Hemisphere
Latitude 30 ° 31’ and 35° N
Longitude – 81° W to 85 ° 53’ W
Instruct students to write this in their notes.

4. Earth is divided in half, along the equator, in to the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Northern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere

5. Earth is divided in half, along the Prime Meridian, into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

6. Earth is divided in half, along the Prime Meridian, into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Western Eastern

7. Georgia is located in the southeastern region of the United States.

8. Georgia is surrounded by five states (Tennessee and North Carolina to the North, South Carolina to the East, Florida to the South, and Alabama to the West) as well as the Atlantic Ocean.

9. Relative location is Georgia’s location in relationship to the surrounding states.

10. To understand relative location, you simply need to know the four cardinal directions.

11. Between each cardinal direction is an intermediate direction:

12. What do you remember about…
Quick Quiz!!
Lesson One (SS8G1a) – Locate Georgia in relation to region, nation, continent, and hemispheres.
What do you remember about…
Georgia’s location???
1.Is Georgia in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere? _______________________
2. Is Georgia in the Eastern or Western Hemisphere? _________________________
3. On which continent is Georgia located? __________________________________
4. Georgia is part of what nation? _________________________________________
5. In what region of the nation (northwestern, northeastern, southwestern,
southeastern) would you find Georgia? _____________________________________
6. Which five states border Georgia? _______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

13. Project
1. In your groups you will need to draw an outline of Georgia on a poster.
2. Label Atlanta with a star.
3. Label the following cities with a dot – Savannah, Augusta, Milledgeville, Buford, Lake Lanier, and Columbus
Keep it neat because you will be adding more to your poster as the week goes by!

14. Cool physical features in Georgia!

15. Physical Feature - Fall Line
The fall line stretches across
Georgia.
North of the fall line you will find red clay soil and people get their water from man made lakes.
South of the fall line you will find sandy soil and people get their water from aquifers/wells.

16. Physical Feature - Okefenokee Swamp
Second largest freshwater swamp in the US.
Name means land of “trembling water.” Why do you think it was named this?
Home to more than 1,OOO types of plants and animals.

17. Physical Feature - Appalachian Mountains
Southern end of this mountain chains lies within Georgia’s Blue Ridge region.
Gold mining is important to this region.

18. Physical Feature - Chattahoochee River
Important river in the development of Georgia!
Forms border between GA and AL.
Major transportation artery used to transport cotton, textiles, and other goods.
Provides hydroelectric power.
Forms Lake Lanier!

19. Chattahoochee River
Lake Lanier

20. Physical Features - Savannah River
Forms border between GA and SC.
Savannah provides an important deep water ocean port at the mouth of the river emptying into the Atlantic.
Where colonization of GA began.

21. Savannah River

22. Physical Features - Barrier Islands
Provides a natural boundary between the Atlantic Ocean and Georgia’s coast.
Early home to the French.
Today a popular tourist destination.
Forts were built here to defend Georgia from the Spanish.

23. Barrier Islands

24. Quick Quiz What do you remember about… Georgia’s physical features???
____ 1. This feature flows along GA’s eastern border.
____ 2. Gold was found in this area in the early 1800s.
____ 3. Forts were built here to defend GA’s early settlers.
____ 4. This area is a wildlife refuge for over 1000 species.
____ 5. This geographical boundary separates the Coastal
Plain from the Piedmont.
____ 6. This major river provides drinking water and forms
part of the state’s western border with Alabama.
Fall Line B. Okefenokee Swamp C. Savannah River
Chattahoochee River E. Appalachian Mtns.
F. Barrier Islands

25. Project
Label each of the important physical features in Georgia. Illustrate it in a way that it will help the you understand its importance. For example, swamp = alligator, River = boat for transportation, etc. You can also bring in yarn, fabric, items from nature etc. to help create you map.

26. 7 Natural Wonders of Georgia

27. Amicalola Falls Video Highest waterfall east of the Mississippi.
729 feet tall
Name means tumbling water.

28. Amicalola Falls

29. Okefenokee Swamp
Video
Notes already taken : )

30. Okefenokee Swamp

31. Providence Canyon Video
Man made in the past 150 years due to erosion and poor farming techniques.
Called Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon”

32. Providence Canyon

33. Radium Springs http://www.gpb.org/georgiatraveler/111-springs
Constant 68 degrees
70,000 gallons a water a minute gush from this spring.
Traces of radium
Sacred to Native Americans.

34. Radium Springs

35. Stone Mountain Video 650 feet tall and 2 miles long.
Largest Confederate Memorial.
Made of granite.

36. Stone Mountain

37. Tallulah Gorge Video Deep gorge carved into rock with a series of
waterfalls.
Popular tourist attraction
Sacred to the Native
Americans.

38. Tallulah Gorge

39. Warm Springs Video Warm, mineral water was known as healing water.
Made famous by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Water stays a constant 88 degrees.

40. Warm Springs

41. Project
Label and illustrate each of the 7 natural wonders of Georgia on your map.

42. Georgia’s 5 Geographic Regions
Appalachian Plateau
Valley and Ridge
Blue Ridge Mountains
Piedmont
Coastal Plain
Pass out individual copies of the maps of GA.

43. 1. Geographic Regions – Appalachian Plateau
Smallest region in Georgia.
Located in northwest corner.
Region is made up of narrow valleys and wooded ridges.
Only source of fossil fuel
(coal) in Georgia.

44. 2. Geographic Region – Valley and Ridge
This area consists of several mountain ridges and valleys created between them.
Mining and farming are the main industries in this region.

45. 3. Geographic Region – Blue Ridge Mountains
Southernmost point of the Appalachian Mountains.
Brasstown Bald (highest point in GA) is located in this region.
First US gold rush took place here in 1828.

46. 4. Geographic Region - Piedmont
Most populated region.
Used to be home to many cotton plantations but today industry leads the economy.
Buford is in this region!

47. 5. Geographic Region – Coastal Plain
Peanut, cotton, and vegetable farming takes place in this region.
Largest region in Georgia.

48. Quick Quiz
What do you remember about… Georgia’s physiographic regions???
_____ 1. Contains GA’s highest peak, Brasstown Bald A. Piedmont
_____ 2. Contains most of GA’s peanut and cotton farms B. Valley & Ridge
_____ 3. The smallest physiographic region C. Coastal Plain
_____ 4. Has GA’s highest amount of annual rainfall D. Blue Ridge
_____ 5. The most populated of GA’s regions E. Appalachian
Plateau
_____ 6. Contains mountain ridges with valleys between
_____ 7. Contains GA’s only source of a fossil fuel (coal)
_____ 8. The location of GA’s capital and largest city
_____ 9. The largest of GA’s regions, in terms of land area

49. Georgia’s Climate
Georgia’s mild climate effects the state in many ways: 1. Because of the mild temperatures, Georgia has a longer growing season than most northern states. It also has the perfect amount of annual rainfall to support tobacco, peanut, cotton, and lumber farming. FOR MOST OF ITS HISTORY, GEORGIA’S ECONOMY WAS BUILT ON FARMING (also called agriculture)!!!

50. Georgia’s mild climate effects the state in many ways:
2. The cool summers and cold winters in the mountains attract hikers and skiers. (money/tourism)

51. Georgia’s mild climate effects the state in many ways:
3. Beach-goers and people escaping cold northern winters will often come to Georgia’s coastal plains. (money/tourism)

52. Georgia’s mild climate effects the state in many ways:
4. Georgia and it’s neighbor states in the South are part of a warm region of the United States called the Sun Belt. The warm climate has attracted many major corporations to relocate to Georgia.

53. Show what you know.
Based off of what you know regarding Georgia’s location, physiographic regions, physical features and climate, how has Georgia’s LOCATION affected Georgia’s culture, economy, and development???

54. Project
In your groups creatively label each region of Georgia. You can use symbols, craft supplies, illustrations etc. to help you to do this.