1. North Carolina: Land of Contrasts Chapter 1 The Lay of the Land Study Presentation
©2007 Clairmont Press

2. Chapter 1: The Lay of the Land
Section 1: The Tidewater Region
Section 2: The Coastal Plain Region
Section 3: The Piedmont Region
Section 4: The Mountains Region
Section 5: North Carolina’s Weather and Climate

3. Section 1: The Tidewater Region
Show students the Tidewater region. Have them approximate the distance across the state using the map scale (text page 6). Use the map to discuss where your school is located and the region that it’s in.

4. Section 1: The Tidewater Region
Narrow strip of North Carolina (NC) along the Atlantic Ocean
30-50 miles wide
Tides affect the region’s water
sounds: inland bodies of salt/fresh water mix

5. Section 2: The Coastal Plain Region
Show students the Tidewater region. Have them approximate the distance across the state using the map scale (text page 6). Use the map to discuss where your school is located and the region that it’s in.

6. Section 2: The Coastal Plain Region
Stretches from Virginia to South Carolina and about 100 miles wide
Covers about 1/3 of the state
Rich soil and flat land make area good for farming
Crossroads hamlets: serve rural areas, usually a one or two stores, church, school, etc.

7. The Sandhills Located northwest of the bays
Sandy, rolling ridges left by ancient coast of the Atlantic Ocean
Very poor soil
Used as home for golf courses and Fort Bragg military installation
Click here to return to Main Menu.

8. Section 3: The Piedmont Region
Show students the Tidewater region. Have them approximate the distance across the state using the map scale (text page 6). Use the map to discuss where your school is located and the region that it’s in.

9. Section 3: The Piedmont Region
Large region of NC known for hills and red clay soil
Red clay is a subsoil brought up through the black woods dirt as a result of timber loss and plowing fields
Kudzu brought from Asia to reduce erosion and save the soil
This fast growing vine has grown like a weed and covered thousands of acres in the state

10. The Fall Line
fall line: divides the coastal plain from the Piedmont – noted by the last “waterfall” a river hits on its way to the ocean
Piedmont: from Latin, means “foot of the mountains”
Technically, the Piedmont is a plateau, but it’s a hilly one
Principal rivers: Yadkin-Pee Dee and Catawba – flow into South Carolina
River “highways” connected people in western NC with SC more than they did with eastern NC, resulting in “sectionalism”
Over ½ of region is forests; pines cover old farms
biological succession: fast-growing pines die off and give way to oaks and hickory trees

11. Section 4: The Mountains Region
Show students the Tidewater region. Have them approximate the distance across the state using the map scale (text page 6). Use the map to discuss where your school is located and the region that it’s in.

12. Section 4: The Mountains Region
Blue Ridge: more than 1,000 ft above the Piedmont hills; eastern boundary of the Appalachians
Blue Ridge Parkway: road that runs along the top of the ridge – Cherokee NC to Waynesboro, VA
Continental Divide – steams on the east run to the Atlantic; streams on the west run to the Gulf of Mexico

13. The Appalachians Run from New York to Alabama
43 peaks in NC over 6,000 feet
Mt. Mitchell (6,684 ft): highest point east of the Rockies
Ranges
Black Mountains: known for dark shadows during thunderstorms
Great Smoky Mountains: dew rises in mists creating a smoky effect; tallest peaks are Clingman’s Dome and Mt. Guyot; great variety of plants
Balsams: large number of balds (places where few trees grow) example: Wayah Bald

14. Section 5: North Carolina’s Weather and Climate
weather: short-term atmospheric conditions
climate: long-term atmospheric conditions
temperate climate: general climate zone for NC; known for few extremes of temperature or precipitation during the year
Day-to-day weather, however, varies