Unit One- Our Special State Chapter One-Where in the World is Georgia? SS8G1: The student will describe Georgia with regard to physical features and location. a. Locate Georgia in relation to region, nation, continent and hemisphere.

Key Terms geography latitude relative location longitude absolute location axis equator prime meridian parallels hemisphere meridians

Our World The prime meridian runs through Africa, Europe, and Britain (Greenwich England). The equator divides the world into the northern and southern hemispheres. http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/longitude-latitude.html

Which hemisphere can Georgia be found in? http://www.visioninconsciousness.org/Science_Kids.htm

Chapter 2- Geographic Regions

Key Terms region trade winds wetland barrier island Fall line climate weather vertical climate drought hurricane

Five Regions Appalachian Plateau Ridge and Valley Blue Ridge Piedmont Plateau Coastal Plain

Appalachian Plateau Appalachian plateau- Northwestern corner of Georgia where Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia meet (“TAG Corner”)

Appalachian Plateau Soil is a mixture of limestone, shale and sandstone 2,000 feet above sea level Mountainous with waterfalls Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park- historic Civil war battle sites Smallest region

Appalachian Plateau

Ridge and Valley Region Located between Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Plateau Land Ranges between 700- 1600 feet above sea level Open Valleys and narrow ridges with forests and pastures Regions goes from Polk & Bartow Counties to Chattanooga, TN

Ridge and Valley Region Grain, cattle and apple orchards fill the valleys and ridges

Ridge and Valley Known for its industry, especially textiles and carpets Dalton Georgia is called the “carpet capital of the world”

Blue Ridge Region Northeastern part of the state Highest and largest group of mountains in Georgia are found here Barrier to warm, moist air rising from Gulf of Mexico Large amounts of precipitation from the warm air cooling in the mountains- more than 80 inches per year Provide water for the entire state Soil erosion due to shallow soil and steep slopes

Blue Ridge region

Blue Ridge region Brasstown Bald is highest peak in the state, (in the south, a high mountain that is treeless on top is called a “bald”), Peak is almost 5,000 feet high, (much higher than the Appalachian plateau) Amicalola falls Tallulah Gorge Helen (Alpine community) Tallulah Gorge

Amicalola Falls

Helen, Georgia

Appalachian Mountains All three of Georgia’s northern regions are part of the Appalachian mountains The Ridge and Valley region marks the beginning of the Appalachian Trail Many people hike from it’s starting point in Dahlonega, Georgia to it’s end in Maine, (2,144 miles)

How the Appalachians Formed About 900 millions years ago, the continents joined together to form one super continent The collision formed the Appalachians The land drifted apart again over millions of years and the first Appalachians eroded into what is now known as the Atlantic Ocean Then the continents began to drift back together about 500 million years ago and formed a 2nd set of Appalachian mountains from the sediment on the Ocean floor. Every time the continents collided, new mountains formed and the old ones were pushed further west. This is why there are several sets of parallel ridges in the Appalachian mountains.

PANGEA www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaUk94AdXPA

Piedmont Begins at the mountain foothills of northern Georgia Means “foot of the mountain” 1/3 of Georgia's land area Land is granite –based, with sandy loam and clay soils (“Georgia red clay” Well-drained and suitable for agriculture

Piedmont Half of the state’s population live in the piedmont region Prior to Civil War it was the cotton belt Crops today are: soybeans, corn, poultry, wheat, and cattle Soybean field in Cartersville, GA Georgia.org

Cities in the Piedmont Region Atlanta Athens Madison Milledgeville

Coastal Plain

Upper and Lower Coastal Plains Upper Coastal Plains Mild climate Good supply of underground water Major agricultural region (most of the crops grown in GA come from this region) Soil varies from limestone to clay Vidalia Upland- onions Dougherty Plain-peanuts, corn, and pecan trees

Fall Line