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
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the major features of the Tidewater Region?

4. Section 1: The Tidewater Region
What words do I need to know?
sound
barrier islands
inlet
Gulf Stream
wetland
estuary
pocosin
savanna

5. 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.

6. 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

7. Barrier Islands Islands form the beach of the Tidewater
Part of a chain of sand pits sticking up out of the ocean near the shore
Most less than two miles across, barely above sea level, and ever changing due to surf and wind
The Outer Banks are the most famous barrier islands
At Cape Hatteras islands are widest; Jockey’s Ridge is tallest point (114’)
Inlets: low places in the sand; allows water from the ocean into the sound
“Graveyard of the Atlantic”: nickname for waters near Cape Hatteras – dangerous due to storms caused by warm Gulf Stream colliding with cold Labrador Current
Cape Fear: true break in the island chain; Cape Fear River flows directly into the Atlantic

8. The Sounds Currituck Albemarle Pamlico Core Bogue
Each sound fed by fresh water river
Oldest towns in NC near the sounds
Great location for trade along river routes and ocean
Fishing is an important industry
Sediment (soil, clay, gravel) is deposited by the rivers in the sounds – makes them too shallow for large ships
estuaries: salt water wetlands; these marshes are home to shellfish and shrimp
Largest Sounds
Currituck
Albemarle
Pamlico
Core
Bogue

9. Swamps and Lakes
pocosins: wetland type; Indian name means “swamp on a hill”
trees: laurel, bay, scrub oak
Alligator and Big Pocosin are the largest
savanna: wetland type
tall grasses mix with various pines
example: Green Swamp (home of Venus Fly Trap)
Most natural lakes in NC are in the Tidewater
Lake Mattamuskeet is largest (only 6’ deep)
Least populated area of the state
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10. Section 2: The Coastal Plain Region
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the major features of the Coastal Plain Region?

11. Section 2: The Coastal Plain Region
What words do I need to know?
crossroads hamlets
tobacco towns
Carolina bays

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. Tobacco Towns
Towns whose life and culture were dominated by tobacco farming
Largest tobacco growing area in the world
More than a half dozen tobacco warehouses per town
In mid-1900s, nearly every town in the coastal plain had at least one tobacco warehouse
Traditional tobacco barns are being replaced by computer-controlled “barns”
Tobacco farming is declining because of health risks associated with smoking and loss of government payments to guarantee farmers’ income
Longleaf pines were original plants of the region; millions of acres cut down for tobacco farming

15. Carolina Bays Carolina Bays are an unusual feature of the state
Hundreds of elongated depressions in the ground, from ½ to 2 miles long and a mile wide
Some filled with water; others are wet and mucky in wet times, and dry other parts of the year
Origin unknown

16. 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
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17. Section 3: The Piedmont Region
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the major features of the Piedmont Region?

18. Section 3: The Piedmont Region
What words do I need to know?
fall line
headwaters
sectionalism
mill village
NASCAR
monadnock

19. 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.

20. 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

21. 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

22. Farms and Factories Soil made farming difficult in the Piedmont
Livestock and dairy farms were more profitable, but have declined
Economy of the region has depended on factories to produce textiles, furniture and cigarettes
mill villages: clusters of homes in a town where mill workers lived; the company often provided the homes, schools, and stores
1990s: decline in industry
Textile and furniture factories moved to Asia

23. Banking and Racing
Charlotte: national banking center and home to NASCAR, and NASCAR Hall of Fame
Winston-Salem and Durham have grown in medical service industries linked to Wake Forest and Duke Universities
Salisbury: home to grocery industry
Research Triangle Park: leader in pharmaceuticals and computers

24. The Uwharries
monadnocks: geological formation in which a point of land sticks out due to erosion of surrounding land (ex. Pilot Mountain on pages 3 and 24)
Uwharrie Mountains: cluster of monadnocks south of Greensboro (ex. Morrow Mountain) – slopes and slate soil discouraged settlement
Piedmont Crescent: string of towns from Raleigh to Charlotte
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25. Section 4: The Mountains Region
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the major features of the Mountains Region?

26. Section 4: The Mountains Region
What words do I need to know?
elevation
bald
cove

27. 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.

28. 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

29. The Blue Ridge Runs from Pennsylvania to Georgia
One long landform (like the barrier islands) with peaks and gaps
Early settlers depended on gaps to get through the mountains
Areas in the west very isolated
1870s: tunnels and road beds laid through Swanannoa Gap – near current I-40 from Old Fort to Black Mountain

30. 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

31. Mountain Streams and Rocks
Rivers run north and west out of NC
New River and French Broad are examples
Asheville is largest city in the region
Cherokee built their villages along the Tennessee River
Most of the over 100 lakes are manmade (ex. Lake Lure & Fontana Lake)
Fontana Dam (1930s) is highest in eastern US ; built to provide cheaper electricity
Famous sites: Blowing Rock, Chimney Rock, Grandfather Mountain, Nantahala River Gorge

32. The Mountains Economy Early settlers isolated from others
Farming, traveling, trading were more difficult
Towns developed in valley areas
Known for sales of local plants with medicinal properties
Tourism is a major industry
Christmas tree is a new and growing industry; Fraser firs most popular
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33. Section 5: North Carolina’s Weather and Climate
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are characteristics of North Carolina’s climate?

34. Section 5: North Carolina’s Weather and Climate
What words do I need to know?
weather
climate
westerlies
humidity
precipitation
tornado
hurricane

35. 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

36. “It’s Not the Heat; It’s the Humidity”
Westerly winds bring warmer air in the winter and cooler air in the summer – keeps temperatures similar across the state
Mountain peaks usually coldest; Sandhills usually the warmest
-34°F: record cold at Mt. Mitchell (1985)
Humidity (moisture in the air) can make temperatures feel uncomfortably warm

37. Different Storms in Different Places
Precipitation rates vary across the state
SW mountains get most rain; Piedmont is the driest region (precipitation is blocked by the mountains)
Mountains get most of the state’s snow
Ice can cause major property damage
Thunderstorms occur all over NC in summer; tornadoes less common here than in the Great Plains
NC third in US in deaths due to lightning

38. The Path of Hurricanes
Hurricane damage sources: storm surge (huge tide on the beach); wind (can destroy homes, trees, property); flooding (slowing storm rapidly dumps the tropical rain)
Notable hurricanes: 1845, cut two inlets; Hazel (1954) winds over 150 mph; Floyd (1999) several towns in coastal plain flooded; Hugo (1989) power outages for weeks
Hurricane season: June – November, peaks in September
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