4th gradeAlabama HistoryChapter 1

Social Studies 1. Identify historical and current economic, political, and geographic information about Alabama on thematic maps.

TSWBAT: Use different maps to locate the state of Alabama and name its border states.

Identify the five major geographic provinces of Alabama and list characteristics of each.

Alabama

States that border Alabama:

Florida (FL)Georgia(GA)Tennessee (TN)Mississippi (MS)

www.http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webunits/geography/hemispheres.htm

Click on the link above to learn about hemispheres.

Highland Rim Cumberland Plateau Ridge and Valley Piedmont Coastal Plain

•northwestern corner of Alabama •this land is in the Tennessee River valley •farms grow corn, cotton, and hay in this area.•level plains of fertile soil and gently rolling hills.•Charcoal from ancient campsites found in the region has been carbon dated back to more than 10,000 years ago.

•Steep canyons that are home to some cool-weather plants and trees that do not grow anywhere else in the state.•Cumberland Plateau lies to the northwest of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley region.

Compass Rose

•Lies below Cumberland and includes Birmingham and Red Mountain.

•This region is comprised of sandstone ridges and fertile limestone valleys

•three ingredients for steel manufacture, coal, iron ore, and limestone are found in abundance in this area•Birmingham is one of the steel industry capitals of the world.

•Piedmont means “foot of the mountains” in French•located in the eastern central section of Alabama(east of Birmingham)• consists of low hills, ridges, and sandy valleys•Coal, iron ore, limestone, and marble are found in this area of Alabama along with Cheaha Mountain, Alabama's highest point

•Coastal Plain covers more than half the state.•Border between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain is called the fall line. •Divided into the Upper and Lower Coastal Plain Provinces.•Upper Coastal Plains has a band of rich, dark soil known as the Black Belt. (one of the best places in the state to grow cotton.•Lower Coastal Plain reaches from the Black Belt to the Gulf of Mexico.•Lower Coastal Plains covered with longleaf pine, the state tree. Timber is one of the main crops of this area

The border between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plains is called the fall line. Rivers and streams cross from higher land onto the flatter plains, creating the waterfalls and rapids that give the fall line its name.

A band of rich, dark soil that runs across Alabama is known as the Black Belt.

How many geographic regions are there in Alabama?

Name the regions. In what geographic province is the Black

Belt? What is the fall line? Mobile is located in which geographic

province? Name the states that border Alabama. What hemisphere do we live in?