No. 1Georgia’s Geography

SS8G1 The student will describe Georgia with regard to physical features and location.

(a, b, c, d)

• Location?

Location:• Georgia is located on the

southeastern coast of the U.S.

• It’s absolute location is 30°-35° N latitude and 80° - 85° W longitude

• It’s relative location is north of Florida, east of Alabama and south of Tennessee

• Georgia is located in the Northern and Western Hemisphere

• Within Georgia there are five geographic regions and many natural physical features

CREATED/PUBLISHEDCincinnati, E. Mendenhall, 1864

Can you locate Georgia?

The Regions of Georgia are based upon physical geography and are

referred to as …

naturalhistory.uga.eduHodler, T.W. and H.A. Schretter. 1986. The Atlas of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, Athens.

Blue Ridge• Located in the northeastern corner of the

state below North Carolina and west of South Carolina

• It’s major physical feature is the mountain ranges of Cohutta and Blue Ridge

Ridge and Valley

• Located between Blue Ridge and Appalachian Plateau regions in north Georgia

• Georgia’s “Apple Capital”• Carpet Capital of the world is in Dalton, GA

which is located in this region

Appalachian Plateau• TAG corner, northwestern

edge of the state on the borders of Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia

• Smallest region• Many historic Civil War

battles took place here, i.e. Chickamauga

• Lookout Mt with many hardwood forests

Piedmont• Known for its red clay and rolling hills• Home of the state’s capital, Atlanta, and most

of the state’s population (½)• North of the fall line• Was once known as the cotton belt• produces wheat, soybeans, corn, poultry and

cattle, also much of the states business and industry are found here

• Chattahoochee, Flint, Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers

Atlanta

Fall Line• Boundary between the rolling hills of the

Piedmont and softer soil of the Coastal Plain region

• Marks the ancient shore line when the Atlantic Ocean once covered the Coastal Plain

• Many cities are located along this line that marks a change in elevation

• Columbus, Macon, Milledgeville, Thomason and Augusta

• Waterfalls provide a good source of power

Savannah River near Augusta, fall line waterfall.

Coastal Plain• Largest region, located south of the Piedmont and

Fall Line• Includes the 14 Barrier Islands• The rivers Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, Satilla and

St. Marys all empty into the Atlantic Ocean in this region

• Many of the State’s valuable crops are farmed in this region’s fertile soil, Vidalia onions, peanuts, pecans, corn and soybeans

• Important wetlands such as the freshwater Okefenokee Swamp and the tidewater salt marshes

Farms, Islands,Salt Marshes

SS8G2 The student will explain how Interstate Highway System, Hartsfield-Jackson International

Airport, and Georgia's deep-water ports help drive the states economy.

Georgia has a vast network of Interstate Highways which connect many of our borders and cities.

Interstate Highways• Five major interstates include: I-85, I-75, I-20, I-95, I-16• Interstate highways have

limited access and higher speeds compared to regular roadways. This transportation mode moves people and products across our state quickly.

• Multiple jobs are required to maintain these roads, support the travelers, and provide for the motor vehicles

Income is generated from roads…

Georgia has two major deep-water ports, Savannah and Brunswick.

• Not only do these ports provide jobs for Georgians but they move foreign and domestic products into Georgia, (known as container shipping)

• These ports are then connected to the Interstate system as well as Georgia’s vast railroad network.

• Thereby, providing more jobs to transport and sell these goods.

Waterways• Georgia also has two inland barge terminals , Bainbridge

and Columbus • There are also many rivers in Georgia which provided

early settlers with a ready means for travel

• The largest rivers in Georgia are the Savannah, Chattahoochee, Flint, Altamaha, Ogeechee, Oconee, Ocumulgee, St. Marys and Satilla

Airports• Hartsfield-Jackson

International Airport in Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world. This links our local businesses with the world.

• Hub for Delta, Airtran, UPS

• Georgia has 104 total airports

Railroads• Railroads are connected to the deep water

ports and to many cities in Georgia as well as across the country.

• Georgia’s major Railroads are CSX, Norfolk Southern, and GDOT short lines.

Georgia’s Railroads

Georgia’s physical features

• There are five physiographic regions • Many rivers, mountains, swamps, marshlands,

and barrier islands• Transportation is key to Georgia’s economic

development with the many miles of interstate highways, railroads, deep-water ports and airports

For addition information on regions or transportation try these websites

• http://naturalhistory.uga.edu/~gmnh/gawildlife/index.php?page=information/regions University of Georgia Museum of Natural History

• http://www.n-georgia.com Maps of Georgia• http://www.georgia.org/Pages/default.aspxGeorgia Department of Economic Development• www.georgiaencyclopedia.org