georgia and the american experience chapter 1: where in the world is georgia? study presentation ©...
TRANSCRIPT
GeorgiaGeorgia and the American Experienceand the American Experience
Chapter 1:Chapter 1:Where in the World is Georgia?Where in the World is Georgia?
Study Presentation Study Presentation
© 2005 Clairmont Press© 2005 Clairmont Press
Georgia Georgia and the American Experienceand the American Experience
Section 1: Section 1: What is Geography?What is Geography?
Section 2: Section 2: Geographic Regions of Geographic Regions of GeorgiaGeorgia
Section 3: Section 3: Georgia’s ClimateGeorgia’s Climate
Section 1: What is Geography?
• Essential Question
- What roles do the six essential elements of geography play in our lives?
Section 1: What is Section 1: What is Geography?Geography?
• What geographic terms do I need to know?
-- geography
-- absolute location
-- relative location
What is Geography?What is Geography?
• Geographica (Greek origin) means “earth’s description”.
• Science of studying Earth as the home of humans.
• Geography helps us understand why Georgia’s native peoples and later settlers chose certain parts of the state for their home.
Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Spatial GeographySpatial Geography
• Spatial: How Georgians organize their space and environment: – 159 counties
– five bordering states
Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Places and RegionsPlaces and Regions
• Places and Regions: People create regions to understand Earth’s complexities
• Georgia has five physiographic regions
• 18 islands
• 58, 910 square miles
• 854 square inland water miles
Understanding Georgia through Geography
• Physical Systems: Physical processes that shape the earth’s surface
• Coastal islands (southeast Georgia)
• Appalachian Mountains (north Georgia)
• Fall Line divides east and west Georgia
Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Human SystemsHuman Systems
• Human Systems: Where Georgians migrated and settled
• Atlanta (Fulton County) is the capital • Twiggs County (geographic center)• Port of Savannah (first major
settlement)• Brasstown Bald (highest geographic
point)
Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Environment and SocietyEnvironment and Society
• Environment and Society: Actions of humans modify the environment
• Suburban sprawl in metropolitan Atlanta
• Interstates and highways
• Urban population centers
• Rural farmlands and agricultural regions
Understanding Georgia: Understanding Georgia: Uses of GeographyUses of Geography
• Uses of Geography: Interpret Georgia’s past, understand its present, plan for its future
• Location from one settlement to another affects how each settlement develops
• Georgia’s location relative to other states affects Georgia’s growth and economic development
Understanding Location
• Absolute location: A precise position on Earth’s surface
• Georgia is located at 30°– 35°N latitude, 80°– 85° W longitude
• Georgia borders Florida (south), Alabama (west), Tennessee and North Carolina (north), and South Carolina (east).
Understanding LocationUnderstanding Location
• Relative Location: Where Georgia is located compared with other places
• North America • Southeastern United States• Atlantic coast
Click here to return to main menu.
Section 2: Geographic Section 2: Geographic Regions of GeorgiaRegions of Georgia
• ESSENTIAL QUESTION
-- How would you describe the geographic regions of Georgia?
Section 2: Geographic Section 2: Geographic Regions of GeorgiaRegions of Georgia
• What words do I need to know?
-- Fall Line
-- Region
-- Precipitation
-- Wetland
-- Barrier Island
-- Continental Shelf
Section 2: Geographic Section 2: Geographic Regions of GeorgiaRegions of Georgia
• What regions do I need to know?
-- Appalachian Plateau Region
-- Ridge and Valley Region
-- Blue Ridge Region
-- Piedmont Plateau
-- Coastal Plain Region
-- Okefenokee Swamp
Appalachian Plateau Region• Georgia’s smallest physiographic region
• Many limestone caves, deep canyons, rock formations
• Cumberland Plateau (Lookout Mountain and Sand Mountain separated by limestone ridges)
• Limestone, shale, and sandstone soils
Ridge and Valley Region• Between Blue Ridge Mountains and
Appalachian Plateau
• Low open valleys parallel to narrow ridges
• Elevations ranges from 700 to 1600 feet above sea level
• Forests and pastures dominate the region
• Limestone and clay soils in the valley
• Shale and sandstone on the ridges
Blue Ridge Region • Northeastern part of state• Contains state’s highest and largest group of
mountains• Brasstown Bald, Georgia highest mountain
is here• Mountains provide much precipitation
(water) for the state • Sandy loam and clay soils• Hardwood forests, vegetable farming, and
apples
Piedmont Plateau
• Begins in mountain foothills and goes to state’s central part
• Gently sloping hills in north, flatlands in the south
• Hardwood timber, pine, and agriculture• Red clay and granite base• Chattahoochee, Flint, Ocmulgee, and
Oconee rivers
Coastal Plain Region
• Largest region, three-fifths of state• Inner Coastal Plain: Mild climate, good
underground water supply, state’s major agriculture region
• Outer Coastal Plain (southwest corner): rich soil for peanuts, pecans, corn, and pulp production
• Low-lying freshwater wetlands
Okefenokee Swamp
• 681 square miles
• Located south of Waycross
• Largest swamp in North America
• Freshwater wetland
• Water lies close to the surface
Islands of Gold
• Spanish explorers called the barrier islands “islands of gold”
• Protect beaches by blocking sand, winds, and water that could erode the mainland
• Two-thirds remains wilderness areas• Much recreation, seafood gathering• Deep water ports for shipping
Shelves and Lines
• Georgia’s continental shelf is portion of coastal plain that extends into the ocean
• The Continental slope falls into deep plateaus and into the Atlantic Ocean depths
• The Fall Line, a natural boundary, separates the Coastal Plain from the Piedmont Plateau
Fall Line Features
• Hilly or mountainous lands meet the coastal plain
• Runs from Columbus (west) through Macon to Augusta (east)
• Many waterfalls caused by water from the hills cutting channels into the softer soil of the plains
• Fall Line waterfalls provide power source for several Georgia communities
Click here to return to main menu.
Section 3: Georgia’s Section 3: Georgia’s ClimateClimate
• ESSENTIAL QUESTION
-- How would you describe the climate of Georgia?
Section 3: Section 3: Georgia’s Climate Georgia’s Climate
• What concepts do I need to know?
-- Difference between weather and climate
-- Effect of weather conditions on the state
-- Different types of weather phenomena
Georgia’s Temperature
• Mild climate, subtropical feel along the coast
• Hot, humid summers and mild winters• Four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer,
Fall, and Winter• Vertical climate (higher elevation in
mountains causes colder temperatures) • July is hottest month; January is coldest
Georgia’s Precipitation
• In normal year, Georgia gets 40-52 inches of rain in central and southern regions and 65-76 inches in the northern mountains
• July is wettest month; October is driest• From 1998 to 2002, Georgia
experienced a major drought (extended lack of precipitation)
Winds and Currents
• Air masses from Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean control summer’s warm months.
• Air masses from polar regions of Alaska and Canada control Georgia’s winters.
• Ocean currents, trade winds, and prevailing westerlies aided travel for early explorers and settlers to Georgia.
Storms over Georgia
• Georgia averages 21 tornadoes each year, resulting in one to three deaths
• Most tornadoes in Georgia occur from March to May
• Georgia’s most hurricane-like storm (in terms of lives lost) occurred in Savannah in 1893
• Called the “Sea Islands Hurricane,” the storm resulted in 1,000 deaths.
Click here to return to main menu.
Click here to return to main menu.