Chapter 1

Geography of North Carolina

How did geography impact the

settlement of North Carolina and its regions?

Geography Geography is the study of the physical

features of the Earth.

Geography also studies humans and how they are affected by their environment, and how they affect their environment.

Location North Carolina is located in the southeast

of the United States, and is bordered by:

The Atlantic OceanVirginia,

South Carolina,

Georgia,

Tennessee, and

Regions of the State Coastal Plain

Piedmont

Mountains

Coastal Plain

The Tidewater

Tidewater The Tidewater receives its name from the

fact that the tide rises and falls on its rivers and sounds.

Along the coast of the Tidewater, are barrier islands known as the Outer Banks.

Parts of these islands are capes.

Three (3) capes located in North Carolina are:

Cape Fear Cape Lookout Cape Hatteras

Tidewater Waters near the capes are shallow,

because ocean currents deposit sand on the ocean bottom.

The area near Cape Hatteras is known as:

“The Graveyard of the Atlantic,” because so many ships have run aground.

Inner Coastal Plain The main agricultural region. Tobacco is the main crop. Other crops grown in this region include:

Corn Peanuts Vegetables Wheat

Fruit Cotton

Piedmont

Piedmont The center of urban population and

manufacturing for N.C. The largest cities of North Carolina are

found in the Piedmont. These cities are:

Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem

Piedmont Before 1849, North Carolina was the leading gold

producing state in the nation.

Mountains

Mountains Last region to be settled.

Mount Mitchell in Yancey County is the highest peak in the eastern United States.

North Carolina’s only Indian reservation is located at Cherokee.

Appalachian Trail runs through N.C. from Georgia to Maine.

Waterways

Atlantic Ocean The largest body of water bordering North

Carolina. Used by ships to bring settlers to N.C., and served

as a trade route. There are 2 main ports:

Wilmington Morehead City

There are 2 great currents: Labrador Current Gulf Stream

Sounds Sounds: shallow bodies of water between

the Outer Banks and the mainland.

There are 5 sounds in North Carolina. Albemarle Bogue Core Currituck Pamlico

Rivers The Cape Fear River is the only river that

flows directly into the Atlantic Ocean.

Lakes Lake Mattamuskeet is one of the largest

lakes in North Carolina.

Most of the lakes in North Carolina are man-made.

The 3 largest man-made lakes are: Fontana Lake, Lake Norman, and Lake Gaston

Climate

What are characteristics of North Carolina’s climate?

Climate

The climate of North Carolina is humid and subtropical.

Windstorms North Carolina experiences 3 types of

windstorms:

A storm becomes a hurricane when winds measure more than 74 mph.

Thunderstorms Hurricanes Tornadoes

Natural Resources Longleaf pines influenced the

development of North Carolina.

They were used to produce: Turpentine, Rosin, Tar, and Pitch

which were important to foreign trade.

How People Affect Geography DDT, which was used to kill insects, has

wiped out nearly all of North Carolina’s wildlife.

Sources of water pollution: Wastes from sewers Chemicals

Sources of air pollution:cars factories