The Lay of the LandChapter 1

Focus/Review• Why is water so important to

our state?

• Think about the number of times you have used water in the last 24 hours – write down some of the ways that you have used water.

Objective

• TLW identify and describe the geographic regions of North Carolina - Tidewater

Preview• Our understanding of history depends

upon our knowledge of geography.

• Traditional saying in North Carolina: You have to know “the lay of the land” to know where you are going.

• The key lesson in North Carolina geography is to learn that North Carolina is one state but has several distinct parts called regions.

Section 1: The Tidewater Section 1: The Tidewater RegionRegion

The Tidewater Region• Narrow strip of land extends along the

Atlantic Ocean• In the southern part of the state, the

Tidewater is no more than thirty (30) miles wide

• In the northern part of the state, it goes back fifty (50) miles in places

• Land is influenced by the daily movement of the ocean’s tides

• Tides alter currents in streams and sounds

Barrier Islands• The islands off the North Carolina coast

form the beach for much of the Tidewater.• They influenced life in the state from the

first explorations to the present.• Most are part of a long chain of sand spits

called barrier islands• The most famous of which, along the

northern half of the state coastline, are called the Outer Banks

Barrier Islands Continue• Most of the barrier islands are less

than two miles across

• The highest point along the barrier islands is at Jockey’s Ridge

• Jockey’s Ridge averages about 114 feet in elevation, making it the highest natural point on the eastern seaboard

Barrier Islands Continue• Cape Hatteras for centuries was known

as the “graveyard of the Atlantic” because frigid Arctic water, known as the Labrador Current, collided with the warmer Gulf Stream just offshore

• Turbulence made for unexpected storms• That is why the Cape Hatteras

Lighthouse has become so legendary• It served a vital purpose in world

commerce• The only true break in the barrier islands

along the state’s shoreline is Cape Fear

Sounds• Sounds are inland bodies of mixed

water found through much of the Tidewater

• North Carolina has five major sounds going from north to south– Currituck Sound– Albemarle Sound– Pamlico Sound: deepest and largest– Core Sound– Bogue Sound

Sounds Continue• Near the mouth of these rivers are

located some of the oldest towns in North Carolina

• The towns were trading centers where goods could be transferred from river flatboats onto the schooners

• Sedimentation (the depositing of clay or silt or gravel) through time has kept the sounds from being deep enough for large oceangoing vessels.

Sounds Continue

Swamps• A large portion of the land in the

Tidewater is wetland most of the year – meaning that the soil is soaked or flooded with water

• Savanna is a type of habitat in the Tidewater (Savanna is where tall grass mixes with scattered longleaf and other type of pine.)

Swamps Continue• The Green Swamp is the habitat for

one of North Carolina’s unique plants, the Venus Fly Trap – a type of trumpet plant that catches a variety of bugs with its hair-lined “pitches”

Lakes• Most of the natural lakes in North

Carolina are in the Tidewater– Lake Mattamuskeet – largest; major land

point for migratory birds along the Atlantic coast; and today is a wildlife refuge

Critical Thinking• Pollution is a major problem with

many waterways.–What are some of the possible sources

of water pollution?–What can average citizens do to help

with the problems?

Ticket out the Door•List four things you learned in this section