This document provides information about the geography and physical features of Georgia. It begins with an overview of Georgia's location in the northern and western hemispheres on the continent of North America within the nation of the United States in the southeastern region. It then details Georgia's five main physical regions - Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, Appalachian Plateau, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain - and notable landforms within each region like the Appalachian Mountains, Fall Line, Savannah River, and Okefenokee Swamp. The document concludes with descriptions of Georgia's climate and how water features influenced the state's development.

2. World Map Review
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3. The Southeast
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4. Hemispheres
▪ Hemi- half
▪ Sphere- solid circular figure
▪ In which two
hemispheres
is Georgia
located?

5. Continents
▪ On which
continent is
Georgia
located?

6. Nation
▪ To which nation
does Georgia
belong?

7. Region
▪ In which U.S.
region can
Georgia be
found?

8. Georgia's Location
Georgia is located in which two hemispheres?
Georgia is located on what continent?
Georgia is located in which nation?
Georgia is located in which region of the United
States?

9. Georgia’s Geography

10. Five Physical Regions of Georgia
▪ 1: Blue Ridge
▪ 2: Ridge and Valley
▪ 3: Appalachian Plateau
▪ 4: Piedmont
▪ 5: Coastal Plain
1.2.3.
4.
5.

11. Physical Map of Georgia
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
• A: Fall Line
• B: Barrier Islands
• C: Okefenokee
Swamp
• D: Appalachian Mts.
• E: Blue Ridge Mts.
• F: Savannah River
• G: Chattahoochee
River

12. In which region would you find these landforms?

13. Appalachian Plateau
▪ Location
– Farthest NW corner of GA
▪ Climate
– Mild summers; cooler winters due to higher
elevation; some snow and ice in winter
▪ Resources/Agriculture
– Not good for farming
– Some corn and soybeans grown here
▪ Features & Facts
– Smallest region
– Lookout Mountain & Cloudland Canyon
– Caving is popular
▪ Economics
– Most profitable industries are tourism and
forestry
– Coal, iron ore, and limestone mined here

14. In which region would you find these landforms?

15. Coastal Plains
▪ Location?
– Southern half of the state; largest region
– Stretches from east to west state
boundaries
▪ Climate?
– Humid and subtropical
– Long, hot summers and mild winters
▪ Resources/Agriculture
– Fertile soil; most of state’s crops
– Peanuts, Vidalia onions, pecans, soybeans,
cotton
– tourism
▪ Features & Facts
– Barrier islands & Okefenokee swamp
– Inner Plains (farmland) & Outer Plains (coast
& swampland)
▪ Economics
– Pulp & paper industry
– Commercial fishing
– Tourism near barrier islands
– Deepwater ports

16. In which region would you find these landforms?

17. Blue Ridge
▪ Location
– Northeast corner
– Southern Appalachian Mts.
▪ Climate
– Most rainfall. Savannah and
Chattahoochee rivers originate here
– Cooler due to higher elevation
▪ Resources/Agriculture
– Small farms in valleys produce apples, corn,
other vegetables
– Pastures home to large animals
▪ Features & Facts
– Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s highest peak
– Beginning of the Appalachian trail
– Dahlonega; 1st gold rush town
▪ Economics
– Harvesting timber
– Historically: mining gold

18. In which region would you find these landforms?

19. Piedmont
▪ Location
– North of Coastal Plains
– Stretches from east to west state
boundaries
▪ Climate
– Hot summers, mild winters
– Some snow possibility
▪ Resources/Agriculture
– A lot of agricultural production; cotton, soy,
wheat, poultry/eggs, hogs, cattle/beef,
peaches (along Fall Line)
▪ Features & Facts
– Gently rolling hills; “foot of the hills”
– Red clay
– Urban cities of Atlanta, Columbus, Augusta,
and Macon. Most populous region.
– Stone Mountain
▪ Economics
– A lot of manufacturing and large scale
farming
– National & international businesses

20. In which region would you find these landforms?

21. Ridge and Valley
▪ Location
– Northwest GA; east of Appalachian
Plateau
▪ Climate
– Similar to Appalachian Plateau
▪ Resources/Agriculture
– 4% of valley is used as pasture & farmland
– Corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton
– Pine timber
▪ Features & Facts
– Dalton, the carpet capital of the world
– Numerous caves
▪ Economics
– Textile & carpets
– Some mining

22. Quick Review
• Smallest?
• Appalachian
Plateau
• Largest?
• Coastal Plains
• Most Populated?
• Piedmont
• Carpets?
• Ridge and Valley
• Gold?
• Blue Ridge
• Most rainfall?
• Blue Ridge
• Peaches?
• Piedmont & Coastal
Plains (mostly along Fall
Line)
• Peanuts?
• Coastal Plains
• Swamp?
• Coastal Plains
• Brasstown Bald?
• Blue Ridge
• Lookout Mountain?
• Appalachian Plateau
• Mining?
• Appalachian
Plateau (and a
little Valley &
Ridge)
• Cattle & Poultry?
• Piedmont

23. Think About It
▪ Savannah was one
of Georgia’s first
permanent
settlements. Why do
you think colonists
chose this location
back in the 1700s?

24. Savannah River
▪ Forms the eastern border
between Georgia and South
Carolina
▪ Historically
– Explored by De Soto
– Good settlement location for
natives and first Georgians
▪ Today:
– Shipping
– Cooling nuclear power plants
– Hydroelectric power
– Drinking water

25. Chattahoochee River
▪ Partially forms Georgia’s
western border with
Alabama
▪ Historically used for…
– Transportation for Native
Americans (Too difficult to
use for transportation today
due to shallowness and
rocky waters)
▪ Currently used for…
– industry, drinking water
(especially for ATL), and
recreation

26. Barrier Islands
▪ A 100 mile line of islands.
▪ Called barrier islands
because they block land
from wind, sand, and water
erosion.
▪ Nationally protected parks
and seashores
▪ Historically used for missions,
forts, and plantations.

27. Okefenokee Swamp
▪ Largest freshwater
swamp in North
America (700 square
miles)
▪ War between colonists
and natives fought
here
▪ Used to be a source of
timber, until FDR turned
the swamp into a
wildlife refuge area.

28. The Fall Line
▪ Natural boundary between
the Coastal Plain and
Piedmont regions
▪ Significant drop in elevation,
creating a line of waterfalls
– Because it was the end of
navigable waters for early
settlers, many explorers set up
forts & towns along the Fall Line
▪ Used to be the location of the
Atlantic coast in the
Mesozoic era
▪ Used for mills and
hydroelectric power

29. Appalachian Mountains
▪ Found in northern regions of
the state
▪ Rounded and weathered,
after millions of years of
erosion
▪ Brasstown Bald – highest peak
in the state – found in Blue
Ridge region
▪ Gold found near Dahlonega in
1828 began the country’s gold
rush

30. What are the different ways Georgia utilizes
TRANSPORTAITON?

31. Georgia's Transportation Systems
▪ Economic impact
– Local impact: provide job
opportunities
– Helps the development of cities
– Brings tourists to the state
– Domestic and international trade
(exports and imports)

32. How did water affect Georgia’s development?

33. Historical Importance of Water
▪ Chattahoochee, Savannah, and
St. Mary’s rivers create natural
boundaries for Georgia
▪ Natives & early settlers used rivers
for food and transportation
▪ Water used for rice and cotton
farming
▪ Ports of Savannah & Brunswick
used for trade
▪ Rivers transported goods &
people as settlers expanded into
native lands

34. Georgia’s Climate
▪ Mostly mild/moderate, with subtropical
temperatures near the coast.
▪ 4 distinct seasons
▪ Mild climate=major companies, longer
growing seasons, natural irrigation
▪ Vertical climate: the temperature drops
as the elevation rises
▪ Precipitation:
– Snow melts and runs off into streams
and lakes
– Avg. 42-50 inches of rain per year