The document discusses the Tidewater region of North Carolina. It is a narrow strip of land extending along the Atlantic coast that is 30-50 miles wide. The land is influenced by the daily movement of ocean tides. The barrier islands off North Carolina's coast, including the Outer Banks, form the beaches for much of the Tidewater region. Several sounds, such as Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound, separate the barrier islands from the mainland. Major rivers like the Pamlico and Trent rivers feed fresh water into the sounds.