Download Landform Regions of North Carolina and Maps

Landform Regions of North
Carolina and Maps &
Aerial Photographs
2.06 Identify and use models, maps, and aerial
photographs as ways of representing landforms.
Landform Regions of North
Carolina
• North Carolina has a variety of landforms:
mountains, plains, plateaus, and coastline.
• The state is divided into three distinct
topographical regions. Eastern North
Carolina is the Coastal Plain (sometimes
subdivided into an Inner Coastal Plain
and Tidewater region), west of the
Coastal Plain is the Piedmont Plateau
(a.k.a. Piedmont), and Western North
Carolina consists of the Mountains.
Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains--including Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in
Eastern North America (6,684 feet)-- add to the variety which is apparent in the
state's topography. More than 200 mountains rise 5,000 feet or more.
Piedmont Plateau (a.k.a. Piedmont)
The Piedmont (meaning literally "foot of the mountain"), is home to a diverse
mixture of agriculture, government, manufacturing, research, and technology
development. The six largest cities in North Carolina, and eight of the top ten, are in
this region of the state, the exceptions being Wilmington on the Coastal Plain and
Asheville in the Appalachian Mountains. The southeastern section of the Piedmont
is known as the Sandhills, and is known for its nationally famous golf courses and
stables.
Coastal Plain (Inner Coastal Plain and Tidewater)
The Coastal Plain offers opportunities for farming, recreation, and
manufacturing. Large forested areas, mostly pine, support pulp manufacturing
and other forest-related industries. Thousands of tourists visit the state's many
beaches. The North Carolina coast is protected by a slender chain of islands
known as the Outer Banks.
The Piedmont Plateau is sharply divided from the Inner Coastal Plain at the Fall
Line. The Fall Line is a quick descent, and it is the site of many river rapids and
waterfalls. At the bottom of the Fall Line, you find the Sandhills. The Sandhills
is a region in the interior of the U.S. states of North Carolina and South
Carolina. It is a strip of ancient beach dunes which generally divides the
Piedmont from the coastal plain, and is the evidence of a former coastline when
the ocean level was higher, or the land lower.
Geological Features
• Maps give us information about the
physical features of the Earth. There are
many different kinds of maps, including
topographic maps and aerial maps.
Topographic maps show the shape and
features of the land. These maps show the
contour, or shape, of the land, as well as
the elevation, or height of different parts
of the land. Topographic maps also show
special features, like rivers and streams.
Topographic Map
A topographic map uses contour lines to show points that are on the same level.
How Do You Read Topographic
Maps?
Topographic maps use contour lines to
show the shape of Earth’s surface. A
contour line is an imaginary line drawn on
a map. It connects points of equal height
above or below sea level. Sea level is the
mean level of the surface of the sea
between high and low tides and is
considered as 0 elevation.
The spacing of contour lines indicates how
steep a slope is. Contour lines that are
farther apart indicate a gentler slope.
Contour lines that are closer together
indicate a steeper slope.
Bodies of water, such as oceans, rivers,
and lakes, are also indicated on
topographic maps. Symbols are used to
locate forests, roads, railroad tracks, and
buildings.
Shaded relief maps indicate height by
using shading instead of contour lines.
The shading makes it easier to recognize
sloping hills, steep mountains, and deep
valleys. Some topographic maps combine
shaded relief maps with contour lines to
give an even clearer idea of the geology of
an area.
Aerial Maps
Aerial Maps show the geological features of the Earth. Aerial
maps can be made from a variety of heights. The higher up
the photograph is taken, the more surface area can be shown.
Aerial Photographs
(Links)
• http://maps.google.com/maps
• http://www.bing.com/maps/?FORM=Z9LH8
• http://www.stanlygis.net/website/quicksearch/quicksearc
h.aspx
• http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod/aerial.html
• http://www.digitalglobe.com
• http://www.skypic.com
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