Download Summary: Land and Climate

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CHAPTERXX,
1, LESSON
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Summary: Land and Climate
North Carolina's Land
North Carolina has many types of landforms. Landforms
are shapes or features of Earth's surface. A flat plain runs
to the coast in eastern North Carolina. Central North
Carolina has rolling hills and valleys. Mountains such as
Mt. Mitchell rise high in western North Carolina. Mt.
Mitchell is the tallest peak in both North Carolina and all
of the eastern United States.
Huge slabs of rock move slowly beneath Earth's crust.
These slabs are called tectonic plates. When they push
together, land is folded and pushed upward. Around 50
million years ago, tectonic plates pushed together and
created the Appalachian Mountains. These mountains run
through the western part of the state. The Blue Ridge, Black,
and Great Smoky Mountains are part of the Appalachians.
North Carolina's coast is low and flat. Barrier islands
called the Outer Banks run along the coast. They were cut
off from the rest of the state when the sea level rose. The
Outer Banks have capes, including Cape Hatteras, Cape
Lookout, and Cape Fear.
North Carolina's Climate
Scientists learn about climate by studying patterns of
weather. In North Carolina, the weather changes with the
four seasons. Different parts of the state have different
climates. The Atlantic Ocean keeps the area around the
coast warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The
Gulf of Mexico brings moist air to North Carolina. This can
cause snow in the winter. In the summer and fall, storms and
hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean
can hit North Carolina. The Bermuda High is a mass of
warm air that brings hot, humid, days with little wind.
Places in North Carolina with higher elevations, such
as the mountains, have colder climates and get more snow.
Areas near the coast are warmer.
Find and underline each
vocabulary word.
barrier islands (BAYR ee
uhr EYE lundz) noun,
islands that separate the
mainland from the sea
cape (kayp) noun, a point
of land that sticks out
into a body of water
climate (KLY miht) noun,
the usual weather of a
place over a long period
of time
elevation (ehl uh VAY
shuhn) noun, the height
of the land
REVIEW How is the area
near the coast different
from the western part
of the state? Underline
sentences that describe
the coastal area, and circle
sentences that describe
western North Carolina.
REVIEW How were the
Appalachian Mountains
created? Draw a box around
the paragraph that answers
the question.
Practice Book
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Use with North Carolina: Geography and History, pp. 14–17
10/05/2007 15:43:36