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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.