Download North Carolina History - Johnston County Schools

North Carolina
History
The Lay of the Land
NC’s Land Regions
Where is
North Carolina?
• North Carolina is located on the East Coast
of the United States.
• The US is divided into 4 geographical
regions. Northeast, Mid-West, South, and
West.
• NC is in the South.
NC’s Neighbors
• NC shares its borders
with the following
states:
• Virginia to the North
• South Carolina and
Georgia to the South.
• Tennessee to the West.
• Atlantic Ocean on East
NC’s Size
• At its widest point NC is about 500 miles
east to west, and is 180 miles north to south.
• NC ranks 28th among the 50 states in
physical size, about the size of England.
• NC is the 9th fastest growing state.
North Carolina’s Nature
• More than 1,300 kinds of wildflowers
bloom throughout NC and there are nearly
400 species of birds.
NC Landforms
• Topography- The Physical shape
of the Land.
• NC’s topography is divided into
3 geographical regions.
NC’s Regions
• Geographical Regions- Large areas of land
with similar features. (Temp., plants, soil type, rain fall)
• NC is divided into 3 regions based on
elevation:
– Coastal Plains
– Piedmont
– Mountains
The Coastal Plains
• Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the
Fall Line.
• Fall Line- An imaginary line that runs north
to south and marks where the first water fall
is found and elevation changes.
• Fall line on the Neuse River is in Smithfield
Characteristics of
the Coastal Plains
• Sandy Soil, Flat Land.
• Main crop is Tobacco.
Characteristics of
the Coastal Plains
• Site of NC’s major military bases.
(Fort Bragg, Seymour-Johnson AFB, Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point AFB)
Characteristics of
the Coastal Plains
• Industry- Tourism and Fishing.
–The Coastal Plains extend
westward 100 to 150 miles.
Coastal Plains
• Divided into two sub- regions:
– Tidewater
– Inner Coastal Plains
Tidewater
–Extends 20 to 30 miles inland from
the Atlantic.
–The area gets its name from the
fact it is affected by the rise and
fall of the tide.
–Poorly drained, many swamps
(Great Dismal Swamp)
–Oldest Town in the state (Bath)
–The Outer Banks
The Outer Banks
• Chain of barrier islands
off the coast of NC.
• Early explorers described NC’s
shores as appearing to
“come unglued.”
• Known as The Outer Banks.
• http://www.wral.com/world-s-largest-hang-gliding-schooltakes-flight-in-the-outer-banks/13835677/
Graveyard of the Atlantic
• Hundreds of ships have been
wrecked in the shallow waters
that surround some of the
islands.
• NC’s coast was nicknamed “The
Graveyard of the Atlantic.”
–Jockey’s Ridge at Nags Head is the
highest sand dune along the
Atlantic Coast.
Primary Source
• A primary source is a first-hand
account of an event.
• William Least Heat Moon used
people in the Outer Banks as a
primary source for his book
describing the area.
Sounds
• Large bodies of water called
sounds or channels separate
the Outer Banks from the
mainland.
Sounds Cont.
• NC Sounds
–Pamlico (Largest on East Coast)
–Albermarle
–Bogue
–Core
–Croatan
–Currituck
–Roanoke
Sounds Cont.
• Because of the sounds NC has
more water surface than all
but two states.
Piedmont
• Going west from the Coastal Plains the land
rises into gently rolling hills.
• The start of the Piedmont, elevations
climbing from 500 feet to 1,500 feet.
Piedmont Soil
• Rain turns its red clay soil into thick, sticky
mud, while dry weather turns it into
powdery dust or hard earth.
Piedmont Cont.
• Rivers and streams in the Piedmont often flow
through deep cuts made in the clay soil.
• Elevations between the Piedmont and Coastal
Plain change so sharply that rivers spill off
into rocky rapids or low waterfalls.
NC Cities
• Home to most of the urban cities in the state.
• Urban: Higher populated areas with more industry.
• Rural: Lower populated areas, typically in the country, with less
industry.
• Five major urban cities in the Piedmont are
Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Chapel Hill, &
Charlotte.
• Largest city in Tidewater: Wilmington
• Largest city in the Inner Coastal: Fayetteville
North Carolina Curiosity
Devil’s Tramping Ground
http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/6311676/
Mountains
• To the west of the Piedmont is the
Appalachian Mountains.
• These mountains stretch about 2,000 miles
from Canada to Alabama.
• Nickname given to the NC mountains is the
Great Smokey Mountains.
Appalachian Mountains
• Named by Hernando de Soto, the first
European to set foot there in 1540.
• Named after the Apalachee, a group of
Natives on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
Appalachian Mts.
• Reach their highest elevations in NC.
• The highest mountain east of the
Mississippi River, Mt. Mitchell.
• Geologists believe NC may have the oldest
mountains in the world.
Winter on Mt. Mitchell Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdRx4eRJLog