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Georgia’s Physical Geography
Georgia’s land regions
and climate contribute
to the state’s growth,
but Georgians face
challenges ahead.
A moist climate and long
growing season make
Georgia a productive
farming area.
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Georgia’s Physical Geography
SECTION 1
Georgia’s Land Regions
SECTION 2
Georgia’s Weather and Climate
SECTION 3
Georgia’s Water Supply
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Section 1
Georgia’s Land Regions
Dividing Georgia into specific regions assists in
studying the state.
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SECTION
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Georgia’s Land Regions
Where We Are
Location
• Georgia is in Southeastern region of the United
States
- Atlantic Ocean forms Eastern border
• Bordered by North and South Carolina,
Tennessee, Alabama, Florida
• Part of Deep South, or southernmost tier of states,
and Sunbelt
• Sunbelt—southern states spanning from East
Coast to California
- warm Sunbelt climate attracts people,
businesses
Map
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Georgia’s Natural Regions
Georgia’s Natural Regions
• Plains, Hills, Mountains
• Georgia is largest state east of Mississippi River
• Varying climate, elevation, vegetation, soils, terrain due
to size
• Three natural regions, or areas with similar geographic
features
- Coastal Plain
- Piedmont
- Appalachian Mountain
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Outer Coastal Plain
Swamps, Islands, Marshes
• Coastal Plain—Georgia’s largest, southernmost
region
• Consists of Outer Coastal Plain, Inner Coastal Plain
• Outer Plain includes Okefenokee Swamp, marshes,
barrier islands
• Golden Isles barrier islands protect coast from
Atlantic storms
• Atlantic waters covered Coastal Plain thousands of
years ago
- waters receded; old islands became ridges; tidal
marshes created
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Inner Coastal Plain
Fertile Farmland
• Most of Georgia’s farmland in Inner Coastal Plain
• Irrigation provides water for crops; long warm
growing season
• Moisture, sun make area productive farming
region
Fall Zone
Chart
• Fall Zone—several miles wide; Coastal Plain–
Piedmont transition
• Hills, valleys, steep slopes; rivers form rapids,
waterfalls
- rich mineral deposits—Kaolin, a clay used for
glossy papermaking
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The Piedmont
Rolling, Hilly Plateaus
• Piedmont is rolling plateau at base of Appalachian
Mountains
- word Piedmont means “at the foot of the
mountains”
- elevation from 600 to 2,000 feet
• Stone Mountain is most prominent feature
- mass of granite formed from molten rock
- granite mined in 1800s; used in U.S. Capitol,
Panama Canal locks
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Appalachian Mountains
Highest Area in Georgia
• Appalachian Mountains stretch from Canada to
Alabama
• Blue Ridge Mountains:
- once higher than Rockies; have eroded to
quarter of original height
- Brasstown Bald Mountain is Georgia’s highest
point, 4,784 feet
- counties in region have forests, marble
quarries, tourist spots
- start of Appalachian Trail—2,100-mile trail
running to Maine
Continued . . .
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SECTION
1
continued Appalachian
Mountains
Fault Line
• Brevard Fault in Appalachians sometimes causes
earthquakes
• Fault line begins in White County, runs toward
Marietta, then west
• Fractured fault rocks guide river flow, good for
construction
Physical Terrain
Map
• Sidney Lanier’s poems describe Georgia lands
- Marshes of Glynn—woods, marshes in coastal
region
- The Song of the Chattahoochee—rivers of
Piedmont to Coastal Plain
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Section 2
Georgia’s Weather
and Climate
Several factors influence Georgia’s
climate.
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Georgia’s Weather and Climate
Influences on Weather and Climate
Weather and Climate Are Not The Same
• Weather is condition and temperature of
atmosphere
- can change day to day, season to season
• Climate is average weather condition over long
period of time
Continued . . .
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continued Influences
on Weather and Climate
Weather
• Georgia’s weather affected by winds blowing
west to east in winter
• Winter: fronts can cause snow, rain; sharp, fast
temperature changes
• Summer: warm moist fronts from Gulf of Mexico
affect weather
• Clouds, heavy rain, and thunderstorms may
occur as warm air cools
Continued . . .
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continued Influences
on Weather and Climate
Climate
• Georgia is in warm temperate subtropical
zone; warm year-round
• Hot summers, precipitation in form of rain
• Cooler winters, temperature varies by
elevation and latitude
Continued . . .
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continued Influences
on Weather and Climate
Different Regions Have Different Climates
• Outer Coastal—moist, warm because of
closeness to Atlantic
• Piedmont—cooler and drier than Coastal Plain
- higher elevation; greater distance from ocean,
so less rainfall
• Mountains get light snowfall, but snow rare in rest
of state
• Georgia’s warm temperate climate results in
longer growing seasons
- Agriculture major part of Georgia economy
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Dangerous Weather
Tornadoes
• Thunderstorms occur when warm air rises;
cooler front pushes under
• Strong fast winds can form funnel-shaped
spirals called tornadoes
Hurricanes
• Hurricanes are larger spiraling wind
systems; can occur along coast
• Form in warm moist air above southern
Atlantic Ocean
Image
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Air Quality
Unhealthy Air Pollution
• Sunbelt’s warm climate, population growth leads
to air problems
• Ozone—gas of three oxygen atoms; made when
chemicals, sunlight react
• Ozone in upper atmosphere helpful; hazardous at
ground level (smog)
• Air pollution alerts in Atlanta: reduce driving, stay
indoors
• Other Georgia cities experiencing same problems
Continued . . .
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continued Air
Quality
Monitoring Particulate Matter
• Particulate matter is solid or liquid matter
suspended in air
• Sources: wood stoves, vehicles, power plants,
industry
• Can create haze, reduce visibility, cause health
problems
Cleaning the Air
• Cars, light trucks are main contributors to ozone
problem
• Federal Clean Air Act goal to fix vehicles causing
most pollution
• Emissions tests determine which vehicles spread
most pollution
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Section 3
Georgia’s Water Supply
Water is an important resource.
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Georgia’s Water Supply
Our Fresh Water Supply
A Vital Resource
• Georgia gets 50 inches rainfall an average year;
plants absorb most
• Some water seeps into aquifers, underground layers
of rock, gravel
• Aquifers supply ground water for farmers,
manufacturers
• Hazardous wastes—sewage, fertilizers, pollute
some water supplies
• If swamps drained, water runs off land instead of
returning to soil
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Rivers and Lakes
The “Water War”
• No river flows into Georgia from another state;
some rivers flow out
• Largest rivers: Altamaha, Chattahoochee, Flint,
Savannah
• Dams on many rivers create hydroelectric
energy; recreational lakes
• Alabama, Florida in “Water War” with Georgia
- these states say Georgia uses too much
water from shared rivers
• Water conflict in Georgia: fast-growing
Atlanta area vs. rural needs
Map
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SECTION
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Guarding Our Water Supply
Political and Economic Decisions
• U.S. Geological Survey Program helps Georgia
leaders make decisions
• Leaders must decide whether to pump water from
certain aquifers
• Temporary water restrictions already in place in
metro areas
• Restrictions may become permanent if resources
are not protected
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