Download Social Studies: VS 2 Geography and First Inhabitants

Virginia Studies: Geography
Virginia is the state we live in. Virginia can be connected with other places
using relative location words such as next to, near and bordering.
Virginia has five bordering states: Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee,
Kentucky, and West Virginia.
Virginia is also bordered by two large bodies of water: The Chesapeake Bay
and the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean provided a transportation link
between North America and Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.
There are four major rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay, and then into
the Atlantic Ocean. They are:
1. The Potomac River
2. Rappahannock River
3. York River
4. James River
The rivers divide Virginia’s eastern coast into peninsulas. These
peninsulas look like fingers. The Eastern Shore is a peninsula bordered
by the Chesapeake Bay to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the East.
Rivers were a major source of food, transportation and a pathway to explore
other areas of Virginia. Early settlers built their cities near the rivers, for
food and transportation.
1. The Potomac River- Flows into the Chesapeake Bay. City of
Alexandria is located on the Potomac River.
2. Rappahannock River- Flows into the Chesapeake Bay. City of
Fredericksburg is located on the Rappahannock River.
3. York River- Flows into the Chesapeake Bay. City of Yorktown is
located on the York River.
4. James River- Flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Cities of Richmond
and Jamestown are located on the James River.
Virginia has 5 geographic, or land regions. A region is an area of land that
has the same land features, or looks the same.
1. Tidewater/Coastal Plain:
 The land is very flat.
 It is located next to the Atlantic Ocean.
 It is east of the fall line.
 Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Alexandria
 Includes a peninsula called the Eastern Shore, that is separated from
mainland Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay.
 Lake Drummond is a shallow lake surrounded by the Dismal Swamp.
 The Dismal Swamp is a swamp with a variety of wildlife. George
Washington explored and surveyed the Dismal Swamp.
As we move west across Virginia, the elevation gets higher, moving us into
the next region. There is an invisible line that separates the
Tidewater/Coastal Plain from the next region, the Piedmont. This line is
called the fall line. It is the natural border between the Coastal Plain and
Piedmont Region. Waterfalls prevented early settlers from traveling up the
rivers.
Piedmont Region: (Land at the foot of the mountains)
 Rolling hills
 West of the Fall line
 Largest geographic region in Virginia
 Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg
Blue Ridge Mountain Region:
 Old, rounded mountains (part of the Appalachian mountain system)
 Located between Piedmont and Valley & Ridge region
 The Blue Ridge mountains
 Source of many rivers
Valley and Ridge Region:
 Includes the Great Valley of Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley
 It is the land between and below the mountains
 Located west of the Blue Ridge mountains, and is part of the
Appalachian Mountain system.
 Harrisonburg, Staunton, Winchester, Roanoke
Appalachian Plateau:
 A plateau is an area of land that is elevated, and flat on top
 Located in Southwest Virginia
 Only a small part of this plateau is located in Virginia, the rest is in
the bordering state of Kentucky
 Known mostly for coal mining