1

SS8G1TSW describe Georgia with regard to physical features and location.c. Locate/evaluate key

physical features on the development of Georgia.

2

Fall LineThe Fall Line is a natural

boundary that separates the Coastal Plan region from the

Piedmont Plateau.This is where Georgia’s hilly &

mountainous land meets the coastal plain.

3

The Fall Line runs from Columbus in the west

through Macon and into Augusta

on the east.

4

Rivers and creeks flowing down from the hills have cut channels in this softer soil. This drops the elevation and

creates waterfalls.

5

Many of the early settlers were forced to stop at the Fall Line because they couldn’t travel

over the steep waterfalls.

Amicalola Falls

6

These settlers and the Indians used the falls as a power source and built

settlements there.

7

Okefenokee SwampThis 681 acre freshwater

swamp is one of the major features of the Outer Coastal

Plain.

8

The Okefenokee is the largest freshwater swamp in North

America. It was once a part of the Atlantic Ocean floor. It’s name

comes from an Indian word that means “land of the trembling

earth.”

9

The Okefenokee’s water looks black because of tannic acid caused by decaying vegetation.

10

The Okenfenokee covers about a ½ million acres in Georgia’s Outer

Coastal Plain. It’s home to hundreds of species of plants, animals, and reptiles many of

which are endangered.

11

There are 70 piney woods islands located in the swamp. It was once home to Seminole

Indians and was settled by pioneers in the 1850s.

12

Visitors to the Okenfenokee can see 80-ft tall cypress trees, alligators, herons,

egrets, cranes, and black bears.

13

Appalachian MountainsGeorgia’s 3 northern regions are

all a part of the Appalachians. The were created over 900 million years ago when the

continents collided creating Pangaea.

14

Over millions of years, the continents slowly moved away

from each other. Many of the Appalachians eroded into what

became the Atlantic Ocean.

15

About 500 million years ago, the continents began to move

back together again. This movement pushed sediment up from the ocean floor and

created the second Appalachian Mountains.

16

The continents have collided 7 times over millions and millions of years. Each time the collision caused mountains to form. This is why the Appalachians have several sets of parallel ridges.

17

The Appalachians have eroded over time. Glaciers

have pushed down the mountains, carved valleys

and pushed eroded rock to the southeastern

corner of the U.S.

18

Chattahoochee RiverThe name comes from the

Cherokee and means “river of the painted rock" because of

the colorful river rocks.

19

The river flows 436 miles from the mountains of North

Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico.

20

Parts of the Chattahoochee form a natural border between

Georgia and Alabama. Gainesville, Atlanta, and

Columbus are located along the river.

21

Manmade lakes like Lake Lanier, West Point Lake, and Lake Walter F. George are a

part of the river’s path.

22

The river supplies water to Atlanta and Columbus, as

well as to Helen, Buford,

LaGrange, and West Point.

23

Savannah River European explorers reached this river in 1540 many years after the Indians who called it the Isondega which means “blue water.”

24

In 1732, King George II granted to James Oglethorpe “all those lands, Countries,

and Territories” between the Savannah and the Altamaha

Rivers extending westward “to the South Sea.”

Left: King George II

Right:JamesOglethorpe

25

Oglethorpe's settlers established the first

settlement on Yamacraw Bluff overlooking the

Savannah River.

26

Along the border of South Carolina, the river spreads into three lakes: J. Strom Thurmond

Lake, Lake Russell, and Hartwell Lake.

27

The Savannah is the only river that flows into Georgia from

outside its borders. The headwaters, or where the river begins, are in South Carolina.

28

Barrier IslandsGeorgia’s coast is an

interlocking chain of marshes, rivers and tributaries that

eventually flow into the Atlantic Ocean.

29

Georgia’s barrier islands protect the mainland

from erosion.

30

They are also called “the Golden Isles” getting the name

from Spanish explorers.

Above: Routes of Spanish Explorers in America.

31

These islands offer recreation and tourism opportunities.

Jekyll Island is primarily a state park while Cumberland

Island is a national seashore.

32

Two-thirds of these islands remain a

wilderness sanctuary.

These feralhorses on

Cumberland Island are descendants of horses

the Spanish brought to

America.