Locations of places can be described in relative terms.

WHERE ARE WE?G E O G R A P H Y

From high in outer space, this is what planet Earthlooks like—a giant blue-green ball with swirls of whiteclouds. Swoop in a little closer and you can see so muchmore: the tops of mountain peaks, the deep greens offorests and fields, blue bays and twisting ribbons ofrivers. Draw closer still and you will begin to see thephysical geography that gives our state—Virginia—thelandscapes that have shaped our lives.Before you can learn about what makes Virginia such

an awesome place, it helps to learn about our state’sboundaries and the relative locations of ourneighbors. Maps are a perfect way to do this.

V IRGINIA

Words to Know�Relative location–A way to describe wheresomething is by using wordssuch as next to, across from,north of, near, bordering,and so on.

�Boundary–BOWN-dree

A line marking the limits ofan area. A separation, naturalor artificial, that marks thedivision of two properties.

�Border–BOR-der

An edge or boundary line.

Boundary and BorderA map takes a section of planet

Earth and flattens it. Mapmakerscan then draw boundary lines sowe can tell where places start andstop. Sometimes these bordersare nothing more than imaginarylines. Other times they follow realphysical features such as bays,seashores, rivers, and mountainridges. Virginia’s borders are acombination of both.

Mapping Our StatePart of Virginia’s boundaries have

been formed by the Atlantic Oceanand the Chesapeake Bay. There arefive states that border Virginia. You cansee the boundaries—the straight linesthat divide us from North Carolina andTennessee, and the zigzag lines thatdivide us from Kentucky, West Virginia,and Maryland. The bumpy areas showparts of the state that have mountains,which also form boundaries.

WEST VIRGINIA

KENTUCKY

MARYLAND

NORTH CAROLINATENNESSEE

Good NeighborsVirginia shares

a border with fivestates, as well aswith Washington,D.C., our nation’s capital.Do you live near one of thesestates? The next time you areout for a drive, see how manylicense plates from ourneighboring states you canfind. Try to spot all of them!

Chesapeake

Bay

Virginia borders the Atlantic Ocean,about midway between Maine in thenorth and Florida in the south.

VIRGINIA Atl

anticOcean

Districtof Columbia

10 11

NORTH AMERICA

UNITED STATES

Maps can show many different views of a place. This large map showsall the counties and independent cities in Virginia. A county is a smallsection of a state. Counties have their own local government and oftenrun schools, parks, and recreation areas. Independent cities do the samethings. Virginia is the only state with lots of independent cities. Moststates do not have any. Can you find your county or city on this map?

ELEVATIONS OF VIRGINIAHow high above sea level do you live? Use the mapabove along with this map to find the answer.

Do you live in a placewith a lot of people? Thismap will give youthe answer.

12 13

2,500-32,000

32,000-100,000

100,000-280,000

280,000-425,000

425,000-1,000,000150-300 Feet

300-600 Feet

600-1,200 Feet

1,200-1,800 Feet

1,800-3,000 Feet

3,000-4,500 Feet

4,500-5,729 FeetPOPULATION OF VIRGINIA BY COUNTY AND INDEPENDENT CITY IN 2008

0-150 Feet

Counties

Independent Cities

VIRGINIA COUNTIESAND CITIES

A CLOSER LOOK

Geographic regions have distinctive characteristics.

Virginia can be divided into five geographic regions.

OUR FIVE REGIONS

G E O G R A P H Y

Travel across the state of Virginia, and the scenery will change asyou make the trip, from the high, tree-capped mountains in the west,to soft, sandy beaches in the east. Along the way you will seebeautiful valleys, wide rivers, pounding waterfalls, and some ofAmerica’s loveliest scenery.

But there is more to Virginia than just pretty scenery. The specialqualities of each of these five regions have a big impact on life in eacharea. The history of our state has been affected by the hills, valleys,rivers, and harbors of Virginia's five geographic regions.

Coastal

PlainThe

Piedmon

t

Appalac

hian

Plateau

Valley a

nd Ridge

BlueRidg

e

4. Valley andRidge

3. Blue RidgeMountains

2. ThePiedmont

5. AppalachianPlateau

• Old rounded mountains• A source of many rivers• Part of the AppalachianMountain system

• Rich farmland in the valleysseparated by forested ridges

• Part of the AppalachianMountain system• Includes the Great Valley

• West of the Fall Line• Flat or gently rolling hills,fields, and meadows

• East of the Fall Line• Flat land near Atlantic Oceanand Chesapeake Bay• Includes the EasternShore, a peninsula

FiveRegionsLook at your lefthand. Virginia also

has five “fingers,”each representing a

different type of geography,from the broad “thumb” of the

Coastal Plain, to the little “pinky” of theAppalachian Plateau. If you hold your lefthand up with your thumb on the right, itwill help you remember each region.

1. CoastalPlain(Tidewater)

14 15

EasternShore

Mountains,Meadows, andMarine LifeIn which region do you

live? Have you visited anyof the others? Let’s take acloser look at each ofVirginia’s five regions tobetter understand whatmakes it special anddiscover how it isimportant to our state.

• An elevated area where theland is relatively flat at the top• Located in southwest Virginia• Only a small part of theplateau is in Virginia

Richmond

FALL

LINE

Appomattox River

James RiverYork River

Rappahannock

Potomac RiverShenandoahRiver

Pamunkey River

Mattaponi River

VIRGINIA’SWATERWAYS

From the pounding waves of the AtlanticOcean to the calm coves of the ChesapeakeBay to the broad rivers of the Coastal Plain,Virginia’s waters gave so much to the peoplewho settled near them. The Chesapeake Bay—“great shellfish bay” in the language of theVirginia Indians who first lived here—was filled

with fish. Drawn by the plentiful water, animals prowledin the woods, and the Indians hunted and trapped withease. Water meant life for Virginia’s first peoples.

When people arrived from Europe, the AtlanticOcean became a vital transportation link for trade withEurope, while the Chesapeake Bay offered safeharbors to protect their ships from storms.

The Chesapeake Bay separates the Eastern Shore from the mainland of Virginia.Water features were important to the early history of Virginia.

PotomacRiver

YorkRiver

RappahannockRiver

JamesRiver

• Flows into theChesapeake Bay

• Alexandria islocated on thePotomac River.

• Flows into theChesapeake Bay

• Yorktown islocated on theYork River.

• Flows into theChesapeake Bay

• Fredericksburg islocated on theRappahannockRiver.

• Flows into theChesapeake Bay

• Richmond andJamestown arelocated on theJames River.

Our Ocean, Bay, Lake, Swamp, and Rivers

AtlanticOcean

TheChesapeake

Bay

LakeDrummond

Great DismalSwamp

• Provided atransportation linkfrom Virginia toEurope, Africa, andthe Caribbean

• A source of food

• Provided a safeharbor for ships• A source of foodand transportation

• Located in theCoastal Plain

• A shallow naturallake surrounded bythe Great Dismal

Swamp

• Located in theCoastal Plain

• Has a variety ofwildlife

• Explored andmapped by GeorgeWashington

AtlanticOcean

TheChe

sape

akeBa

y

Virginia’s Many PeninsulasPeninsulas are pieces of land that are surrounded by

water on all but one side. Virginia has many peninsulas.The largest is the Eastern Shore—70 miles long and just22 miles wide at its widest point. It is bordered by theChesapeake Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean tothe east. Can you see any other peninsulas in additionto the Eastern Shore on the above map?

Great Dismal Swamp

Lake Drummond

Words to Know�Peninsula

pa-NINS-uh-luhA piece of land surrounded by water on allbut one side.

16 17

EASTERNSHORE

The coast of theEastern Shore

Rappahannock River

Potomac River

York RiverJames River

1.THECOASTAL PLAIN

Virginia and water go together, and many people wholive in the Coastal Plain depend on the sea and the bay.Some people call the Coastal Plain the Tidewater areabecause the rise and fall of the tides are so important tolife here for fishermen and boaters. For others the waters

simply offer a fun place to swim, surf, or sail.

Words to Know�TidesThe twice-daily rise andfall of the ocean causedby the gravitational pullof the moon and sun.

�TidewaterLow-lying coastal landsdrained by tidal streams.

AtlanticOcean

FALL

LINE

EASTERNSHORE

18 19

Tidewater LifeVirginia’s biggest cities

are built along the CoastalPlain’s waterways, andtoday a lot of Virginiansdepend on the sea fortheir livelihoods. ManyTidewater people work inthe shipbuilding andshipping industries as wellas its military bases.Tourism is also a very bigbusiness and the region’sbeautiful beaches drawvisitors here from all over

the world.

V I R G I N I A ’ S F I V E R E G I O N S

Gifts from the SeaIn addition to fishing, Virginia Indians made

tools from fish bones, weapons from sharp shells,and even used a certain type of rare clamshell formoney. For the settlers from Europe, the AtlanticOcean was a vital transportation link, and thestreams and rivers that emptied into it were thebest way to get from “here” to “there.”

The Eastern ShoreOne part of the Coastal Plain—the Eastern Shore—is

separated from the mainland and is sometimes called “the landbetween two waters.” This large peninsula is a place of quietvillages, farms, long beaches, wild ponies, and a nationalseashore—the watery equivalent of a national park. It is nowlinked to Virginia’s mainland by the 18-mile long ChesapeakeBay Bridge-Tunnel, a tremendous engineering feat.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnelstretches for almost 18 miles.

It has been called one of the“Seven Engineering Wonders ofthe Modern World.”

* The Delmarva Peninsula got itsname from DELaware, MARyland,and VA from Virginia.

The Tidewater Region, the Atlantic Ocean,and the Chesapeake BayHundreds of years ago—long before trains, cars, and planes—

water was the best way for people to move from place to place, sosettlements were built along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean andthe Chesapeake Bay. The climate was mild, and the land was flat—perfect for farming. The waters were full of clams, scallops, oysters,crabs, and fish. Virginia Indians farmed the land and fished in theCoastal Plain’s waters. They were later joined by settlers fromEurope who docked their ships in the Chesapeake Bay’s coveswhere they were safe from storms in its calm, sheltered harbors.

The ponies of Chincoteaguefirst came to the EasternShore in the 17th century.Until the early 1900s theponies were used fortransportation and farming.Now they run free as part ofthe only wild herd east ofthe Rocky Mountains.

The shipyards at NewportNews are some of thebusiest in the world.

There are other important bodiesof water in the Coastal Plain. One ofthe biggest is in southeast Virginiaand has a spooky name—the GreatDismal Swamp. Swamps are misty,wet, wooded areas with pools ofstanding water. All sorts of wildlife livehere, such as bears, deer, and ducks.

Lake Drummond sits in themiddle of the Great DismalSwamp and is one of only twonatural lakes in Virginia. Somescientists think this shallow lake

was made by a meteorite from outer space, and Indianlegends tell of a great “fire bird” landing there. Othersbelieve a huge fire fed on the swampy peat soil andburned down to the sand layer at the lake’s bottom.People began settling in this area more than 13,000years ago. George Washington explored and mademaps there in the early 1750s, and in the years beforethe Civil War, runaway slaves hid from angry masters.

Lake Drummond andthe Great Dismal Swamp

The Chesapeake Bay is where thesalty waters of the Atlantic mix withfresh waters brought down from therivers.

DELM

ARVAPEN

INSULA

TheChesapeake

Bay

Great DismalSwamp Lake

Drummond

Carved By NatureThe Fall Line is a natural border—

an imaginary “line”—that runs north-south across much of the eastern partof the United States. It was formedbecause the Coastal Plain is made up ofsand and gravel. The Piedmont regionlies on hard, crystalline rock. Hard rockresists erosion while sand and gravelare more easily washed away byrushing water.

ON THE FALL LINEMany early Virginia cities developed along the Fall Line—the natural border between the

Coastal Plain (Tidewater) and Piedmont regions.

20 21

G E O G R A P H I C F E A T U R E S O F T H E C O A S T A L P L A I N A N D P I E D M O N T

What do you think would happen if a sailboat or steamship tried to travelover these sharp rocks? Disaster! There is an imaginary line that connects theplaces where Virginia’s rivers have very rough sections that cannot betraveled on by boat. It is called the Fall Line. The name comes from thehundreds of waterfalls and rapids that occur as the water drops from the

higher Piedmont region to the lower Coastal Plain.

Words to Know�Erosion

ee-ROW-zhunThe wearing away ofland or soil by themovement of water,ice, or wind.

Wall of WaterThe Fall Line became a stopping point.

Virginia Indians who lived on one side of thefalls spoke a different language from groupson the other side of the rushing rapids.The first Europeans in Virginia stayed east

of the Fall Line near waters that gave themaccess to Europe and the Caribbean. East ofthe falls it was easy to load goods onto shipsheading to Europe and easy for ships fromEurope to unload their cargo.

These sharp rocks mark theFall Line of the Potomac River.The only boats that can crossthese falls are smallunbreakable kayaks.

Four Citieson the Falls

Four of Virginia’s cities sit where a river meets the FallLine—each at the point where waterfalls made it toodifficult to continue traveling on the river.Towns also developed near waterfalls because

rushing waters could be used to turn wheelsthat ran sawmills and gristmillswhere grain was ground into flour.

Richmond

Petersburg

Fredericksburg

A Rocky RoadblockSettling west of the Fall Line was difficult

for the colonists selling crops to Europe.Crops such as tobacco had to be packed andmoved to market along dirt trails to the FallLine or hauled to a river. There, they wereloaded onto small boats, floated downstreamuntil they reached the Fall Line, unloaded,carried around the waterfalls, then reloadedonto ocean-going ships at the ports east ofthe Fall Line.

Alexandria

River flow

To the Sea

Fall Line Sediment(easily eroded)

Hard rocks thatresist erosion

River flow

To the Sea

Rappahannock River

York River

Potomac River

Appomattox River

James River

VIRGINIA’SBIG RIVERS

Rivers flow downhill to the sea.

The four major rivers that flow into the ChesapeakeBay are separated by peninsulas.

Many of our rivers have their source high in Virginia’s mountains.From there dozens of rivers flow downhill toward the ChesapeakeBay estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. Four of these rivers played veryimportant roles in Virginia’s story. Each river is separated from thenext by a peninsula that sticks out like a fat finger into theChesapeake Bay.The rivers begin as many narrow streams in the mountains that

flow into one another, growing wider and wider. By the time therivers cross the Fall Line, most become very wide and tidal, whichmakes for easy connections to the Atlantic Ocean. The rivers werenot only a source of food. They also provided a wateryroadway to explore and settle our state.

1. Potomac2. Rappahannock3. York*4. James

1

2

34

Words to Know� Source–A place wheresomething begins.

� Estuary–ESS-chew-ah-ree

The part of a river thatmeets the sea, wherefresh river water andocean salt water mix.

This photo shows the James River as it begins—a waterway in the Valley and Ridge. By the time itcrosses the Fall Line, it is much wider.

22 23

G E O G R A P H I C F E A T U R E S

The PotomacThe Potomac (Puh-TOE-mick) Riverflows between Maryland andWashington, D.C., on one side and WestVirginia and Virginia on the other. Thename comes from the Virginia Indianswho first lived on its shores.Alexandria, one of Virginia’s mosthistoric cities, is on its banks.

The RappahannockThe Rappahannock (Rah-puh-HAN-ick)River runs into the Chesapeake Baybetween the Potomac River to the northand the York and James Rivers to thesouth. The city of Fredericksburg grewalong this wide river. It was the site offierce fighting during the Civil War sincecontrolling major rivers was of greatimportance.

The JamesThe James River is Virginia’s longestriver. It starts in the AppalachianMountains and flows into the ChesapeakeBay at Hampton Roads. Some VirginiaIndians called this big river the Powhatan,but the English colonists named it afterKing James I. Jamestown was builtalong its shore. Richmond, Virginia’scapital, is on the Fall Line of the James.

The YorkVirginia’s shortest major river, the YorkRiver, is actually an estuary. It hasalways been very important, first as thesite of Powhatan’s home, then as thescene of many early settlements of theVirginia colony, and later, at Yorktown,an important battle site during both theAmerican Revolution and the Civil War.

Snake-like streams andsmaller rivers feed into the

York River.

Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home,overlooks the Potomac River. So does GunstonHall, George Mason’s home.

East of the Fall Line,the Rappahannock is anextremely wide river.

Virginia’s capital city, Richmond,is built along the James River.

* The York River is formed at this spot by thePamunkey and Mattaponi Rivers.

NORTHERN

NECK

MIDDLE

PEN

INSU

L A

LOWER PENINSUL A

2.THEPIEDMONT Virginia’s scenery changes where the Coastal

Plain meets the Fall Line. There are many morefarms, and fields of wheat wave in the breeze.Horses frolic in green meadows edged with crisp

white fences. The land starts to rise, andmiles of rolling hills stretch as far as the eyecan see. Far off in the distance, as youtravel west, there is a blue blur on thehorizon—the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Foot + MountainPiedmont is a French word. In France,

“pied” means foot. “Mont” meansmountain. Put them together and youhave foot-mountain—the area that lies atthe foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.The Piedmont is the largest region in

Virginia. The northern part, nearWashington, D.C., is heavily settled, but as

you drive south, the traffic thins, and acres offarmland sprawl before you.

Where HistoryHappenedSo much of Virginia’s story takes

place in the Piedmont. The richsoil sustained the Virginia Indianswho lived here. During theRevolutionary War, the Piedmontwas home to some of America’sgreatest leaders, includingThomas Jefferson, who loved tofarm at his home at Monticello.When the Civil War tore Americaapart, the Piedmont’s fields becamebloody battlegrounds as some of theharshest battles of the war werewaged here. Amid the rolling hills ofthis lovely region, much of Virginia’shistory, both good and bad, tookplace.

The Piedmont is the biggestregion in the state.

A glass of milk and a grilled cheesesandwich? Corn on the cob andfresh baked bread? Some of yourfavorite foods just might come fromPiedmont farms. Agriculture is stillVirginia’s biggest industry, and therich soil of the Piedmont Region isperfect for many different crops. In thenorthern Piedmont, wheat and corn thrive.In the summer, peach trees are heavy withfruit, vineyards grow sweet grapes, andtobacco farms sprawl across the landscape.

Feeding Our State

Monticello was ThomasJefferson’s homeand farm.

Where flat meets high—the Piedmont’s rollingfarmlands stop when they hit the Blue RidgeMountains of the Appalachian Mountain chain.

Rows of tobacco grow on thisVirginia farm. Tobacco is one ofthis region’s most famous crops.

Fields of GoldToday many folks in the Piedmont

Region are still farmers, and farming is stillVirginia’s largest industry, but the regionhas also become a center for computerand information technology. Our federaland state governments depend on “techcenters” in the parts of the Piedmont nearWashington, D.C., andRichmond, Virginia’scapital.

24 25

V I R G I N I A ’ S F I V E R E G I O N S

3.THE BLUE RIDGEMOUNTAINSSome mountains are sharp and pointy, but not the Blue Ridge

Mountains. They are very old and rounded—the oldest mountainson Earth. They were first formed over a billion years ago and arepart of an even bigger mountain chain called the Appalachian(Apple-ATCH-in or Apple-AY-chin) Mountains. Millions of years ofrain and wind—weathering and erosion—have rounded off theirpeaks to give them their soft, bumpy, draped shape.

Birthplace of RiversMany of Virginia’s rivers begin high in the Blue Ridge and carry

water down from the mountains to the sea. In the winter manymountains are covered with a thick blanket of snow. Spring’swarmth melts the snow, which trickles down the mountainsides,forming streams. Streams then come together and form rivers.

Skyline DriveEvery year over two million visitors make

the drive along a 105-mile road that clingsto the ridge tops of the Blue RidgeMountains. Skyline Drive is part of the BlueRidge Parkway in Shenandoah NationalPark, and it is one of the most famousspots in the United States. Building theroad was very difficult. It took many yearsand thousands of workers to finish it.Today recreation is a big business here.

The Hills Are Alive

The Blue Ridge is themiddle of Virginia’sfive regions.

A stream inWhiteoak Canyon

These trees loadedwith apples areready for picking atorchards in the BlueRidge.

Hidden away in the nooks and crannies of themountains are all sorts of animals, birds, and reptiles. Blackbears stuff themselves on ripe berries, and rattlesnakessleep on rocks on warm summer afternoons. Hawks and

eagles soar overhead readyto swoop down on theirprey as bobcats lick theirfurry paws and herds ofwhite tail deer graze onthe plants that carpet thehillsides. Hikers andcampers flock to the BlueRidge region to see it all.

Why are they called the Blue RidgeMountains? Sometimes at dusk the ridgesappear to be many shades of blue.

26 27

V I R G I N I A ’ S F I V E R E G I O N S

The soft peaks of Virginia’s Blue RidgeMountains are very beautiful. MountRogers, off in the distance, is the highestspot in the state at 5,729 feet above sealevel—more than a mile high!

4.VALLEY AND RIDGEThe land west of the Blue Ridge Mountains is called the Valley and

Ridge region. Its name tells you a lot about this part of Virginia. It is avery up-and-down area with long, narrow, tree-covered ridges thatrise up sharply. Tucked between the ridges are areas of flatter land.One of the largest of these flat areas is called the Great Valley ofVirginia. A large part of Virginia's apple crop grows here.

Oh, ShenandoahThe Great Valley is part of the Appalachian Mountain system

and is actually made up of several different valleys. The bestknown of these is the Shenandoah (Shen-en-DOH-uh) Valley.

Shenandoah means “daughter of the stars” in the language of theVirginia Indians who first lived here. The northern part of the Valleyof Virginia is drained by the Shenandoah River. The rich soil alongits banks is perfect for farming, and you might hear the mooing ofcows, since many large beef and dairy farms are in this region.

The county of Rockingham in the Valley andRidge region has a very special honor. It isknown as the “Turkey Capital of America.”Each year more than five million turkeysleave this region’s farms and are shipped offto America’s Thanksgiving and holidaycelebrations as the main course. Poultryfarming is the biggest industry in the Valleyand Ridge region.

Scenic WondersThe Valley and Ridge region is full of nature

hard at work—from spooky limestone caves atLuray, to the steamy warmth of Hot Springs, to theamazing Natural Bridge carved by many millionsof years of fast-running water.There are other amazing natural wonders, such

as the seven skinny stone towers called the NaturalChimneys, left behind when an underground cavesystem collapsed.Man-made beauty greets visitors too. Covered

bridges such as the Meems Bottom Covered Bridgebring serene beauty to this part of our state.

Gobble-town

George Washington carvedhis initials on the side of theNatural Bridge.

NaturalChimneys

Luray Caverns

The Valley and Ridge is thelongest region. It touches thewestern tip of the state.

28 29

V I R G I N I A ’ S F I V E R E G I O N S

Meems BottomCovered Bridge

5.THE APPALACHIANPLATEAU

The smallest of Virginia’s regions is also the one with the longestname. Here in the southwest corner of the state, the AppalachianMountains reach elevations well above 2,600 feet above sealevel—half a mile high.These mountains have fairly flat tops that form plateaus. There

are also many valleys and streams that make much of the regionvery difficult to travel across. The Appalachian Plateau region iscovered with forests, but beneath much of the surface liessomething very special—coal fields. Only a small part of theAppalachian Plateau is located in Virginia. The rest stretches fromWest Virginia into Kentucky, Tennessee, and beyond.

Coal CountryThousands of years ago the Virginia Indians

knew that burning coal, chopped into smallblack bricks, would give off greater heat thanburning logs. They used coal fires to hardentheir pottery. European settlers learned aboutthe coal fields as theymoved west acrossVirginia.

A “Powerful” Power SourceThe European settlers didn’t use much

coal at first. They turned to waterwheelsfor energy and wood fires for heat. But bythe 1850s, with a growing railroad industryand new steamship lines, coal became veryvaluable. Burning coal made ships, trainengines, and factories run. By the 1900speople were using coal to make steel tobuild skyscrapers. America needed coal, andthe Appalachian Plateau had plenty.

Looking toward Virginia fromneighboring Kentucky, a mountainmist covers the AppalachianPlateau. Although the Blue Ridgeregion has the highest peaks inVirginia, the mountains here arealso very tall.

The Appalachian Plateaurises up to the west of theValley and Ridge region.

The smallest regionhas a verylong name.

Words to Know�Elevations

EL-uh-vay-shunzAreas that are raised up.

�Plateauplah-TOE

A raised, fairly flat pieceof land.

Coal is a fossil fuel made from plants that lived and diedmore than 100 million years ago. It takes millions of yearsfor decayed plants to be pressed into coal. Why doesburning coal give off so much heat? Back when dinosaursroamed the Earth, those plants soaked up the sun’senergy. A decaying plant will slowly release stored upsolar energy, but with coal, the decay process wasinterrupted, preventing the release of stored solar energy.Burning the coal releases the energy that has been storedfor millions of years.

What is Coal?

30 31

V I R G I N I A ’ S F I V E R E G I O N S

Some coal comes from stripmines on mountain tops suchas this one. Other coaldeposits are dug from deepunderground by coal miners.

Chapter 1 Review QuestionsUse the map on page 11 to answer question 1.1. Relative location can be described using theword(s) “next to,” “north or south,” or “bordering.”Write a paragraph using these terms to explain whereeach of Virginia's bordering states is located incomparison to Virginia

Use pages 16–17 to answer question 2.2. Virginia has two large bodies of water that borderthe eastern section of the state. In a paragraph, nameboth bodies of water, tell where they are located, andexplain how they are different from each other.

Use pages 17 and 19 to answer question 3 in complete sentences.3. In what region of Virginia are the Great DismalSwamp and Lake Drummond located? How are theydifferent from each other?

Use pages 20–21 to answer questions 4 and 5 in completesentences.4. Explain why towns and cities developed near theFall Line.5. Why was it important for the first Europeans inVirginia to stay east of the Fall Line?

Use pages 22–23 to answer questions 6 and 7 in completesentences.6. List the four major rivers in Virginia and the maincities that developed next to them.7. How did rivers affect the settlement of Virginia?

Use pages 18–31 to answer question 8.8. Copy the following chart on your own paper andfill in the blank sections.

Just for FunInteresting facts about Virginia

State nicknames:• Old DominionA nickname first used in Colonialdays to indicate that Virginia wasEngland’s oldest New World colony.“Dominion” means control over aterritory.

• The Birthplace of PresidentsEight U.S. Presidents were born inVirginia including four of the first five.

• The Birthplace of a NationVirginians played a major role inAmerica’s fight for independence.32 33

LET’S REVIEW

FourRivers

Five Regions

Atlantic Ocean Fall Line Eastern ShoreChesapeake Bay

5. AppalachianPlateau

The James The York The Rappahanock The Potomac

4. Valley andRidge

3. Blue RidgeMountains

2. The Piedmont

1. Coastal Plain(Tidewater)

State Tree:Dogwood

State Flower:Dogwood

Think and Do• Create a travel brochure or posterfor one of Virginia’s five regions. Besure to include facts about thenatural wonders of the region, itsindustries, and location.

• Choose one industry or economicactivity from each region and learnmore about it. Then make ascrapbook or display board of whatyou discover.

• Plan a cruise on the James Riverfrom its start in the AppalachianMountains to the Chesapeake Bay.Where would the boat stop andwhy? What sites would you pointout? How would the landscapechange along the way?

Name of region

Coastal Plain/Tidewater

Important geographicfeatures in the region

What does it look like?

The Piedmont

Blue RidgeMountains

Valley andRidge

AppalachianPlateau

Key Words to KnowUse your own words to explain the meaning of each word.boundary • ocean • Fall Line • plateau • peninsulaharbor • tides • Tidewater • erosion • sourcerelative location • elevations • border

Lake Drummond Dismal Swamp Mountains Plateau

State Bird:Cardinal