Geography is the study of the Earths physical

Geography is the study of the Earth’s physical features, the climate, and the population It also includes the ways the Earth influences the human community and how human beings shape the Earth.

Theory of Continental Drift Theory of the large-scale movements of continents over the course of geologic time.

Pangaea Was a huge continent that existed 300 million years ago. It began to break apart about 200 million years ago. It is believed that the Appalachians were formed when West Africa was joined with North America. It is also believed the Sandhill region was create when the continents started to pull apart.

South Carolina’s Geography South Carolina is located along the Southern Atlantic coast

North Carolina and Georgia are the states that border South Carolina. The coast of SC is on the Atlantic Ocean The Savannah River forms most of the border between SC and Georgia

Regions • The State is divided into 2 large regions: * The Up Country * The Low Country • They are divided by the fall zone

Fall Zone Up Country SC’s Fall zone is located between the Piedmont and Sandhill regions A boundary between an upland region and a coastal plain. Rivers from the upland region drop to the plain as falls or rapids. Low Country A fall line is formed in an area where the rivers have eroded away the soft rocks of a coastal plain more quickly than the older, harder, erosionresistant rocks of the upland region. Many cities such as Columbia, the capital of SC, were built along the fall line

Rivers in the upcountry are narrow and swift Rivers in the low country are slow and broad (wide).

Landform Regions of South Carolina is often divided further into 6 landform regions: 1. Coastal Zone 2. Outer Coastal plain 3. Inner Coastal Plain 4. Sandhill 5. Piedmont 6. Blue Ridge

REGIONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA

1. COASTAL ZONE • 185 miles along the Atlantic Ocean and includes: - Grand Strand - Barrier Islands - Salt Marshes

The Grand Strand refers to a large stretch of beaches on the East Coast of the United States extending from Little River to Georgetown The Grand Strand has become a major tourist attraction along the Southeastern coast, with its primary city, Myrtle Beach, attracting over ten million visitors each season.

Barrier Islands of South Carolina Barrier Islands are a string of low, sandy islands from Bull’s bay to The Savannah River on the coast of SC. They protect the coast from the Atlantic Ocean

3. INNER COASTAL PLAIN • Flat area with fertile soil • Carolina Bays oval depressions in the soil The Coastal Plains are often combined to make the coastal region which makes it the largest of all the regions because it covers 2/3 of the state.

2. OUTER COASTAL PLAIN -location of rice and indigo plantations in the coastal regions. -Flat , swamps, marshlands and savannas. -Coastal Plains are believed to have been under the Atlantic Ocean when the Piedmont was the coastline.

4. SANDHILLS Our state capital, Columbia, is in this region § Extends along the fall line. § A rolling, hilly area § Contains the red hills and white sandhills to the north. § Fruits and vegetables are grown here, especially peaches. § Was an ancient coastline of SC at one time. § Until the 1940’s, poor farmers lived there and ate clay and sand. They were Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge called “Sandlappers” and “clay eaters. ”

5. PIEDMONT • Includes rolling hills and many valleys • Contains nearly 1/3 of the state • Was once a productive farming area, especially for cotton, but poor farming practices led to the erosion of the topsoil. • Rapidly flowing creeks and rivers provide energy for the textile industry.

6. BLUE RIDGE • Mountainous area with high peaks and valleys • Sassafras Mt is the highest peak in the state. • Whitewater Falls the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi River.

SC’s Climate • South Carolina has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.

Hurricanes – Hurricane Hugo in 1989, a category 4 hurricane that struck near Charleston Harbor

Earthquakes • Charleston suffered from an earthquake in 1886 that destroyed much of the city. • It measured 6. 6 on the Richter scale • SC averages 10– 15 earthquakes a year below magnitude 3

SC’s Population • SC Area: 31, 055 sq miles • Population: 4, 723 • SC is a small state. • It ranks 40 th in the US for size • SC is fairly populated. • SC is ranks near the middle in the nation in population, at 24 • Seven of the most populated cities in South Carolina are located east of Columbia in the coastal regions

SC’s Economy Today South Carolina's economy is no longer dependent on any one sector. Industrial outputs include: textile goods, chemical products, paper products, machinery, automobiles and automotive products and tourism. Travel and tourism directly accounts for 6 percent of all jobs and 5 percent of gross state product in the state

Economy • Forests cover two-thirds of the total land area in South Carolina and they are essential for the state’s economy, environment, and quality of life. • Timber is the third largest employer and third highest payroll of South Carolina manufacturing industries.

Agriculture Products • Tobacco, grown primarily in the Pee Dee region of the state, is the leading crop and accounts for nearly a quarter of all income from crops. • Major crops are also greenhouse and nursery products, cotton lint, soybeans, corn, wheat, fresh tomatoes and peaches. • South Carolina is the nation's largest producer of peaches for the fresh market and second only to California in peach production overall. • Livestock : mainly comes from poultry products including broiler chickens, eggs, and turkey. • Cattle , hogs, and dairy products are also important.

SC Rivers The 3 major river systems are the Savannah, Santee, and Pee. Dee River systems The Santee is the largest River system in SC

South Carolina Fun Facts • The state dance of South Carolina is the Shag! • The first battle of the Civil War took place at Fort Sumter. • In Lake Murray lives the Loch Ness Monster's cousin the Loch Murray Monster. Every few years, Irmo has a sighting of some kind of water monster that inhabits Lake Murray. • South Carolina, before it was The Palmetto State, was The Iodine State. • The Peachoid is a 135 -foot tall water tower in Gaffney, South Carolina, United States, that resembles a peach.

More South Carolina Fun Facts • The walls of the American fort on Sullivan Island, in Charleston Harbor, were made of spongy Palmetto logs. This was helpful in protecting the fort because the British cannonballs bounced off the logs. • Charleston boasts the first public college, museum and playhouse in the U. S. • The first game of golf played in the U. S. took place • Sweetgrass basket making has been a part of the Mount Pleasant community for more than 300 years in Charleston. • The nation's only commercial tea farm, American Classic Tea, is located on. Wadmalaw Island near Charleston.