Importance of key physical features on Georgia The

Importance of key physical features on Georgia The Fall Line Okefenokee Swamp • 20 mile wide boundary separating Piedmont & Coastal Regions • Contains many waterfalls (caused travel trouble in olden days) • Travelers stopped; cities were created • Columbus, Macon, Milledgeville, & Augusta became centers of commerce because rivers ran through them • Different types plants & animals on either side • North & South geography different on each side: Ø North=crystal rocks & clay soil ØSouth-=sedimentary rocks & sandy soil • 400 species of animals • Largest swamp in North America • Seminole Indians called it “land of the trembling earth” • 1937, Pres. Roosevelt created Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge -Protected the land & stopped logging of oldest/largest trees in the nation • No roads & Healthy ecosystem • Cretaceous period, swamp part of ocean floor • Currently fresh water

Appalachian Mts Chattahoochee River Savannah River • Southern most part of chain is blue ridge mts • 100 miles extends through GA • Brasstown Bald in Towns County • States highest & wettest areas; more than 80 inches of rain per year (drinking water!) • Tourists like waterfalls & scenic views (also kayakers & rafters) • Crest (top) of Mts. Forms the continental divide ØDivides the direction that rivers drain ØWestern rivers drain into Gulf of Mexico ØEastern rivers drain into Atlantic Ocean • Flows SW to Alabama into Gulf of Mexico • Flows through the Fall Line • Steamboats went south delivering cotton • North of Atlanta was creek-like & powered mills during Civil War era • After WWI dams were created for hydroelectric power or to control flooding • Important for drinking & recreational purposes • Natural boundary between GA & SC • Begins at Lake Hartwell flowing SW to Savannah-empties into Atlantic • Shipping channel for Savannah; one of our nations busiest ports for ocean bound ships • Hydroelectric damming provides power to surrounding areas • Drinkable - pollution is a health concern

Barrier Islands • Barriers between mainland & ocean • Constantly reformed by wind, waves, & currents • Golden Isles hold beaches & resorts • Vacation spots: Jekyll, Sea, Tybee, & St. Simons Islands (tourism=money for economy) • Other islands can only be reached by boat • Other industries: paper production & fishing.