Virginia Geography and Five Regions Unit

Transcription

1 Virginia Geography and Five Regions Unit VS.2 a-c The student will demonstrate knowledge of the physical geography and native peoples, past and present, early inhabitants of Virginia by: a) locating Virginia and its bordering states on maps of the United States. b) locating and describing Virginia s Coas Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau. c) locating and identifying water features important to t he early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Potomac River, Rappahannock River, Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp). VS.10 b The student will demonstrate knowledge of government, geography, and economics by: b) describing the major products and indus regions.

2 * Note to Teacher: For the bull s eye on the pa use Google Maps or Google Earth to provide an engaging and eye opening visual for your students. Make sure that you turn on Satellite view and start zoomed all the way out. You can zoom in by double clicking with the mouse or double tabbing with your pen when using an interactive whiteboard. Gradually zoom in until you are looking at a satellite imag e of your school.

3 Virginia s Relative Location Bull s Eye DIRECTIONS: Describe your relative location on Earth by starting on the outer ring and naming the different levels until you reach the center bull s eye. town county state country continent planet *Google Activity

4 Virginia s Relative Location Maps CONTINENT Label the continents Label the oceans Shade in the continent that you live on COUNTRY Label the country that you live in Shade in the country that you live in STATE Label the state that you live in Shade in the state that you live in

5 Virginia s Relative Location Maps (cont.) COUNTY Label the county that you live in Counties of Virginia Shade in the county that you live in CITY/TOWN Shade in the name of the city or town that you live in Do a Google Images Search for your county. Paste in a map of your county in this box. Make sure that your city is marked on the map. SCHOOL Find the location of school. Label our school and s hade it in. our Search for your school on Google Maps. Take a Screenshot and paste it here.

6 Virginia s Bordering States and Bodies of Water North Carolina. Virginia has five bordering states Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, and Bordering means that the states are actually touching, or sharing borders. Virginia also has two bordering bodies of water the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Both of these bodies of water actually touch Virginia s borders. We describe Virginia s bordering states and b Relative location is when you describe the location of an object related to another object. For example, you are sitting behind your desk learning and I am standing in front of the class teaching. Can you use relative location to describe another object in the room? DIRECTIONS: Complete the following in order on the page to the right. 1. Label and then color (according to the key ) Virginia and its five bordering states. 2. Label and then color (according to the key ) Virginia s bordering bod 3. Draw a compass rose in the box with both cardinal and intermediate directions. 4. Describe each bordering state/body of water s cardinal or intermediate directions. Bordering States Location Relative to Virginia Virginia: White X Kentucky: Yellow West Virginia: Purple Maryland: Red Tennessee: Green North Carolina: Orange Bordering Bodies of Water Location Relative to Virginia Chesapeake Bay: Light Blue Atlantic Ocean: Dark Blue

7 Virginia s Bordering States and Bodies of Water MAP Compass Rose Bordering States Mnemonic Device: Ketchup With Mustard Tastes Nasty

8 Virginia s Water Features Water features were important to the early history of Virginia. The Atlantic Ocean provided transportation links between Virginia and other places like Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. The Chesapeake Bay provided a safe harbor and was a source of food and transportation for the people who lived in Virginia. Virginia has four major rivers. Their names are the Potomac, the Rappahannock, the York, and the James Rivers. All four rivers flow into the Chesapeake Bay. Each of the 4 major rivers has cit ies located on them: 1. P otomac River Alexandria 2. R appahannock River Fredericksburg 3. Y ork River Yorktown Virginia s Major Rivers Mnemonic Devices Please Recycle Your Junk Please Remember Your Jacket or 4. J ames River Jamestown and Richmond Two other water features found in Virginia are Lake Drummond and the Great Dismal Swamp. Lake Drummond is a shallow natural lake surrounded by the Great Dismal Swamp. The Great Dismal Swamp has a variety of wildlife and was explored by George Washington. Virginia s Water Features Directions: With the help of your teacher, mark Virginia s eight different water features on the map to the right. Make sure to also include the five different cities that are found on Virginia s major rivers.

9 Virginia Trekkers Podcast The Great Dismal Swamp Directions: Listen carefully to The Virginia Trekkers in order to answer the following questions. 1) In which region is the Great Dismal Swamp located? 2) What is located in the center of the Great Dismal Swamp? 3) Who was the first person to survey, or explore the Great Dismal Swamp? 4) What types of wildlife might you find in the Great Dismal Swamp? 5) How many natural lakes are in the state of Virginia? 6) What is different about the water in Lake Drummond? 7) How deep is Lake Drummond? Virginia River Mnemonics: Illustrate each mnemonic below. Alexandria is on the Potomac. Alex likes potatoes. Fredericksburg is on the Rappahannock. Fred likes to rap. Jamestown and Richmond are on the James. King James is rich.

10 The Fall Line The Fall Line is the boundary between the hilly Piedmont and the flat Coastal Plain /Tidewater, two regions in Virginia. It's called the Fall Line because the first fal ls or rapids from the ocean are usually found here. The fall line is not only in Virginia. It continues both north and south into other states. There are many major cities on the fall line. C ities usually develop where rivers cross the f all line because ships cannot bring their cargo any fu rther -- Philadelphia, PA, Baltimore, MD, Richmond, VA, and Washington DC are all major cities in the United States that are on the fall line. The map below is an elevation map of Virginia. The shade of the colors show h ow high or low the land is. Use the elevation key to read the map and answer the question. Which of Virginia s regions is the darkest color? What does a dark color mean? Fall Line at Richmond, VA on the James River Fall Line at Great Falls, VA on the Potomac River Elevation Key Region 2 Region 1

11 Virginia s Five Geographic Regions Virginia s Regions (E W) Tidewater/Coastal Plain Piedmont Blue Ridge Mountains Valley and Ridge Appalachian Plateau Land Symbols Low and Flat Land Rolling Hills Old, Rounded Mountains Valleys and Ridges Plateaus with Deep Ravines DIRECTIONS: 1. Color the VA s Regions 2. Mark VA s 5 regions wit The state of Virginia can be divided into five geographic regions that have distinct characteristics based on their physical features, such as landforms, bodies of water, and resources. Earth s the surface different s hapes of the land. Landforms include mountains, valleys, hills, plateaus, and plains. Virginia has all of these landforms. Landforms are the ups and downs of the

12 Tidewater/Coastal Plain Region The Tidewater R egion, also known a s the Coastal Plain forms the eastern part of Virginia. It is about 100 miles wide and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to a line of waterfalls and rapids called the Fall Line on the west. The land in the Tidewater Region is low and flat. Another part of the Tidewater is the Eastern Shore. The Eastern Shore is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Chesapeake Bay to the west. It is part of a larger peninsula called the Delmarva Peninsula. Can you guess which three states make up this peninsula? If you want to tr the Eastern Shore, you can use the 18 avel from the mainland of Virginia to -mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge -Tunnel that connects the two. The Tidewater has many different water features. Virginia s major rivers flow four through this region and into the Chesapeake Bay. The Tidewater got its name because these rivers rise and fall with the tide. The tide is the daily rising and falling of oceans and the waters connected to them. Lake Drummond, the largest natural like in Virginia, and the Great Lake Drummond surrounded by the Dismal Swamp Dismal Swamp are also found in the Tidewater R egion.

13 Many pe ople who live in the Tidewater R egion today have jobs in shipbuilding, tourism, or Military Base in Norfolk, VA they work at military bases. These jobs are called industries. The area around Hampton Roads is the center of Virginia s shipbuilding industry. Shi freighters to submarines are built there. The tourist industry is one of the most important industries in the state. Every yea r thousands of tourists visit places in the Tidewater Region like Virginia Beach, the Jamestown and Williamsburg historical sites, and Busch Gardens. The Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and the Marine Corp all have bases in the Tidewater Region. F ederal mil itary bases hire more people in Virginia than any other industry. The Tidewater region produces two major products. A product is something that is made to be sold. One major product of the Coastal Plain is seafood. Hundreds of millions of pounds of fish are brought in from the waters of this region to feed people all across the country. Seafood and Peanuts Another major product is peanuts. Peanuts grow well in the flat and sandy soil of the Tidewater Region.

14 Piedmont Region The Piedmont R egion has rolling hills and is located west of the Fall Line. It is the largest of all of the regions and its land is higher than the land of the Tidewater Region. Piedmont comes from the French phrase ad pedem montium, meaning at the mountains foot. The Piedmont of lies the directly at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Several important cities in Virginia are on the Fall Line. The Fall Line cities of Alexandria, Fredericksburg, Richmond and Petersburg are all found in the Piedmont Region. The Piedmont R egion of Virginia has several main industries. They include federal and state government office s, farming, and horse industry. Many federal jobs are located in northern Virginia Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia due to its close proximity to Washington, DC, the capital of the United States. State government offices are found around the state capital of Rich mond. Farmland covers much of the Piedmont region. Many crops, especially tobacco, gr o w very well in the iron -rich soil. T he Piedmont region of Virginia is also famous for its horse racing and breeding. The famous racehorse Secretariat is from the Piedmont Region. The horse industry has an economic impact of $1.2 billion on Virginia and creates thousands of jobs for people l iving in the region.

15 The major products of the Piedmont R egion include tobacco A Tobacco Plant products like cigarettes and pipe tobacco and information technology (computers). Tobacco dominated Virginia s for over three centuries and still has a place in its economy today. Even though the growth and production of tobacco has decreased, it still is a major product in the Piedmont region. Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads area are big technology centers with many computer and software companies.

16 Blue Ridge Mountain Region The Blue Ridge Mountain Region has very old and rounded mountains. These mountains were sharp and pointy when they formed over a billion years ago, but weathering and erosion changed them to the rounded mountains they are today. SOURCE = START The four major rivers in V irginia and many others have their start in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the winter, the mountains are covered in snow. When spring comes, it melts the snow, which trickles down the mountain and forms streams. come together to form the rive These streams rs. That is why the Blue Ridge Mountain Region is called the Sour The Blue Ridge Mountains are part of a larger group of mountains called the Appa lachian Mountains, which go from Pennsylvania to northern Georgia. The highest point in Virginia, Mount Rogers is found in these mountains. M ount Rogers has an elevation of 5,729 feet, which is more than a mile high! Blue Ridge Mountains

17 The main industry in this region is the recreation industry. Recreation is an activity that someone does for fun. A person may go river rafting, s kiing, camping, hiking, or do many other fun recreational activities. Skyline Drive, a 105 -mile road, curves along the ridges in this region. More than two million visitors drive this road every year! Another famous attraction is The Appalachian Trail. This is a hiking trail that begins in the state of Maine and follows t he high mountains all the way south to the state of Georgia. Another main industry in the Blue Ridge Mountain region is farming. There are many things that are farmed there, but a major part of the industry is apple growing. Many apple orchards are found in this region of Virginia. The main product of this region is apples. Apples from this region are shipped all over the country.

18 The land west of the Blue Ridge Mountains is Valley and Ridge Region called the Valley and Ridge Region. It includes the Great Valley of Virginia an d the Allegheny Mountain Ridge. A valley is a lower area of land between mountains and a ridge is a line of mountains. Can you see the ridges? This region has many narrow ridges, whi ch are parallel to one another. These ridges are also part of the Appalachian Mountain System. M ost of the ridges rise between three and four thousand feet. Some of the ridges found in this region are the Massanutten Mountain, Shenandoah Mountain, Brushy Mountain, Walker Mou ntain, and Clinch Mountain. The Great Valley is made up of several valleys. The largest of these valleys is the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, located in the northern section of the Great Valley. The Shen andoah River winds through the V alley. The rich soil along its banks is perfect for farming. Shenandoah River in Shenandoah Valley

19 The main industry of the Valley and Ridge region is farming. It produces four major products : apples, poultry, dairy, and beef. The soil in this region is good for growing fruit trees, so a large part of Virginia's apple crop is grown in the Shenandoah Valley. Like the Blue Ridge M ountain region, the apples of this region are shipped all over the United States. Also produced here are chickens an d turkeys. Turkey (Poultry) Farmers who raise chickens and turkeys are called poultry farmers. Each year more than five million turkeys are shipped from the Valley and Ridge Region for Thanksgiving! Farmers who raise cows for beef are called cattle farmers and farmers w ho raise cows for their milk are called dairy farmers.

20 The Appalachian Plateau Region of Virginia is located in Southwest Virginia. It is the smallest of Appalachian Plateau Region Virginia's geographic regions, but it has the longest name. Only the counties of Wise, Dickenson, and Buchanan are in this region. This is a satellite image of the Appalachian Plateau. T he Appalachian Plateau is actually a larger land feature that extends into several states. Only a small part of it is actually located in Virginia. A plateau is a generally flat area of high land. But the Appalachian Plateau is not flat at all. Steep mountainsides drop into de ep gorges. So why is it called a plateau? Well, the rocks here do lie flat, but over time wind, rain, and rivers wore deep ravines into the Plateau. Can you see the ravines in this picture to the left? If you flew over this region, you would see that all of the mountains are about the same height. The mountaintops are actually the surface of the plateau.

21 The land of the Appalachian Plateau Region is rugged and covered with forests and valuable coal fields. Th at is why the main industry of the Appalachian Plateau is coal mining and its main product is coal. Coal is one of Virginia s most Its valuable most resources. important use is in making electricity. Our coal is used to make electricity around the world. Coal in Railroad Cars Ready to Move Thousands of Virginians find work in coal mines and on the railroads that transport the coal. DID YOU KNOW? Coal is a fossil fuel made from plants that live years ago. It takes millions of years for decayed plants to be pressed into coal! d and died more than 100 million