Landforms of North Carolina

Coastal Plain• low, flat land along the Atlantic Ocean• divided into two parts - the Outer Coastal Plain and the Inner Coastal Plain

– Outer Coastal Plain is made up of the Outer Banks and the Tidewater region• Outer Banks - a string of barrier islands separated from the mainland by sounds or

inlets– largest islands are Bodie, Hatteras, Ocracoke, Portsmouth, and the Core Banks– Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear

» Cape Hatteras is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic because shifting sand has caused many ships to run aground

– Stretch more than 175 miles along the coast• Tidewater Region is the area along the coast close to sea level

– There are seven sounds - Pamlico, Albemarle, Currituck, Croatan, Roanoke, Core, and Bogue

– Characterized by wetlands – Only place in the world where the Venus Flytrap plant grows naturally

– Inner Coastal Plain - higher, drier area west of the Tidewater• rich, sandy soil is some of the state's best farmland• southwestern corner of the Inner Coastal Plain are the Sandhills, a subregion of rolling,

sandy hills• Longleaf pines are native to this area.

Piedmont• Middle region of the state, located between the Coastal Plain and

the Mountain regions• Name comes from French word meaning "foot of the mountain”• Monadnocks- outcrops of more resistant rock standing above

mostly level terrain leveled by erosion and weathering• Pilot Mountain

• Fall line (fall zone) - boundary between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont• rivers flow from the Paleozoic plateau of the Piedmont to the softer

rocks of the Coastal Plain– Below the fall line, streams are usually sluggish and smooth-

flowing. – Above the fall line, the streams are rocky and shallow, making

boating difficult

Mountains• Western part of the state • Blue Ridge Mountains separate the Piedmont from the Mountain

region– Other ranges include the Bald, Balsam, Black, Brushy, Great Smoky, Iron,

Pisgah, Stone, and Unaka which are part of the Appalachian Mountains (over 480 million years old)• possibly the oldest mountains in the United States

– Mount Mitchell in the Black Mountain range is 6, 684 feet high• Highest point in North Carolina and the highest point in the United

States east of the Mississippi River– Eastern Continental Divide runs along the Appalachian Mountains and

separates east and west flowing rivers• Rivers on the eastern side of the divide flow east toward the Atlantic

Ocean• Rivers that run on the western side of the divide flow toward the

Tennessee and Ohio rivers and into the Gulf of Mexico

Agriculture and Industry

Coastal Plain

• Agriculture– Tobacco– Sweet potato– Cotton– Peanuts– Blueberries– Watermelon

• Industry– Wood pulp production/Lumber– Tourism/Recreation – Fishing and shellfish– Hogs

Piedmont

• Agriculture– Wheat– Corn– Various vegetables

• Industry– Research and Development– Technology– Tourism/Recreation– Poultry (meat and eggs)– Cattle

Mountains

• Agriculture– Christmas trees (2nd largest in US)– Trout– Apples

• Industry– Nursery and Greenhouse– Aquaculture– Tourism/Recreation