North Carolina geography
North Carolina [ nɔːɹθ ˌkæɹəlaɪnə ] is on the Atlantic coast situated state in the southeastern United States . The state is bordered by South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west, and Virginia to the north . The geography of North Carolina is determined by the three regions of the country, the coastal plain, the Piedmont Plateau and the mountain region.
Position and extent
North Carolina is on the southeast coast of the United States and is bordered by the states of South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west, and Virginia to the north. In the east lies the Atlantic. The state extends between the 34 ° and 36 ° 21 'north latitude and the 75 ° 30' to 84 ° 15 'east longitude, its extent in east-west direction is about 800 kilometers and extends north-south over 240 kilometers .
Regions
Geographically , North Carolina can be divided into three main parts from east to west: The coastal plain on the Atlantic , the Piedmont Plateau and the mountainous region of the Appalachians . The highest peak in the Appalachians, Mount Mitchell ( 2037 m ), is in North Carolina.
Coastal region
About two thirds of the state is occupied by the Atlantic coastal plain. The coastal plain is bounded in the west by the fall zone (dt. Waterfall area); there the Piedmont Plateau drops off relatively steeply towards the coastal region and the rivers of the state, which have their source in the Appalachian Mountains, have rapids and waterfalls here. The fall zone runs along a range of hills from the South Carolina border through Fayetteville , Raleigh and finally Henderson on the Virginia border. The hills drop down to 90 meters to the coastal plain.
To the east of this line, the coastal plain is very flat with sandy bottoms. Dense forests grow here, mostly with pine and other evergreen trees. The floors are particularly suitable for growing tobacco , soy , melons and cotton . This region, to which the Inner Banks belong, is the most rural in North Carolina, with only a few major cities and towns. The rivers, Neuse River , Tar River , Pamlico River , and Cape Fear River flow slowly and widen with deep river beds in the plain.
The coastal plain also includes the Outer Banks in the extreme east , a chain of extremely sandy narrow islands that form a barrier between the Atlantic and the inland waterways. The banks have no offshore coral reefs and are therefore variable in their position. The Outer Banks form two large straits , Albemarle Sound in the north and Pamlico Sound in the south, whose area exceeds that of the State of Connecticut . These two sounds form the largest continental straits in the United States. The Outer Banks are also known as the “Atlantic Cemetery” because of the many accidents and ships that run aground off this stretch of coast. On one of the islands of the Outer Banks is the southeasternmost point of the east coast of the United States , Cape Hatteras . Other promontories are Cape Lookout and Cape Fear .
Although North Carolina has hundreds of kilometers of coastline, the offshore islands and marshland lacks a suitable natural port, which is why North Carolina has never been able to develop an important port city like that in the neighboring states of Georgia ( Savannah ) and Virginia ( Norfolk) ) and South Carolina ( Charleston ) was the case. Wilmington , which is about 15 miles inland on the Cape Fear River, is the state's only major port. The Cape Fear River often has to be dredged to allow larger merchant ships to pass through.
Piedmont Plateau
The Piedmont Plateau, which adjoins the coastal plain in a westerly direction, takes up about two fifths of the area of North Carolina. The transition between the lower-lying coastal region and the Piedmont is marked by the fall zone , which describes the difference in altitude at which rivers form waterfalls for the first time. The Piedmont region in the center of the state is the most urbanized and most densely populated region of North Carolina. The Piedmont is a hilly landscape, which is often interrupted by smaller foothills of the mountains and by valleys formed by rivers, and has arisen from the almost completely eroded remains of higher mountains. The Piedmont has a number of smaller, isolated, and heavily eroded mountain peaks and mountain ranges , including the Sauratown Mountains, Pilot Mountain, Uwharrie Mountains, Crowder's Mountain, King's Pinnacle, and the South Mountains. The height of the Piedmont ranges from about 90 meters in the west to 300 meters above sea level in the east. The larger rivers of the Piedmont, such as the Yadkin River and the Catawba River , tend to flow rather quickly in narrow and shallow river beds crisscrossed by shallows.
The soils consist predominantly of thin, stony layers of clay that are deposited on layers of gneiss made of granite and other metamorphic rocks . On the eastern edge of the plateau there are sandy hills that mark an earlier coastline with its dunes and beaches. Peaches and melons, for which the region is known, grow on the well-moistened soil
As in the mountainous region of the state, the vegetation of the Piedmont consisted mostly of dark forests with thick undergrowth, interrupted by larger grassy clearings. With the expansion of agriculture in the 18th century, large parts of the forests were cleared and replaced by fields and pastures. Due to the rapid urbanization of the landscape since the 1970s, agriculture has largely been displaced and is giving way to a suburban structure.
Mountain region
The mountain range of the Appalachian Mountains forms the western border of the state. The mountains in North Carolina can be divided into four mountain ranges:
- The Great Smoky Mountains , also known as the Smokies , form the state's western border and are the second highest mountain range in North Carolina. The highest point of the Smokies in North Carolina is Mount Guyot, at an altitude of 2018 meters above sea level.
- The Blue Ridge Mountains are the largest mountain range in North Carolina and run in a winding course through the west of the state with occasional high foothills over the surrounding terrain. The Black Mountains, which are part of the Blue Ridge, form the highest peaks east of the Rocky Mountains , the highest of which, Mount Mitchell , rises 2037 meters above sea level in North Carolina and forms the highest point east of the Mississippi .
- The Brushy Mountains are a significantly smaller and lower mountain range that is completely within state borders. Often called the Brushies , this group of mountains separates the riverbeds of the Catawba River and the Yadkin River. The Brushy Mountains begin with the elevation of Hibriten Mountain in Caldwell County and end with Pilot Mountain and the Sauratown Mountains in Stokes County . The Brushies' highest peak is Pores Knob 817 meters above sea level.
- The Uwharrie Mountains , named after one of the Indian tribes that used to live in the region , are the easternmost and at the same time the oldest and lowest mountain range in North Carolina. The Uwharries begin in Montgomery County and end in the hills of Person County . The highest point of this mountain range is the High Rock Mountain with not even 350 meters above sea level, but still rises far above the surrounding land, which is only about 150 meters above sea level.
Each of these mountain ranges is characterized by specific characteristics, for example the chain of the Smoky Mountains, in contrast to the Blue Ridge Mountains, is more coherent and more uniform in its geographical orientation and altitude. The Blue Ridge Mountains consist of several individual formations that are rather loosely strung together in a chain, the height of the peaks varies between about 1500 meters and 2040 meters above sea level, while the average height is around 1200 meters. The slopes in the east rise steeply from 500 meters to 1,300 meters above sea level, they appear to some observers like a huge high wall that runs through the western horizon of the state. The Brushy Mountains are characterized by a remarkable uniformity in direction and height, as many of the peaks are 600 meters above sea level, while only a few rise above 700 meters. The last mountain range, the Uwharrie Ridge, sometimes presents itself as a series of elevated peaks, but also shows some smooth and isolated humps, which, thanks to the very flat environment, often appear higher than they actually are. Between the mountains there are beautiful and fertile valleys that are rich in rivers and streams. The mountains themselves are covered with lush forests, which often form very dense undergrowth, only a few peaks are bare with prairie-like vegetation. Although agriculture still plays an important role in this region, the importance of tourism is steadily increasing and has become the most important industry in the mountain region. One of the newer, high-growth branches of agriculture is the production of Christmas trees.
Waters
North Carolina has three independent river systems: rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico , rivers that flow into the Atlantic via South Carolina, and rivers that flow into the Atlantic in North Carolina. The cause of the separation between the systems that flow westward and flow into the Gulf via the Mississippi and the rivers that flow towards the Atlantic is America's main eastern watershed . It runs north-south along the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west of the state, and the rivers of the first system originate on the western flank of the Blue Ridge. The separation between the river systems that flow into the Atlantic is caused by a ridge that stretches from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in a southeastern direction almost to the port city of Wilmington along the border with Virginia.
The rivers of the second system originate on the eastern flank of the Blue Ridge. These rivers, the Catawba River and the Yadkin River, feed about 30 counties of the state with their tributaries , fan the country and irrigate a large part of the Piedmont before flowing over the border into South Carolina and the coast there to reach. The Yadkin River has been heavily dammed for power generation and flood control; just below the last dam before it flows into the South Carolina area, it is called the Pee Dee River . The Chowan River , the Roanoke River, the Tar River, the Neuse River and the Cape Fear River belong to the third river system in North Carolina and were important trade routes before the railway routes were built. The latter three rivers have their source near the state's northern border, near the eastern source of the Yadkin River. The origin of the Chowan River is in the neighboring state of Virginia not far from the Appomattox Court House , while the main sources of the Roanoke River are also in Virginia, but arise in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Other tributaries are found in the headwaters of the Yadkin River in the North Carolina area. Only one of the rivers flows directly into the sea, the others continue to fan out in the coastal plain and flow into the two sounds.
The rivers of all three systems are bordered by mostly flat banks wooded with cypresses and hardwoods. In their course from the high plateaus to the lowlands, they overcome height differences of several hundred meters through rapids and waterfalls. These offer regenerative energies for various machines. In the colonial past, cotton mills and other businesses such as sawmills often took advantage of the offer and thus favored the rise of many cities and towns. The sounds and the shallower rivers in the low-lying coastal plain offer rich fish stocks and colonies of water birds. The banks of these rivers are popular hunting grounds for ducks and other birds, while anglers head to the Albemarle Sound region for herrings , alps and snapper .
The sounds and the rivers that flow there create a network of waterways with a length of around 1800 kilometers, which are suitable for steam and sailing ships. They are separated from the open sea by the offshore islands. The semi-wild bank ponies , a breed of small horses , also live on these islands, between 90 meters and just over three kilometers wide . The Banks stretch along the entire coast of North Carolina and are interrupted by connections to the Atlantic, but most of them are too shallow for ships to pass through. The Banks severely restricted the development of ports and waterway trade in the north, but Beaufort Harbor and the Cape Fear River provide suitable ports.
Smaller natural lakes are found everywhere in North Carolina; Due to the containment of the rivers by energy supply companies, larger reservoirs and reservoirs have emerged which, in addition to flood control and energy generation, also serve as tourist destinations, recreational areas and hunting and fishing regions. A larger lake area was created, for example, by the backwater of the Yadkin River at the foothills of the Uwharrie Mountains: the Uwharrie Lakes . The largest of these lakes is High Rock Lake , a popular destination for anglers and those seeking relaxation. The largest man-made lake in North Carolina is Lake Norman , an area of 129 square kilometers , a reservoir on the Catawba River, on the banks of which Lake Norman State Park was created in a collaboration between the state and energy companies.
geology
The geology of North Carolina can essentially also be divided into three regions, which also run in a west-east direction. The oldest part of the state, at over one to around one and a half billion years old, is in the west. The belt known as the Blue Ridge Belt , which also includes the smaller sections Murphy Belt and Grandfather Mountain Window , consists of volcanic , sedimentary and metamorphic rock such as feldspar , mica and quartz .
To the east, the Piedmont connects to the next to the Inner Piedmont Belt with an age from 750 to 500 million years ago, the Kings Mountain Belt , Milton Belt , Charlotte Belt , Carolina Slate Belt , Raleigh Belt and the Eastern Slate Belt include the all are between 650 and 300 million years old. Also part of the Piedmont are the Triassic Basins , which are 200 to 190 million years old and are much younger , former ditches that were filled with mud and washed-out sediments from the adjacent higher areas. In the Carolina Slate Belt , gold mines were already in operation before the gold rush . Today, in addition to lithium and clay, granite , gneiss and other materials for the construction industry are mined in this region .
The largest and youngest geological section of the state is the Atlantic coastal plain, which covers about 45% of the state and extends from the Piedmont to the Atlantic. To the west, the coastal plain is delimited by what is known as the fall zone , the three-million-year-old coastline that is around 90 meters above sea level. It consists mainly of sedimentary rock, mostly sand and clay, in the south of the coastal plain there is also limestone . The most economically important mineral in the state, phosphate that can be used for fertilizers , is mined in this region.
climate
The influences and the climate of North Carolina differ in the different regions of the state. The mountains often serve as a "shield" to the Piedmont region, keeping out low temperatures and storms from the Midwest. Most of the state has a warm , moderate rainy climate ; The higher-lying areas in the Appalachian Mountains, which are included in the zone of the fully humid boreal climate , are excluded . The average daily temperature in most areas of the state is around 32 ° C in July. In January the average temperature is 10 ° C.
The coastal plain is climatically influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, which ensures mild temperatures in winter and not too high temperatures in summer. The maximum daily temperature on the coast is 31 ° C in summer, while temperatures rarely drop below 4 ° C in winter. The average maximum daily temperature in the winter months is around 15 ° C on the coastal plain, temperatures below freezing point are extremely rare. About two centimeters of snow fall annually on the coastal plain and many winters are completely free of snow and ice.
The Atlantic Ocean has significantly less influence in the Piedmont, the summers are warmer and the winters colder than in the coastal region. The maximum daily temperatures in summer are on average over 32 ° C, but rarely rise above 37 ° C. The warmest region of the state is in the lower-lying areas of the Piedmont, around the city of Fayetteville. Without the moderating influence of the sea, the temperature fluctuations in the Piedmont are significantly greater than on the coast. The winter on the Piedmont Plateau is less mild than in the plains of the coastal region, the daytime temperatures average around 10 ° C and often fall below freezing point at night. The annual snowfall is between 7 and 12 centimeters in the Charlotte area and up to 20 centimeters in Raleigh. Winter weather in Piedmont is known for sleet showers and freezing rain , which in some storms can be so severe that trees and power lines collapse under the load. Although the annual rainfall and humidity in the Piedmont are lower than on the coast or in the mountains, about 100 liters per square meter of rainfall are measured annually.
The Appalachian Mountains are the coolest area in North Carolina, and even in summer the temperature rarely rises above 26 ° C. The average daytime temperatures in winter are between −1 ° C and 5 ° C, often falling below −9 ° C. Between 36 and 51 centimeters of snow falls per year, in the higher regions usually more, for example, during a blizzard in 1993, more than 120 centimeters of snow fell on Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in North Carolina.
Violent weather phenomena are not uncommon in North Carolina. On average, the state is hit by a full hurricane once a decade , and tropical storms hit the state about every three to four years. In some years, North Carolina may experience multiple hurricanes and tropical storms, or feel the effects of the foothills of those storms on the coastal plain. Only the states of Florida and Louisiana are hit by hurricanes more frequently than North Carolina. On average, thunderstorms are recorded 50 days per year, some of them so severe that they cause hail and gusts of wind of hurricane strength.
Although most hurricanes cause damage in the coastal regions of the country, they can reach the interior of the country and cause great damage there. For example, Hurricane Hugo reached the state's hinterland, causing severe damage in Charlotte, and migrating as far as the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwest of the state. North Carolina experiences fewer than 20 tornadoes a year on average, most of which are caused by hurricanes or tropical storms in the coastal plain. Tornadoes from thunderstorms occur in the eastern parts of the state, while the western Piedmont is often protected from such storms by the mountains. Another weather phenomenon called cold air damming , the accumulation of cold air masses, occurs occasionally in the west of the state, which can mitigate the storms, but also leads to massive freezing rain in winter.
fauna and Flora
Due to its geographical location, the fauna and flora of the state offer a very diverse picture, ranging from the sparse and shallow-rooted vegetation of the coastal region and the American alligators that live there to the coniferous forests in the Appalachian Mountains inhabited by bears and white-tailed deer . The typical plants and animals of the southeast are represented, a total of around 300 tree species and subspecies, as well as around 3000 different flowering plants. Many of the flora and fauna found in North Carolina are considered endangered, some of which relates to the state, but also endangered species nationwide have their habitat in North Carolina, for example the bald eagle , various whales and the Blue Ridge goldenrod .
In the coastal region, beach grass and silt grass are mainly found in the salt marshes and marshes . Virginia cedars and pines in particular grow on trees, but cypresses, eucalyptus and mangroves also find good growth conditions in the region's black water swamps . The Venus flytrap is only found in the Wilmington region worldwide. In addition to a variety of salt and freshwater fish, oysters, sea turtles, and the protected Mississippi alligators also inhabit the state's rivers, lakes, and coastline. A specialty of the Outer Banks are the so-called bank ponies , which live semi-wild on the offshore island chain.
In the Piedmont, the trees can take root; there are mixed forests and open stretches of land in which poplar, birch, linden, horse chestnut and maple grow, as well as the Carolina hemlock and various types of orchids. In addition to common species such as raccoons and squirrels, common animal species also include possums , some endangered bat species, and beavers. The rivers and lakes are populated by perch, catfish and other fish, and there are a variety of different water birds, especially ducks and geese.
Towards the mountains the vegetation changes into coniferous forests, where the habitats of the animals partially overlap with the piedmont. Gray wolves and mountain lions are already extinct, but bobcats are found in the forests of North Carolina. Black bears also live in the area of Great Smoky Mountain , which are now a tourist attraction. The wild boars, which were only introduced in the 19th century, are common, as are white-tailed deer. Trout and perch live in the clear rivers of the mountains.
literature
- William S. Powell, Jay Mazzocchi (Eds.): Encyclopedia of North Carolina , The University of North Carolina Press, October 25, 2006, ISBN 0-8078-3071-2
- Orrin H. Pilkey: The North Carolina shore and its Barrier Islands: restless ribbons of sand , Duke University Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8223-2224-2
- Thomas Ellsworth Hemmerly: Appalachian wildflowers , University of Georgia Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8203-2181-8
- Mike Sigalas: North Carolina , Avalon, 2003, ISBN 1-56691-383-7
Individual evidence
- ^ North Carolina Geological Survey , overview map of the individual regions and geomorphological data under North Carolina Geological Survey North Carolina Geology
- ↑ North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State: North Carolina Climate & Geography Last accessed January 13, 2008
- ↑ US Travel Weather: North Carolina Weather ( January 29, 2008 memento in the Internet Archive ) Last accessed January 13, 2008
- ^ NOAA National Climatic Data Center: Average number of tornadoes per year Last accessed on May 18, 2008
- ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: North Carolina Diary: Flora ) (Eng.) Last accessed on October 27, 2008
- ↑ NCNatural: The Way-Too-Long List of Rare, Endangered and Threatened Vascular Flora of North Carolina (list of endangered plant species in North Carolina, as of 2000) Last accessed October 27, 2008
