30b - differentiate the five geographic regions of Georgia including the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ridge and Valley, Appalachian Plateau, Piedmont and Coastal Plain
Piedmont Region
The Piedmont part of Georgia falls in-between the Coastal Plain and the Blue Ridge mountains. It is one of the more populated areas, it has 3,000,000 people just in the one region. This region houses Georgia's capital, Atlanta. Piedmont holds the state's most important resources. The region stretches from East to West, ends at Alabama and Atlantic ocean.
Ridge and Valley Region
The Ridge and Valley region is shaped by the Appalachian Mountains. Most of the rock found in the region is sedimentary rock from when the Appalachian Mountains were forming. The ridges and valleys helped the early colonization of America, and still determines land use, communication, and settlement. Some of the valleys provided access to Tennessee, this route strongly influenced colonial-era migration in the South. It also helped the advance of Union armies during the Civil War, and it continues to be a railroad and interstate corridor.
Blue Ridge Mountains Region
The Blue Ridge Mountains region contains parts of the Appalachian mountains and holds the highest point in Georgia, Brasstown Bald. The west end of the region has sedimentary rock and the east end has metamorphic rocks. Along with the Piedmont Region, it has some of the oldest rocks in Georgia.
Coastal Plain Region
The Coastal Plain is the youngest region in Georgia, making up almost half of the surface area of the state. This region begins the fall line which runs throughout the state. The fall line represent where the younger sedimentary rocks rest on top of older rocks. Along the fall line there are series of water falls and rivers where they fall off of the hard rocks of the Piedmont onto the softer parts of the Coastal Plain.
Appalachian Plateau Region
The Appalachian plateau is located in the Northwest corner of Georgia, and stretches all the way to New York. The area has has a great economic region, because of the Appalachian Coalfields that lie beneath it. Most of the rock found in the region is sedimentary rock, along with fossils from the Paleozoic era. Only a portion of the Appalachians are in the region, but it is the most scenic in the state. For early settlers the mountains were an issue because they couldn't get around/over them.