North Carolina’s Regions are called or named Coastal Plain Piedmont Mountains, Names
of Three North Carolina Regions Maps, Map, Geography, Photos, Photo, Pictures, Photographs of Three North Carolina Geographical
Regions 3
| 3 North Carolina Regions' Map |
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| Map Reflecting Each North Carolina Region |
REGIONS
The three landforms of North Carolina comprise the three major geographic
regions of the state: Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Mountains.
North Carolina's Coastal Plain is low, flat land along the Atlantic Ocean.
It is often divided into two parts - the Outer Coastal Plain and the Inner Coastal Plain.
The Outer Coastal Plain is made
up of the Outer Banks and the Tidewater region. The Outer Banks are a string of barrier islands separated from the mainland by sounds or inlets. The largest islands in the Outer
Banks are Bodie, Hatteras, Ocracoke, Portsmouth, and the Core Banks. Three capes are part of the Outer Banks: Cape Hatteras,
Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear. Near these capes are dangerous shoals, or underwater sandbars which are hazards to ships. Cape
Hatteras is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic because shifting sand has caused many ships to run aground. The Outer Banks
stretch more than 175 miles along the coast.
The Tidewater is the area along the coast close to sea level. The
mouths of the major streams and rivers empty into sounds or the ocean. There are seven sounds in the Tidewater region: Pamlico, Albemarle, Currituck, Croatan, Roanoke, Core, and Bogue Sounds. This region has many low-lying areas called wetlands,
where water covers the land. The Great Dismal Swamp, a series of swamps scattered from Virginia, to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, is North Carolina's largest
wetland area. It covers about 750 square miles, making it one of the largest swamps in the United States. The Tidewater is
the only place in the world where the Venus Flytrap plant grows naturally.
The Inner Coastal Plain, a higher, drier area, begins west of the
Tidewater. The rich, sandy soil here is some of the state's best farmland. In the southwestern corner of the Inner Coastal
Plain are the Sandhills, a subregion of rolling, sandy hills. This area has the highest elevation on the Coastal Plain, ranging
from about 900 to 1,000 feet above sea level. Longleaf pines are native to this area.
Piedmont
The Piedmont is the middle region of the state, located between the Coastal
Plain and the Mountain regions. Piedmont is a French word meaning "foot of the mountain." The elevations of this region range
from about 300 feet in the western Coastal Plain to about 1,500 feet near the mountains. The boundary between the Coastal
Plain and the Piedmont is called the fall line or fall zone. Along this are, rivers flow from the older, harder rocks of the
Piedmont to the softer rocks of the coastal Plain. Along the fall line, rivers form shoals, low waterfalls, and rapids. Below
the fall line, streams are usually sluggish and smooth-flowing. Above the fall line, the streams are rocky and shallow, making
boating difficult. The land of the Piedmont is called a plateau because it is high and mostly flat.
The western part of the state is the Mountain region. It is smaller in area than the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. The elevation in this
region reaches to more than one mile high. The Blue Ridge Mountains separate the Piedmont from the Mountain region. Other
ranges in the Mountain region include the Bald, Balsam, Black, Brushy, Great Smoky, Iron, Pisgah, Stone, and Unaka. All of these ranges are part of the larger Appalachian Mountains, possibly the oldest
mountains in the United States. North Carolina has at least 40 mountains that rise to 6,000 feet and 100 that rise more than
5,000 feet. Mount Mitchell in the Black Mountain range is 6,684 feet high. This is the highest point in North Carolina and
the highest in the United States east of the Mississippi River. The Eastern Continental Divide runs east from those flowing west. 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.
Source: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Recommended
Reading: North Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer (North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer). Description:
This is not your ordinary map! This Atlas is filled with comprehensive and detailed maps. It covers all three Regions of North
Carolina: Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Mountains. It is the first choice for outdoor enthusiasts
– sports, hiking, fishing, rock climbing, skiing, boating, bird watching, tubing, kayaking, hunting, etc. “Beautiful,
detailed and large-format…” (1) Physical land features: topographic contours, water resources, vegetation, etc.
(2) Off-road options: trails, abandoned railroads, ferries. (3) Recreation: Parks, outdoor sports, points of interest. It
is perfect for home and office reference, the casual and business traveler, and every vehicle. Continued below...
Gazetteer information
even includes: campgrounds, attractions, historic sites & museums, recreation areas, trails, freshwater fishing sites
& boat launches, canoe trips or scenic drives. Reviews: “I am a full-time fishing guide in the mountains of North Carolina
and I have found this book to be the absolute best reference material for finding trout streams in our mountains. If you do
any type of outdoors activities you will benefit from this book.” “Instead of purchasing numerous cumbersome North Carolina maps and atlases, I bought the North Carolina Atlas
& Gazetteer and I am very pleased – it is definitive, complete, and all-in-one.” “My wife and I recently
retired and started traveling, as we always dreamed about doing, and the numerous detailed pages in this Atlas saved us time
and money while traveling across the beautiful state of North Carolina…we were able to find those out of the way flea-markets,
historic landmarks, and small town museums. I highly recommend it.”
What are the regions of North Carolina? That is a question often asked,
but maps can convey the facts well and even explain the geography and topography in high resolution. These pages
contain high resolution photos and maps for the three North Carolina Regions:
Recommended Reading: The Tar Heel State:
A History of North Carolina (Hardcover). Description:
The Tar Heel State: A History of North Carolina constitutes the most comprehensive and inclusive single-volume chronicle of
the state’s storied past to date, culminating with an attentive look at recent events that have transformed North Carolina into a southern megastate. Integrating tales of famous
pioneers, statesmen, soldiers, farmers, captains of industry, activists, and community leaders with more marginalized voices,
including those of Native Americans, African Americans, and women, Milton Ready gives readers a view of North Carolina that
encompasses perspectives and personalities from the coast, "tobacco road," the Piedmont, and the mountains in this sweeping
history of the Tar Heel State. The first such volume in more than two decades, Ready’s work offers a distinctive view
of the state’s history built from myriad stories and episodes. The Tar Heel State is enhanced by one hundred and ninety
illustrations and five maps. Continued below...
Ready begins
with a study of the state’s geography and then invites readers to revisit dramatic struggles of the American Revolution
and Civil War, the early history of Cherokees, the impact of slavery as an institution, the rise of industrial mills, and
the changes wrought by modern information-based technologies since 1970. Mixing spirited anecdotes and illustrative statistics,
Ready describes the rich Native American culture found by John White in 1585, the chartered chaos of North Carolina’s
proprietary settlement, and the chronic distrust of government that grew out of settlement patterns and the colony’s
early political economy. He challenges the perception of relaxed intellectualism attributed to the "Rip van Winkle" state,
the notion that slavery was a relatively benign institution in North Carolina,
and the commonly accepted interpretation of Reconstruction in the state. Ready also discusses how the woman suffrage movement
pushed North Carolina into a hesitant twentieth-century
progressivism. In perhaps his most significant contribution to North Carolina’s
historical record, Ready continues his narrative past the benchmark of World War II and into the twenty-first century. From
the civil rights struggle to the building of research triangles, triads, and parks, Ready recounts the events that have fueled
North Carolina’s accelerated development in recent years and the many challenges that have accompanied such rapid growth,
especially those of population change and environmental degradation.
Recommended Reading: Touring the Carolina's
Civil War Sites (Touring the Backroads Series). Description: Touring the Carolina's Civil War Sites helps travelers find the Carolinas' famous
Civil War battlefields, forts, and memorials, as well as the lesser skirmish sites, homes, and towns that also played a significant
role in the war. The book's 19 tours, which cover the 'entire Carolinas' (Coastal Plain to Mountain; from Lowcountry to Upstate)
combine riveting history with clear, concise directions and maps, creating a book that is as fascinating to the armchair reader
as it is to the person interested in heritage travel. Below are some examples from this outstanding book:
1. Fort Fisher - the largest sea fort in the war that protected the
vital town of Wilmington N.C., and the blockade runners so important for supplying Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
2. Charleston
- where the whole shootin' match started.
3. Bentonville - the last large scale battle of the war.
4. Outer Banks - early Union victories here were vital to capturing many parts of Eastern North Carolina from which the
Union could launch several offensives.
5. Sherman's
March - the destruction of certain towns in both Carolinas (particularly South Carolina)
further weakened the South's will to continue the struggle.
I also enjoyed reading about the locations of various gravesites
of Confederate generals and their Civil War service. Indeed, if not for this book, this native North Carolinian and long-time
Civil War buff may never have learned of, and visited, the locations of some of the lesser-known sites other than those mentioned
above.
Johnson's writing style is smooth--without being overly simplistic--and contains several anecdotes (some humorous
ones too) of the interesting events which took place during the Civil War years. Highly recommended!
Recommended Reading: Encyclopedia of North Carolina
(Hardcover: 1328 pages) (The University of North Carolina Press), Description: The first single-volume reference to the events, institutions, and cultural forces
that have defined the state, the Encyclopedia of North Carolina is a landmark publication that will serve those who love and
live in North Carolina for generations to come. Editor William S. Powell, whom the Raleigh News
& Observer described as a "living repository of information on all things North Carolinian," spent fifteen years developing
this volume. With contributions by more than 550 volunteer writers—including scholars, librarians, journalists, and
many others—it is a true "people's encyclopedia" of North Carolina.
Continued below...
The volume
includes more than 2,000 entries, presented alphabetically, consisting of longer essays on major subjects, briefer entries,
and short summaries and definitions. Most entries include suggestions for further reading. Centered on history and the humanities,
topics covered include agriculture; arts and architecture; business and industry; the Civil War; culture and customs; education;
geography; geology, mining, and archaeology; government, politics, and law; media; medicine, science, and technology; military
history; natural environment; organizations, clubs, and foundations; people, languages, and immigration; places and historic
preservation; precolonial and colonial history; recreation and tourism; religion; and transportation. An informative and engaging
compendium, the Encyclopedia of North Carolina is abundantly illustrated with 400 photographs and maps. It is both a celebration
and a gift—from the citizens of North Carolina, to the citizens of North Carolina.
"Truly an exhaustive and exciting view of every aspect of the Old
North State!”
Recommended Reading: Confederate
Military History Of North Carolina: North Carolina
In The Civil War, 1861-1865. Description:
The author, Prof. D. H. Hill, Jr., was the son of Lieutenant General Daniel Harvey Hill (North
Carolina produced only two lieutenant generals and it was the second highest rank in the army) and
his mother was General “Stonewall” Jackson’s wife's sister. In Confederate
Military History Of North Carolina, Hill discusses North Carolina’s massive task of preparing and mobilizing
for the conflict; the many regiments and battalions recruited from the Old North State; as well as the state's numerous
contributions during the war. Continued below...
During Hill's Tar Heel State
study, the reader begins with interesting and thought-provoking statistical data regarding the 125,000 "Old North State"
soldiers that fought during the course of the war and the 40,000 that perished. Hill advances with the Tar Heels to the first
battle at Bethel, through numerous bloody campaigns and battles--including North
Carolina’s contributions at the "High Watermark" at Gettysburg--and concludes
with Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
Recommended Reading: The Civil War in North
Carolina. Description: Numerous battles and skirmishes were fought in North
Carolina during the Civil War, and the campaigns and battles themselves were crucial in the grand
strategy of the conflict and involved some of the most famous generals of the war. John Barrett presents the complete story
of military engagements across the state, including the classical pitched battle of Bentonville--involving Generals Johnston
and Sherman--the siege of Fort Fisher,
the amphibious campaigns on the coast, and cavalry sweeps such as General Stoneman's Raid. Also available in hardcover:
The Civil War in North Carolina .
Try the Search Engine for Related Studies: Western North Carolina
and the American Civil War, Mountain Warfare, Southern Appalachian Mountains History, List of Mountains, Names of Mountains
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