©Melissa Matusevich

Physical Map of Virginia

n n

o o i i t t

a a c This physical map of Virginia is actually a c o satellite photograph taken from outer space. o

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On it you can see where the land is flat as e well as the location of mountains. Color was e v v i added to highlight the five geographic i t regions of the state: t a a l 1. Coastal Plain (Tidewater) l e 2. Piedmont e R R may be described using words or 3. Blue Ridge Mountains

4. Valley and Ridge Can you think of others? 5. Appalachian Plateau

Thin red lines were added to show the boundaries of Virginia and the five Next to Near Bordering

neighboring states: 1. Kentucky 2. Maryland 3. West Virginia 3. North Carolina 5. Tennessee ©Melissa Matusevich Relative location phrases that show connections between two places. Here are three examples:

©Melissa Matusevich

Geography

E

A plateau is an ) area of elevated Plateau

Flat land Located near the Atlantic Ocean and the Includes the Eastern Shore land that is flat

Coastal Plain (Tidewater)   Chesapeake Bay  on top.

E

A peninsula is a piece of land

bordered by D

D Peninsula

water on three Delmarva

sides. Peninsula Piedmont means “land at the foot of mountains” Rolling hills West of the Fall Line

Piedmont   

The Eastern Shore is located on a

B peninsula bordered by the Chesapeake Bay to the west and

the Atlantic Ocean to the east. It is C part of the Delmarva Peninsula

C which is shared by three states:

Old, rounded mountains Part of Appalachian mountain system Located between the Piedmont and Valley Ridge regions Source of many rivers Del = Delaware Blue Ridge Mountains     Mar = Maryland Va = Virginia

A

The Blue Ridge Mountains and the

B Valley and Ridge Regions are part

A of the Appalachian mountain system Includes the Great Valley of Virginia and other valleys separated by ridges Located west of Blue Ridge Mountains

Located in Southwest Virginia Only a small part of the plateau is located in Virginia Valley and Ridge   ©Melissa Matusevich Appalachian Plateau   ©Melissa Matusevich ©Melissa Matusevich

Settlement Areas in Early Virginia Virginia and Bordering States

The culture of Virginia reflected Migration and American Indian (First American), living in new Maryland African, and European origins. areas caused people to adapt old D Germans and customs to their new West Virginia Scotch-Irish settled environment. primarily in the A Shenandoah Valley, which was along the Kentucky VA B A migration route. D Virginia B Atlantic C C Ocean C Tennessee North Carolina

Chesapeake Bay C American Indians (First B Africans settled Americans) were primarily in primarily in the A English the Tidewater and Piedmont Tidewater and settled Use this simple trick to remember the states that border

regions and the Appalachian Piedmont regions, primarily in Virginia: KISS ME WITH NO TEETH.

Plateau, where their where agriculture Tidewater and K = Kentucky N = North Carolina traditional homelands were required a great Piedmont M = Maryland T = Tennessee located. deal of labor. regions. W = West Virginia seasons: The climateinVirginiaisrelativelymildwithdistinct Matusevich ©Melissa plants andtrees. Because ofthis,Virginiahasmanydifferentkinds ©Melissa Matusevich Cumberland Gap 4. 3. 2. 1.

Summer Spring Winter Fall

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V V i i r r g Cumberland Gap g i i n n

i i a After the colonists won the Revolutionary War, they joined together to a create a new country called the United States of America. Many Virginians began to move west. The Cumberland Gap made crossing the

Appalachian Mountains easier. A gap is a low place between two mountains. On the map above, you can see a map of the Cumberland Plateau with the Cumberland Gap marked. You also can see a picture of the Cumberland Gap. ©Melissa Matusevich Cumberland Gap

After the American Revolution, Virginia’s agricultural base began to change, and as a result large numbers of Virginians moved west and to the Deep South to find better farmland and new opportunities. Settlers crossed the Appalachian Mountains through the Cumberland Gap as they migrated to new lands in the west.

Maryland

West Virginia

Kentucky VA Virginia Cumberland Gap Atlantic Ocean X Tennessee North Carolina

Chesapeake Bay ©Melissa Matusevich Matusevich ©Melissa

©Melissa Matusevich Virginia. exploration andforthesettlement of rivers providedapathway for Each riverwasasource offood.The

Water

I Features I m m of p

p Virginia o o r r t t a a n n

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C V V the PotomacRiver. Alexandria islocatedalong into theChesapeakeBay. James River. are locatedalongthe Richmond andJamestown the ChesapeakeBay the YorkRiver. Yorktown islocatedalong the ChesapeakeBay. The The The The Rappahannock River. located onthe Bay. Fredericksburgis flows intotheChesapeake i i

r r D B

g g York River Rappahannock River Potomac River James River i i A n n E i i a a F

R R i i flowsinto v v

e e flows into r r

flows s s

. A Atlantic Ocean D Rappahannock River

B Chesapeake Bay E York River

C Potomac River F James River

©Melissa N. Matusevich ©Melissa Matusevich

The Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay How to Remember the Rivers of Virginia The Atlantic Ocean provided transportation links between Atlantic Ocean Virginia, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Ms. Jackson Mr. Jones, Mr. Green, Mr. Smith, Mr. Cox

Atlantic Ocean Coast Atlantic Ocean at Sunrise

Principals Race Yellow Jaguars. The Chesapeake Bay provided a safe harbor and was a Chesapeake Bay source of food and transportation.

Potomac The main rivers of Rappahannock Virginia from North to South are these: York James

Satellite Photograph Chesapeake Bay Beach 17 Mile Bridge Tunnel

©Melissa Matusevich

Fall Line

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f f E E James

Potomac s s t t i i

Rappahannock d d n n a a

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The Fall Line is the natural border between a

F F

the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) and Piedmont e regions, where waterfalls prevent further e h h

travel on the river. In the satellite T T photograph above, the Fall Line is shown

with a white line. East of the Fall Line River At the Fall Line ©Melissa Matusevich

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©Melissa Matusevich