In this view, we can see the South East in relation to the rest of the Western Hemisphere. One thing you should notice right away is that the South East is much closer to the Equator in most other parts of the U.S.
Being close to the Equator, it is warmer. So, when it looks like this in Minnesota, it is usually looks like this in Florida.
See how much of the region borders on the Atlantic Ocean and the Golf of Mexico? Warning winds blow in off the water. These winds also carry moisture, giving the South East plenty of rainfall.
Sometimes, particularly in the summer and fall, the warmth of the ocean supplied the energy to make a hurricane; a furious storm of wind and rain. A hurricane can do a great deal of damage if it is strikes the coast. But most of the time, the weather in the South East is pleasant.
A relief map shows us the major land forms of the South East. The first thing you will notice is these mountains, the Appalachians. They extend all the way up into New England.
In real life, the Appalachian Mountains look like this,
Notice how round they are compared to the Rocky Mountains, which look like this,
The Appalachians are much older. Wind and rain have been smoothing them down from millions of years.
As you come down from the mountains, you will find an area of gentle rolling hills, the Piedmont.
At the eastern edge of the Piedmont, the land drops off suddenly, creating a line of river rapids and falls. This is called the Fall Line.
Below the Piedmont is the Coastal Plain. These are low lying stretches of flat land.
Some parts of the Coastal Plain are so low, they are covered with water. Here is one such place, the Everglades. One of the world’s most famous wet lands.
It covers a large part of Southern Florida. It sub-tropical climate and its abundance of water make it a unique environment. Home to many animals and plants that are rarely found in other parts of the United States.
Before there were highways and railroads, Rivers where one of the best ways to get from one place to another. So, when people established cities, they usually did sail on the banks of a big river.
This map shows the main water ways of the South East. The Mississippi River, the Ohio River, the Tennessee River. As you can see, the Ohio and Mississippi helped formed the borders of several states. Today, the Mississippi River is an important transportation route.
These barges are loaded with corn grown in the Mid-West. They are going south to the mouth of the Mississippi to reach New Orleans, the biggest port in the United States.
In the port, the corn is loaded unto an ocean going freighter. The freighter will carry this corn out through to the Golf of Mexico, and East ward across the Atlantic Ocean to countries around the world.
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