Our State Geography in a Snap: landforms and regions

Reprinted with permission from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction [2] website.

Landforms: There are three distinct landforms of the Southeast and of North Carolina: the Coastal Plain [3], the Piedmont [4], and the Appalachian Mountains [5].

The Coastal Plain [3] is low, flat to gently sloping land that extends along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Much of the Southeast lies within in the Coastal Plain [3].

The Piedmont [4], characterized by hilly, rolling land, borders the Coastal Plain [3]. The Piedmont extends from Virginia to Alabama.

The Appalachian Mountains [5], the largest range in the eastern United States, stretch from Canada to northern Alabama.

Regions: The three landforms of North Carolina make up the three major geographic regions of the state: the Coastal Plain [6], the Piedmont [7], and the Mountains [8]. The Coastal Plain Region is usually divided into two sub regions: the Outer Coastal Plain, commonly referred to as the Tidewater; and the Inner Coastal, which is less impacted by the effects of the ocean as it is located further inward.