Chapter 1 The Geography of

WV

Review

the five basic themes of geography

location, place, regions, movement, environmental interaction

where a place is as compared to other

placesrelative location

a precise position on the earth’s surface

West Virginia is located between 37º12' and 40º38' N latitude.

West Virginia is located between 77º43' and 82º38'W longitude.

A measure of distance north and

south of the equatorlatitude

The distance east or west of the

prime meridian -

longitude

WV Shapemost

irregularly shaped non coastal state

long narrow strip of a larger territory

panhandle

Location of panhandles

Northern & Eastern

WV boundary rivers

Ohio PotomacTug Fork - Big Sandy

Border StatesOhio

PennsylvaniaKentuckyMarylandVirginia

the starting point at the headwaters of the North Branch of the Potomac

The Fairfax Stone

man made boundary separates WV from

Pennsylvania

Mason - Dixon Line

Mason-Dixon Line

square miles are in WV

24,231

Average weather of a region

climate

day to day conditions

weather

WV Climate

humid continental

lowest recorded temperature -37 Fahrenheit ,

December 30, 1917 Lewisburg

highest recorded temperature

112 Fahrenheit, July 10, 1936 Martinsburg

112 Fahrenheit, August 4, 1930 Moorefield

the raising of the average temperature on Earth due to

anexcess of carbon dioxide in

the atmosphereglobal

warming

West Virginia’s average annual

temperature has risen due to

global warmi

ng

rain, snow, sleet, or hail

precipitation

County with most precipitation

Randolph

Randolph

West VirginiaCounties

a long period of little or no rain

drought

County with least precipitation

Hardy

Hardy

West VirginiaCounties

why some areas of southern WV are colder than areas farther north

vertical climate

Most of WV's winds come from what

direction?

south and west

warmer-than-usual Pacific Ocean

surface temperatures

El Niño

colder-than-usual Pacific Ocean

surface temperatures

La Niña

physical features of the land such as

mountains or plateaustopography

wind and water have shaped the

topographyErosion

rock formation in Mercer County that looks like a castle

Pinnacle Rock

rock formation Pendleton County rises almost 1000 feet above

sea level

Seneca Rocks

rocky ridge in Monroe County stretches for

almost 40 miles

Peter’s Mt.

Peters Mountain

WV's best-known waterfall

Blackwater Falls

next highest waterfall

Hills Creek Falls

like to explore caves

spelunkers

hang like icicles from the roof

stalactites

like pillars rising from the floor

stalagmites

used as a safe haven for

Confederate soldiers

Organ Cave

General Robert E. Lee’s soldiers once used Organ

Cave for:

religious services

Used to make gun powdersaltpeter

(potassium nitrate)

originally named Grapevine Cave.

Lost World Caverns

Lost World Stalagmites

Cavern in Grant County, used to

smoke meats

Smoke Hole

largest commercial cave in Pendleton

County

Seneca Caverns

Area in Tucker County named after the Land of Canaan

Canaan Valley

area in Putnam County is believed to have once been covered by an ancient river

Teays Valley

rugged wind swept plateau you will find flora similar to that found in more northern areas

such as Canada

Dolly Sods

unusual biological area, acidic wetlands (bogs)

protect Ice-Age plant life

Cranberry Glades

Artic wetlands

Bogs

Wv state animal

Black Bear

WV state bird

Cardinal

WV state fish

Brook Trout

WV State TreeSugar Maple

WV State Flower

Rhododendron

WV State Butterfly

Monarch

WV State Insect

Honey Bee

Lakes• Cheat• Stonewall

Jackson• Bluestone• Summersville

• Sutton• Tygart• Burnsville• East Lynn• Beech Fork

WV’s only natural lake

Trout Pond, in Hardy County

WV rivers that flow east carry water to -

Atlantic Ocean

WV rivers that flow west carry water to

Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico

Drainage Systems• Potomac• Monongahela• Little Kanawha• Kanawha and

New

• Guyandotte• Big Sandy• Ohio• (seven)

Ohio Tributaries • Monongahela• Little Kanawha• Kanawha• Guyandotte• Big Sandy

Kanawha Tributaries• Coal• Elk• Gauley• New

New Tributaries•Greenbrier•Bluestone

Monongahela Tributaries

•Cheat•Tygart•West Fork

Potomac Tributaries

•North Branch•South Branch•Shenandoah

Where the Monongahela

meets the OhioPittsburgh

Where the Little Kanawha meet the

OhioParkersburg

Where the Kanawha meets

the OhioPt. Pleasant

Where the Guyandotte meets

the OhioHuntington

East End Bridge

Where the Big Sandy meets the

OhioKenova

Where the Coal meets the KanawhaSt. Albans

Mouth of the Coal River

Where the Elk meets the Kanawha

Charleston

Where the West Fork meets the

TygartFairmont

Where the Cheat meets the

MonongahelaMorgantown

Where the Potomac meets the Shenandoah

Harper’s Ferry

Second oldest riverNew

Longest RiverOhio

Flows north into PennsylvaniaMonongahela

Flows east to Wash. D.C.

Potomac

The study of the physical features of

the earthGeography

Country likerural

Height above sea level

elevation

WV’s Highest point

Spruce Knob

WV’s lowest point

Harper’s Ferry

Plant Life

Flora

Animal Life

fauna

A stream or river that flows into a

larger riverTributary