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