Southeast

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

's Lower Coastal Plain, often referred to as the "Coastal Empire", is a subregion that encompasses the lowest-lying areas of the

Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

in the state, containing

barrier island Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...

marshes In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...

, and swampy lowlands, as well as flat plains and low terraces. It differs from Georgia's Upper Coastal Plain in that it is lower in elevation with less relief and wetter soils. The

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

defines the Lower Coastal Plain as an ecoregion, part of the larger, interstate Southern Coastal Plain. Within the subregion flow the major rivers the Altamaha, Ogeechee, Saint Marys,

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

, Satilla, and Suwannee (all of which, except the Suwannee River, empty into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

); the Saint Marys and Suwannee rivers have their origins in the

Okefenokee Swamp The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia–Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Ref ...

. The Coastal Plain is also the home to

, the first capital city which was declared in 1733. The subregion is somewhat synonymous with Coastal Georgia, and contains the counties of Atkinson,

Bacon Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...

, Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Echols, Glynn, Lanier, Pierce,

Ware WARE (1250 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Ware, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Springfield radio market. The station is currently owned by Success Signal Broadcasting ...

, and Wayne, south of the Altamaha River; and

Bryan Bryan may refer to: Places in the United States * Bryan, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Ohio, a city * Bryan, Texas, a city * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town * Bryan County, Georgia * ...

, Chatham, Effingham,

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

Long Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...

, and McIntosh, north of the Altamaha River.Parts of Appling, Bulloch, Coffee, Evans, Jeff Davis, Lowndes, Screven, and Tattnall, counties, are located within the EPA-defined ecoregion. The three metropolitan areas are those of Brunswick, Hinesville–Fort Stewart, and

. The largest

census county division A Census County Division (CCD) is a country subdivision, subdivision of a county (United States), county used by the United States Census Bureau for the purpose of presenting data, statistical data. A CCD is a relatively permanent statistical area ...

s, in the order of decreasing population, are

, Hinesville, Pooler– Bloomingdale, Brunswick, Saint Marys, Waycross, Jesup, Richmond Hill,

Tybee Island Tybee Island ( ) is a city and a barrier island in Chatham County, Georgia, 18 miles (29 km) east of Savannah. The name is used for both the city and the island, but geographically the two are not identical: only part of the island's terri ...

, and Everett. The total population of the eighteen-county subregion is 726,132 (286,271 south of, and 439,861 north of, the Altamaha River), as of the 2010 U.S. census.

References

External links

Official Website of Georgia's CoastGeorgia's Coast in photographs and more
{{coord, 31, 30, N, 82, 0, W, region:US-GA_scale:1200000, display=title Regions of Georgia (U.S. state) Census county divisions Coastal plains

See also

References

External links