South Carolina Geography

Basic Facts

• Geographical Region: South
• Size: 32007 sq.mi., 40th rank overall.
• Admitted to Statehood: May 23, 1788
• Population: 4,561,242;24th rank overall.
• Capital: Columbia
• Other Major City: Charleston
• Abbreviation: SC

Fun Facts

• Nickname: Palmetto State
• State Flag: Click Here (opens window to 50states.com)
• State Bird: Great Carolina Wren (opens window to 50states.com)
• State Flower: Yellow Jessamine (opens window to 50states.com)

Geographical Description

• South Carolina can be divided into 3 regions; the Atlantic Coastal Plain (comprising two thirds of the state), the Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge region. South Carolinians refer to the eastern Atlantic Coastal Plain as the Low Country and the Piedmont and the Blue Ridge region as Up Country.
• The Atlantic Coastal Plain is further divided into the Outer Coastal Plain which is quite flat, containing many rivers with swamps near the coast and the Inner Coastal Plain which consists of rolling hills.
• In the central Atlantic Coastal Plain is an area of forested land called the Pine Barrens.
• Further inland are the Sandhills, which are higher in elevation. Some scientists believe the Sandhills may have once marked the eastern coast of South Carolina suggesting the Atlantic Coastal Plain was once under water.
• Northwest of the Atlantic Coastal Plain is the Piedmont characterized by rolling hills becoming higher in elevation as you travel to the west.
• The Blue Ridge covers the northwestern corner of South Carolina. The ridge is heavily forested with elevations rarely exceeding 3,000 feet above sea level and the highest point, Sassafras Mountain, reaching 3,554 feet.

Map: Relief Map of SC

Industry

Textile, automobiles, chemical products, paper products, machinery, minerals, tourism.

Agriculture

Cotton, tobacco, soybeans, poultry, cattle, dairy products, hogs, peanuts, pecans.

Other Information

Fun Facts:

• The American fort on Sullivan Island was built out of spongy Palmetto logs that caused British cannonballs to bounce off the walls on impact.
• David Robert Coker played an integral role to the agricultural revolution in the south, with his experimental cotton selections and applying the latest techniques in scientific breeding of crops.
• Fort Sumter is home to the first battle of the Civil War.
• The Black River Swamp Preserve is a slow-moving river containing massive amounts of organic carbon which gives the water a tea-color and supports a highly diverse ecosystem.
• Lake Murray is home to some kind of water monster that is seen every few years. The Independent News described it as "a cross between a snake and something prehistoric" in 1980.
• In February 1852 William Burkhalter Dorn discovered the second richest vein of gold in SC history on the site of the present town of McCormick
• The first tea farm in the U.S. was created in 1890 near Summerville.

More Fun Facts: http://www.50states.com/facts/socaro.htm