9781422286050

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Atlantic: North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia

A view of Lake Norman, the largest manmade body of fresh water located in North Carolina. It was created in the Piedmont region during the early 1960s when the Cowans Ford Dam was built. The lake covers more than 50 square miles (130 sq km).

the Mississippi River, at 6,684 feet (2,037 m). The Uwharrie Mountains are the lowest and easternmost moun- tains in the state. The Mountain region is mostly covered with forests. The Coastal Plain and the Piedmont are hot and humid in summer. Winters are mild with occasional light snow. The average high temperature in Wilmington, a coastal city, is 90º Fahrenheit (32º Celsius) in July and 56ºF (13ºC) in January. The mountains are cooler in summer and sometimes receive heavy snow in winter. The aver- age high in Asheville, a mountain city,

the soil is rich and good for farming. The Piedmont covers the middle third of the state. Low hills rise from about 300 feet (91 m) above sea level in the east to about 1,100 feet (335 m) in the west where the Mountain sec- tion begins. Most large cities in North Carolina are in the Piedmont. The Mountain section has several different mountain ranges including the Brushy Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the Uwharrie Mountains. Mount Mitchell in the Blue Ridge range is the highest peak east of