VS.2 Study Guide
What are some ways that relative location can be described? next to near and bordering
What large bodies of water border Virginia? Atlantic Ocean Chesapeake Bay
What states border Virginia?
Maryland West Virginia Kentucky Tennessee North Carolina
What are the 5 geographic regions of Virginia?
Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Piedmont Blue Ridge Mountains Valley and Ridge Appalachian Plateau
What is the Fall Line?
The natural border between the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) and the Piedmont regions, where waterfalls prevent further travel on the river.
Describe the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Region
flat land, location near the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay (includes the Eastern Shore), east of the fall Line
Describe the Piedmont Region
rolling hills, west of the fall line
Describe the Blue Ridge Mountain Region
Old, rounded mountains, part of the Appalachian mountain system, located between the Piedmont and the Valley and Ridge regions, the source of many rivers
Describe the Valley and Ridge Region
Includes the Great Valley of Virginia and other valleys separated by ridges, located west of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Describe the Appalachian Plateau Region
Located in Southwest Virginia, only a small part of the plateau is located in Virginia
What two regions are parts of the Appalachian Mountain system?
Blue Ridge Mountains and Valley and Ridge
Which water features were important to the early history of Virginia?
Atlantic Ocean Chesapeake Bay Potomac River Rappahannock River York River James River Lake Drummond Dismal Swamp
How did water features influence the development of Virginia?
Provided transportation, a safe harbor, was a source of food, and provided a pathway for exploration and settlement of Virginia.
How did the flow of rivers affect the settlement of Virginia?
Cities developed along the Fall Line because the land rises sharply and waterfalls prevent further travel on the river.
What is a peninsula?
A piece of land bordered by water on three sides
Where is the Eastern Shore located?
On a peninsula bordered by the Chesapeake Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the East.
Where did many early Virginia cities develop?
Along the Fall Line
What are the four major rivers of Virginia separated by?
Peninsulas
What separates the Eastern Shore from the mainland of Virginia? Chesapeake Bay
Know the following information about each of Virginia’s water features:
Atlantic Ocean – provided transportation links between Virginia and other places (Europe, Africa, Caribbean)
Chesapeake Bay - provided a safe harbor, was a source of food and transportation
Potomac River – flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Alexandria located along the Potomac River
Rappahannock River – flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Fredericksburg located along the Rappahannock River
York River – flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Yorktown located along the York River
James River – flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Richmond and Jamestown located along the James River
Lake Drummond – Located in the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) region, shallow natural lake surrounded by the Dismal Swamp
Dismal Swamp – located in the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) region, variety of wildlife, George Washington explored and surveyed the Dismal Swamp
Who were the first people who lived in Virginia?
American Indians
Where did American Indians live in Virginia?
All areas
How many American Indian language groups were in Virginia?
3
Why are native people called “Indians”?
Christopher Columbus called the people he found in the lands he explored “Indians” because he thought he was in the Indies (near China).
What evidence is there that American Indians lived in all areas of Virginia?
Artifacts such as arrowheads, pottery, and other tools
Know the following information about the three major language groups of Virginia:
Algonquian languages were spoken primarily in the Tidewater region; the Powhatan were part of this group
Siouan languages were spoken primarily in the Piedmont region; the Monacan were part of this group
Iroquoian languages were spoken in Southwestern Virginia and in Southern Virginia near what is today North Carolina; the Cherokee were a part of this group
How did Virginia’s American Indians meet their basic needs?
They worked with the climate and environment
Describe Virginia’s climate
Relatively mild with 4 distinct seasons resulting in a variety of vegetation
What are Virginia’s Indians referred to as? Eastern Woodland Indians
How did Virginia’s American Indians adapt to their environment and climate?
The kinds of food they ate, the clothes they wore and the shelters they lived in
How did Virginia’s American Indians get food each season?
winter: hunted birds and animals and lived on stored foods from the previous fall
spring: hunted and picked berries
summer: grew crops (corn, beans, and squash)
fall: harvested crops and hunted for foods to preserve and keep them for winter
How do Virginia’s American Indians live today?
Most live like other Americans. Their cultures have changed over time.
Why is archeology important?
It is a way to help people understand the past.
What do archeologists do?
They study all kinds of material left from people of the past.
What was Werowocomoco?
Werowocomoco was a large Indian town used by Indian leaders for several hundred years before the English settlers came. It was the headquarters of the leader, Powhatan, in 1607.
What was Jamestown?
The first permanent English settlement in North America. Archeologists have discovered the original site of the fort. The recovered artifacts give archeologists clues about the interactions of English, Africans and Indians in early Virginia.
What are some ways that relative location can be described? next to near and bordering
What large bodies of water border Virginia? Atlantic Ocean Chesapeake Bay
What states border Virginia?
Maryland West Virginia Kentucky Tennessee North Carolina
What are the 5 geographic regions of Virginia?
Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Piedmont Blue Ridge Mountains Valley and Ridge Appalachian Plateau
What is the Fall Line?
The natural border between the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) and the Piedmont regions, where waterfalls prevent further travel on the river.
Describe the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Region
flat land, location near the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay (includes the Eastern Shore), east of the fall Line
Describe the Piedmont Region
rolling hills, west of the fall line
Describe the Blue Ridge Mountain Region
Old, rounded mountains, part of the Appalachian mountain system, located between the Piedmont and the Valley and Ridge regions, the source of many rivers
Describe the Valley and Ridge Region
Includes the Great Valley of Virginia and other valleys separated by ridges, located west of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Describe the Appalachian Plateau Region
Located in Southwest Virginia, only a small part of the plateau is located in Virginia
What two regions are parts of the Appalachian Mountain system?
Blue Ridge Mountains and Valley and Ridge
Which water features were important to the early history of Virginia?
Atlantic Ocean Chesapeake Bay Potomac River Rappahannock River York River James River Lake Drummond Dismal Swamp
How did water features influence the development of Virginia?
Provided transportation, a safe harbor, was a source of food, and provided a pathway for exploration and settlement of Virginia.
How did the flow of rivers affect the settlement of Virginia?
Cities developed along the Fall Line because the land rises sharply and waterfalls prevent further travel on the river.
What is a peninsula?
A piece of land bordered by water on three sides
Where is the Eastern Shore located?
On a peninsula bordered by the Chesapeake Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the East.
Where did many early Virginia cities develop?
Along the Fall Line
What are the four major rivers of Virginia separated by?
Peninsulas
What separates the Eastern Shore from the mainland of Virginia? Chesapeake Bay
Know the following information about each of Virginia’s water features:
Atlantic Ocean – provided transportation links between Virginia and other places (Europe, Africa, Caribbean)
Chesapeake Bay - provided a safe harbor, was a source of food and transportation
Potomac River – flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Alexandria located along the Potomac River
Rappahannock River – flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Fredericksburg located along the Rappahannock River
York River – flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Yorktown located along the York River
James River – flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Richmond and Jamestown located along the James River
Lake Drummond – Located in the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) region, shallow natural lake surrounded by the Dismal Swamp
Dismal Swamp – located in the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) region, variety of wildlife, George Washington explored and surveyed the Dismal Swamp
Who were the first people who lived in Virginia?
American Indians
Where did American Indians live in Virginia?
All areas
How many American Indian language groups were in Virginia?
3
Why are native people called “Indians”?
Christopher Columbus called the people he found in the lands he explored “Indians” because he thought he was in the Indies (near China).
What evidence is there that American Indians lived in all areas of Virginia?
Artifacts such as arrowheads, pottery, and other tools
Know the following information about the three major language groups of Virginia:
Algonquian languages were spoken primarily in the Tidewater region; the Powhatan were part of this group
Siouan languages were spoken primarily in the Piedmont region; the Monacan were part of this group
Iroquoian languages were spoken in Southwestern Virginia and in Southern Virginia near what is today North Carolina; the Cherokee were a part of this group
How did Virginia’s American Indians meet their basic needs?
They worked with the climate and environment
Describe Virginia’s climate
Relatively mild with 4 distinct seasons resulting in a variety of vegetation
What are Virginia’s Indians referred to as? Eastern Woodland Indians
How did Virginia’s American Indians adapt to their environment and climate?
The kinds of food they ate, the clothes they wore and the shelters they lived in
How did Virginia’s American Indians get food each season?
winter: hunted birds and animals and lived on stored foods from the previous fall
spring: hunted and picked berries
summer: grew crops (corn, beans, and squash)
fall: harvested crops and hunted for foods to preserve and keep them for winter
How do Virginia’s American Indians live today?
Most live like other Americans. Their cultures have changed over time.
Why is archeology important?
It is a way to help people understand the past.
What do archeologists do?
They study all kinds of material left from people of the past.
What was Werowocomoco?
Werowocomoco was a large Indian town used by Indian leaders for several hundred years before the English settlers came. It was the headquarters of the leader, Powhatan, in 1607.
What was Jamestown?
The first permanent English settlement in North America. Archeologists have discovered the original site of the fort. The recovered artifacts give archeologists clues about the interactions of English, Africans and Indians in early Virginia.
