262 



THE EARTH'S CRUST 



the harvest of the land. Since the distance along the coast 

 between two points is much longer than the straight line 

 distance over the sea, the boat, not the wagon, becomes the 

 important vehicle of travel. 



The effect of a submerged and eroded coastal plain is 

 seen in the Delaware and Chesapeake Bay region. Here 



A SUBMERGED COASTAL PLAIN 



the old river courses have been submerged, and the land be- 

 tween the rivers extends into the ocean in narrow, rather 

 flat strips with many little inlets along the sides. Easy 

 water communication is here possible to a considerable 



