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NORTH CAROLINA 



CHAPTER XX. NORTH CAROLINA 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 



1. Boundaries and Extent. North Carolina is bounded north by Virginia ; east by the At- 

 Jantic ocean ; south by South Carolina and Georgia, and west by Tennessee. It extends from 

 33=' 50' to 3G^ 30' north latitude, and from 75° 25' to 34° 30' west longitude. It is about 450 

 miles in length, by 185 in breadth, with an area of 50,000 square miles. 



2. Mountains. The western part of the State is traversed by the 3 easternmost chains of 

 the Appalachian system, the Southeast JMountain^ the Blue Ridge, and the Kittatinny JWoun- 

 tains. Tiie latter chain, under various local names, as the Stone Jllountain, Iron Mountain, 

 Bald JMountain, and Smoky Mountain, form the western boundary of the State. Black 

 Mountain, in this region, reaches the height of 6,475 feet, being the loftiest summit east of the 

 JNIississippi. The Roan Mountain is 6,000 feet high, and there are others little inferior. 

 Mount Ararat, or Pilot Mountain, is a lofty pyramidal peak, in Stokes county. King''s 

 Mountain is a hilly ridge, extending from Lincoln county, into York District in South Carolina. 



3. Rivers. The Roanoke and Chowan, which rise in Virginia, empty themselves into Al- 

 bemarle Sound, in this State. The latter is navigable for small vessels to Murfreesboro'. The 

 Roanoke has a course of 400 miles ; it is navigable for small vessels 30 miles, and for boats 

 to the head of the tide at Weldon, 75 miles. Above the falls at Weldon, it is navigable for 

 boats, by the aid of canals, 244 miles, to Salem. The Tar, or Pamlico, and J^euse, flow 

 into Pamlico Sound. The former is navigable for vessels drawing 9 feet of water, 30 miles, 

 and for boats to Tarboro', 90 miles. Cape Fear River is the principal stream, which has its 

 whole course in this State. It rises in the north part, and traversing the State in a southeast- 

 erly course of 280 miles, falls into the Atlantic at Cape Fear. It is navigable for vessels of 

 11 feet draft to Wilmington, and for boats to Fayetteville. The Yadkin traverses the western 

 part of the State, from north to south, and passes into South Carolina, under the name of the 

 Great Pedce. The Catawba rises in the Blue Ridge and flows south into South Carolina 

 From the opposite slope of the mountains, descend the head streams of the river Tennessee. 



4. Islands. The coast is skirted by a range of low, sandy islands, thrown up by the sea. 

 They are long and narrow, and enclose several shallow bays and sounds. They are generally 

 barren. 



5. Sounds and Bays. The largest is Pamlico Sound, lying between the mainland and one 

 of the abovementioned islands. It is 86 miles in length along the coast, and from 10 to 20 

 broad. It communicates with the ocean by several narrow mouths, the most common of which 

 for navigation is Ocracoke Inlet. A little to the north is Jllbemarle Sound, which extends 60 

 miles into the land, and is from 5 to 15 miles wide. It communicates with Pamlico Sound, 

 and with the sea, by several narrow and shallow inlets. 



6. Shores and Capes. The shores are low and marshy, and the navigation along the coast 

 dangerous, on account of the shoals. Cape Lookout and Cape Fear, indicate by their names the 

 dread with which mariners approach them. But the most formidable is Cape Hatteras, the 

 elbow of a triangular island, forming the seaward limit of Pamlico Sound. Its shoals extend 

 a great distance from the land, and render it one of the most dangerous headlands on the Ame- 

 rican coast. 



7. Face of the Country. The eastern part of the State, for a distance of about 60 miles 

 from the sea, is a low plain covered with swamps, indented by numerous shallow inlets from 

 the ocean, and traversed by sluggish streams, which the low and level surface allows to spread 

 out into broad basins. To this maritime belt, succeeds a fine, undulating country, irrigated 

 with fresh, running waters, and presenting a surface agreeably diversified with hills and valleys. 

 The western part of the State is an elevated table-land, rising to a general elevation of about 

 1,800 feet above the level of the sea, independently of the mountainous summits. 



8. Climate. In that small part of the State toward the west, which is mountainous, the 

 climate is temperate, and the air salubrious ; this region is one of the most healthy in the coun- 

 try, and though the days in summer are hot, the nights are refreshed by cool breezes. In all 

 the eastern parts, the climate is unhealthy, and intermittent fevers are common in summer and 

 autumn Th? inhabitants have a pale, yellowish, and bilious complexion. The winters are 



