According to abbreviationfinder, North Carolina is located in the southeastern United States, between Virginia (north), South Carolina and Georgia (south), Tennessee (west), and the Atlantic Ocean (east). The state is divided into three regions, namely Mountains, Piedmont and Coast.
The Tar Heel State has a humid, sub-tropical climate, with short, mild winters and warm summers. The temperatures depend strongly on the altitude and the proximity to the ocean, but on average it is about 11 degrees Celsius in winter and around 20 degrees in summer. The area around the Blue Ridge is the wettest; about 200 cm of rain falls per year. In the rest of the state, about half falls annually. North Carolina is very sensitive to air currents from the ocean area and Canada. Tornadoes and hurricanes are not uncommon here. Spring and fall are great times to travel to North Carolina. In the summer, a lot of heat remains due to thermal activity, which causes the perceived temperature to rise considerably.
Flora and fauna
The three regions of the state each have their own distinctive landscape. On the coast it is wet and swampy and mainly trees and plants such as cord grass, nuts, longleaf pine, dogwood and kudzu, a crop that counteracts erosion but proliferate undesirably. Further inland, in fertile Piedmont, we find red cedar, yaupon, wax myrtle and poplar, among others. The mountains are characterized by the Carolina hemlock, maple, tulip tree, and birch, overshadowed by pines and spruces at the state’s highest points. The most common animal in North Carolina is the white-tailed deer, alongside the rarer black bears, boars, lynxes, and beavers. Birds such as doves, wild turkeys and many species of ducks and geese are hunted here with love. Fishermen also find many fish species in the waters; trout, black bass, catfish,
Main cities
According to countryaah, Raleigh is the state capital of North Carolina. In addition, Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, Wilmington and Winston-Salem are also significant cities.
Nature
The coastal strip is perfect for long walks, water recreation or bird watching. The Outer Banks is an archipelago (FOR PHOTO ABOVE) off the coast, particularly suited to bird watching, but also delighting lighthouse enthusiasts, war memorabilia and aviation buffs – it was here that the first flight was made by the Wright brothers! Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the only National Park in the state and can only really be explored through (multi-day) hikes.
Native Americans
Occaneechi Indian Village is a restored village that was built in 1701. Complete with a wooden fence, huts, a kitchen and a real sweat lodge, you get a good picture of how the Occaneechi lived 300 years ago.
USS North Carolina
At Wilmington, the USS North Carolina is ready for inspection. On display are the official state monument to the fallen in WWII, and changing exhibitions about the history of this majestic ship.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina and at the same time the place that protrudes farthest to the southeast. It is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean of North America and two main currents meet here – the warm Gulf Stream and the cold Labrador Stream. Due to water eddies, extensive and shallow sandbars are formed here, which stretch up to 14 miles from the coast. These sandy shoals are known as Diamond Shoals.
The area is not safe for both swimmers and boats and sailboats. There have already been so many shipwrecks near Cape Hatteras due to the insidious ocean currents that the place is called the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”. Because strong storms and hurricanes often occur here, and the ocean surface is rarely calm, people are therefore in great danger here.
A long chain of Hatteras Island barrier islands stretches along the headland. A distinctive black and white lighthouse stands on the cape. The first lighthouse was built here as early as 1803, but in 1870 it was replaced by the current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It is the tallest brick lighthouse in the world and also the tallest lighthouse in the United States of America.
In 1999, the 4,830-ton lighthouse had to be moved about 2,900 meters further inland due to the ever-receding coastline. What’s more, it happened because in 2003, the devastating hurricane Isabel hit the area, which devastated not only the coast, but to a large extent also two cities – Frisco and Hatteras. Reconstruction of the area began in 2005.
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Cape Lookout State Park is the southernmost point of the South Core Banks barrier island that stretches in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina. Cape Lookout is bounded by Onslow Bay to the west and Raleigh Bay to the east. Cape Lookout is part of Carteret County and is located 11 miles southeast of Beaufort.
Two hiking trails pass through the area: the nature trail and the Jackson Creek Trail, which are ideal for shorter trips. The nature trail offers you a walk through a dense forest, where there are no views due to mature trees and many plants. The Jackson Creek trail, on the other hand, is educational and begins at an information board introducing visitors to a project to reintroduce salmon to local rivers.
At Cape Lookout stands a 163-foot-tall lighthouse that flashes every 18 seconds and is visible up to 19 miles out to sea. Its construction began as early as 1812, but it was officially recognized only in 1850. On November 1, 1859, it was put into operation for the first time. Its wood and brick construction cost $20,678 at the time. During the civil war in 1862, its tower and interior were damaged. Fortunately, enough funds were found to restore it already in 1867. The lighthouse at Cape Lookout is one of the few such structures that are accessible to visitors throughout the day. In 1950 it was fully automated. Currently, the black and white checkered coloring is characteristic of the lighthouse.
