The Atlantic Coastal Plain is the flat stretch of land that borders the Atlantic Ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico). It is approximately 2,200 miles (3,500 km) long, stretching from New York,[1][2] through the Southern United States and through Mexico, ending with the Yucatán Peninsula. The coastal plains have an average elevation of less than 200 meters above sea level. They extend some 50 to 100 kilometres inland from the ocean. The section from central Florida to the Yucatán Peninsula is also commonly referred to separately as the Gulf Coastal Plain.
The western border of the coastal plain is defined as the fall line, to the west of which lies the Piedmont Plateau and then the Appalachian Mountains. The eastern border is the Western Atlantic coastline with the Continental Shelf further east.
The coastal plain is generally wet, including many rivers, marsh, and swampland. It is composed primarily of sedimentary rock and is primarily used for agriculture.
The Atlantic coastal plain covers parts of these states:
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Florida
References
- ^ Phil Stoffer and Paula Messina. "The Atlantic Coastal Plain". Geology and Geography of New York Bight Beaches. http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/bight/coastal.html.
- ^ "South Atlantic Coastal Plain". http://www.blm.gov/wildlife/pl_03sum.htm.
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