Coastal Georgia's Natural History

The state of Georgia is situatuated between the 31st and 32nd parallels, approximating the Western Atlantic equivalent of Morocco's latitude. Our climate along the coast is sub-tropical, as evidenced by the palm trees, Spanish moss, alligators, and other indigenous flora and fauna.

Coastal Georgia experiences the highest tidal amplitude south of New England, with an average range of 8 feet between low and high tides. The twice-daily flooding of our coastal margin, combined with the low-profile coastal plain topography, creates an extensive intertidal zone of beaches and salt marsh. Although the Georgia coast spans only about 100 miles, as the egret flies, over 450,000 acres of salt marsh are found between the Savannah and St. Mary's rivers (the state's northern and southern coastal boundaries). This is approximately one-third of all the remaining salt marsh to be found along the entire eastern seaboard of the United States.

To learn more about the natural history of this diverse and dynamic region, select from the choices below. These pages include excerpts from MECA publications, and photo galleries.