Geography of Virginia

Maps of Virginia

• Indian language: Algonquian
• Low flat land
• Population Density: high
• People: English settlers primarily - Africans where agriculture required intense labor
• Industries: Shipyards, tourism., federal military installations, tobacco, peanuts, & fishing
• Products: Seafood
• Cities: Hampton, Norfolk, & Portsmouth
• Historical places: Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown, Fredericksburg, Mount Vernon, Norfolk Naval Base, Great Dismal Swamp, & Berkeley Plantation
• Fall Line is the western line of the Tidewater
• Lowest Point: sea level
• Rivers: Potomac, Rappahannock, York, & James
• Chesapeake Bay
• Eastern Shore: peninsula (water on three sides), main industry fishing, & low population density

• Indian Language: Siouan
• Rolling hills, plateau, higher than Tidewater
• People: English settlers primarily - Africans where agriculture required intense labor
• Industries: Technology, federal and state government, farming and textiles
• Products: tobacco products, information technology, corn, lumber and farming
• Fall Line is the eastern line of the Piedmont
• Blue Ridge Mountains to the west
• Cities: Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Danville, & Leesburg
• Capital: Richmond on the fall line, James River, & high-rise buildings
• Historical Places: Appomattox, Monticello
• Rivers: Rappahannock, James, Roanoke, Banister, & Dan

• Mountains : Old, rounded mountains that is part of the Appalachian mountain system
• Industries: Recreation (Bedroom communities)
• Products: Apples
• East side: Piedmont
• West side: Ridge and Valley (Shenandoah Valley)
• Histories & Recreation places: Blue Ridge Parkway, Peak of Otter, Smith Mountain Lake, & Wintergreen
• Highest point: Mount Rogers - 5,129 feet above sea level
• Not known for big cities
• Rivers: Source of many rivers, mouth of Roanoke, & Rappahannock

• Mountains and valleys, caverns, fertile soil
• People: Germans and Scotch-Irish settled primarily
• Industries: Farming (Livestock, apple and other fruit orchards, poultry: chicken and turkey farming)
• Products: Poultry, apples
• East side: Blue Ridge Mountains
• West side: Allegheny (Appalachian) Mountains
• Great Valley of Virginia
• Shenandoah Valley: Indian name "clear-eyes daughter of the stars"
• Cities: Winchester, Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Lexington, Bristol, & Pulaski
• Historical places: New Market Battlefield, Natural Bridge, Natural Chimneys, & Luray Caverns
• Rivers: Shenandoah River , mouth of James

Allegheny (Appalachian) Plateau

• Indian Language: Iroquoian
• High plateau
• Industries: Coal mining
• Products: Coal
• Not known for big cities

Northern Virginia

• Northern Virginia is a densely populated area next to Washington, D.C.
• Travel is congested with interstate and beltways coming together.
• The northern area has the Metro (subway system) to aid in the commute.
• High technology industries and U.S. government jobs are leading employers.
• The Potomac River is to the east.
• High rise building architecture is common to support the business and population.
• The Pentagon (a five sided building) is one of the largest office buildings in the world and houses U.S. government agencies.

The Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, Fall Line, and Rivers

Atlantic Ocean

• Provided transportation to and from Virginia and the rest of the world

• Provided a safe harbor
• A source of food and transportation

• Natural border between the Coastal Plains and Piedmont regions
• Waterfalls prevent travel further up the river
• Cities on Fall Line: Richmond, Arlington, Fredericksburg, Petersburg

• Flows into the Chesapeake Bay
• Richmond and Jamestown are located on the James River

• Flows into the Chesapeake Bay
• Yorktown is located on the York River

• Flows into the Chesapeake Bay
• Alexandria is located on the Potomac River

• Flows into the Chesapeake Bay
• Fredericksburg is located on the Rappahannock

• Flows north into the Potomac River
• Harper's Ferry, Front Royal, Elkton, and Port Republic are a few of the cities along the Shenandoah River
• Runs through the Shenandoah Valley

The Virginia's Constitutional Convention on July 5, 1776 adopted the Great Seal of the Commonwealth. The design team of George Mason, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee and Robert Carter Nicholas created the seal. It is believed that George Wythe was the lead designer using ancient Roman mythology to guide him.

The front or obverse side shows the Roman Goddess Virtus, who stands for the spirit of Virginia. She is dressed as a Amazon with a sheathed sword in one hand, in the other a spear and her right foot on Tyranny. Tyranny has a broken chain in the left hand, a whip in the right hand and his crown has fallen off showing that he has lost completely to Virtus.

On the back side of the seal there are three Roman goddesses (left to right), Aerternitas (Eternity) has a globe and phoenix in her right hand, Libertas (Liberty) in her right hand is holding a wand and Roman brimless cap (pileus) and Ceres (Fruitfulness) has a horn of plenty (cornucopia) in her left hand and wheat in the right hand. Perservando at the top of the seal is Latin for "by Persevering" (determination). The seal is surrounded by a boarder design of Virginia creeper.

In 1930, a committee was formed to prepare an "accurate and faithful description of the great seal of the Commonwealth, as it was intended to be by Mason and Wythe and their associates." This came about because the first seal was never properly made, and changes had occurred. The Art Commission in 1949 established the official colors. The only official model of the great seal hang in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. By the Code of Virginia the keeper of the the great seal is the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The great seal is used on important official papers signed by the governor.

Permission to view the Great Seal of Virginia on this site was granted by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Learn about the

Senate of Virginia Seal

Learn about how it is used and the history of the House of Delegates Mace

House of Delegates Mace - Courtesy of the Commonwealth of Virginia Webmaster

1607 First Permanent English Colony - Jamestown

First English Doctor

1608 First English Women

1608 First Glass factory

1609 First Wedding

1609 First Import of Sheep

1619 First Legislative Assembly - Jamestown - July 30

1619 Thanksgiving- Berkeley Plantation First Thanksgiving

1619 First Africans- Indentured servants

1619 Iron Works erected - Falling Creek

1620 Lead Mines and Smelted - Falling Creek

1716 First in Theater in the US - Williamsburg

1767 First Naval Shipyard - Norfolk - Nov. 1

1784 Honor System of conducting exams - William and Mary

1785 First Toll Road - Alexandria to Snicker's Gap - Oct.

1789 First President of the U.S. - George Washington

1801 Longest Serving Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court - John Marshall

1831 Reaper- C.H. McCormick

1853 First Horse Show

1910 First Flight From a Ship - Hampton Road - Nov. 14

1910 First Landing on a Ship - Norfolk - Nov. 14

1917 First Radio Telephone Communication Between Ground and Airplane - Langley Field - July 2

1946 First Electronic Blanket - Manufactured - Oct. 9

1946 First Jet Plane Landed on a Ship - Cape Henry

1961 First Solid Propellant Rocket Launched - Wallops Island

1989 First elected African American Governor - L. Douglas Wilder

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