According to directoryaah, South Carolina with the beautiful capital Columbia is located directly on the coast of the Atlantic, so that you can spend a beach holiday there in the sun and also have the opportunity to practice water sports. Of course, these are by no means the only attractions that South Carolina has to offer. For example, a sightseeing tour through the larger cities with their local attractions is also interesting. The Congaree National Park with its small bodies of water and forests is also worth a visit.
There are many forests in the state, and wood processing is one of the most important industries in South Carolina. Most attractive, however, is the coastal region with its small villages and fishing boats, you can enjoy the sandy beach here and forget everyday life. You will certainly not experience boredom so quickly in South Carolina, here you will always find something to pass the time with. Many places in South Carolina have their own special history, which you can discover for yourself in the museums there.
South Carolina Key Figures
Land area: 82,932 sq km (40th place of all US states)
Share of water surface: 6%
Population: 4.48 million people (2008 estimate, ranked 24th of all states in the USA)
Population density: 54 people per square kilometer (24th place of all states in the USA)
Member of the USA since: May 23, 1788 (as the 8th state of the USA)
Capital: Columbia (124,818 residents, 2007, metropolitan area 753,663 residents)
Largest city: Columbia
Highest point: 1,085 m, Sassafras Mountain
Lowest point: 0 m, Atlantic Ocean
Governor: Mark Sanford (Republican)
Lieut. Governor: André Bauer (Republican)
Local time: CET -6 h. From the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November: CET -5 h.
The time difference to Central Europe is -6 h in both winter and summer.
Postal abbreviation: SC
South Carolina Geography and Map
The state of South Carolina is located in the south of the US Atlantic coast. The capital is Columbia. Like North Carolina, South Carolina was named after the English King Charles I.
South Carolina covers an area of approximately 82,932 square kilometers. The average height of the national territory is 105 meters above sea level. The highest point in South Carolina is Sassafras Mountain with a height of 1,085 meters. The lowest point is at sea level on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
South Carolina borders North Carolina to the northand in the east to the Atlantic. The state of Georgia is framed in the south and west. The border is formed by the approximately 560 kilometers long Savannah River. Other important rivers are the Pee Dee River and the Wateree River. There are large swamps at the mouths of the rivers.
Geographically, South Carolina can be divided into four regions : the coastal area, the Sandhills region, the Piedmont and the mountain region, which is characterized by the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
The coastal plain South Carolinas is very flat. The soil is mainly composed of sand and clay and tends to form swamps. There are many salt marshes and funnel-shaped estuaries on the coast. Natural harbors such as Charleston or Georgetown have formed at such estuaries. In addition, the coastline is lined with a large number of small, oval bays, the so-called Carolina Bays.
The coastal plain joins the Sandhills region to the west. The sand mountains typical of this area come from former sand dunes, which testify to the former extent of the sea.
This is followed by the Piedmont. The plateau is hilly, crossed by mountain foothills and cut up by river valleys. The total area of the Piedmont covers approx. 207,000 square kilometers. From north to south, the plateau extends from New Jersey to Alabama. While the plateau above the Delaware River is very narrow, in North Carolina it reaches a width of more than 470 kilometers.
The Piedmont is physiographically closely connected to the Appalachian Mountains and can be divided into a highland region, the Piedmont Highlands, and a lowland region, the Piedmont Lowlands, subdivide. The soils of the plateau are loamy and only partially fertile and are therefore partially renatured. While cotton was predominantly grown in the south, tobacco cultivation dominated in the central part, in North Carolina and Virginia. In the north of the plateau, the soil experiences a wide range of agricultural uses, from fruit growing to dairy farming and growing of grain.
The transition of the Piedmont Plateau to lower-lying regions has a steep gradient in South Carolina. There the rivers in the Appalachian Mountains turn into rapids and waterfalls. Therefore this area is also called the waterfall area – fall zone.
The foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The mountain range is part of the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountains are a heavily forested low mountain range. The mountain range extends over a length of about 2,400 kilometers and extends from the Canadian province of Quebec to Alabama. The Blue Ridge Mountains are also home to the state’s highest point, the Sassafras.
South Carolina Landmarks
South Carolina mainly has interesting scenery and some historical sites to offer tourists.
The First Bapisten Church in Columbia should not be missed. The church is one of the oldest Bapist churches in the world.
Also worth seeing is the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia. It was built in 1847 and is a copy of New York Cathedral.
The Old St. Andrew’s Parish Church in Carleston is definitely worth a visit. It was built in 1706.
If you want, you can also see the Chruch of the Holy Apostels near Aiken, made of cypress wood. This Gothic style church was built in 1856.
There is also a monument in South Carolina that is said to commemorate the American Civil War. The war began in Fort Sumter National Monument.
The South Carolina State Museum is well worth a visit. Here you can learn everything about the history of the American state. Fort Moultrie National Monument is a museum near Charleston where you can learn everything about the American Civil War.
South Carolina is also home to the oldest museum in the United States. The Charleston Museum was founded in 1773.
The last remnants of the historic hardwood forests of the USA can be viewed in the Congaree National Park. The trees form the highest roof surface in the world, which was not built by human hands.