Geography and Climate of South Carolina
Bordered by North Carolina to the north, Georgia to the south and west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina has four distinct geographical areas. The state has several major lakes over 600 square miles, such as Lake Moultrie.
The Savannah River runs along the Georgian border and the Edisto River is the longest undammed blackwater river in North America. Cooper, Ashley and Wando rivers all flow out into the Charleston Harbor.
The Coastal Plain, also known as the Lowcountry, is the flatter, lower part of the state. Sediments like sand, clay and silt make up the land’s fertile yet swampy soil. There are many salt marshes and estuaries in the area, along with natural ports at Charleston and Georgetown. The Carolina bays, similar to natural ponds, align in a northwest-southeast direction.
Old coastal dunes make up the Sandhills region in the Midlands, lying west of the coastal plain. The Piedmont region is actually the root of an eroded mountain chain, which explains the hilly and forested topography. The rivers flow through this area to the fall line at the southeastern edge before turning into the coastal plain.
Upstate is close by the Blue Ridge Mountains, which continue into North Carolina and Georgia. Sassafras Mountain is South Carolina’s highest point at 3,560 feet.
South Carolina has a humid subtropical climate, with hot and humid summers and mild winters. Further inland, the temperature gets somewhat cooler, especially in the winter. Precipitation is highest near the coast, but falls evenly throughout the state, with heavy thunderstorm activity in the spring and summer.
Freezing rain is more common than snow, with less than an inch of average snowfall a year. The state is prone to tropical cyclones, given the proximity to the Atlantic coast. Earthquakes are infrequent.
History of South Carolina
Cherokee, Chickasaw, Santee, Pee Dee, Edisto and Catawba Native American tribes inhabited South Carolina before Spanish and French explorers attempted to colonize the area. In 1663, Charles II gave the land to eight nobles, or the Lord Proprietors, ruling the Province of Carolina as a British colony. French Huguenots, Scots-Irish migrants from Virginia and African slaves settled during the colonial era.
The Carolinas split into two in 1712, while a few years later, the Yamasee War in 1715 became one of the bloodiest Indian wars in the country. Later, South Carolina rebelled against British rule, becoming one of the original thirteen colonies. In 1788, South Carolina officially became a state.
Like other states in the South, South Carolina grew cotton as a staple product, using slave labor to grow it on plantations. During the antebellum period, over 50 percent of the state’s population was enslaved African-Americans. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union in 1860.
Fort Sumter is where Confederate forces first opened fire, thus igniting the first armed engagement of the Civil War. Charleston was blockaded by the Union Navy, which seized the Sea Islands. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman captured Columbia in 1865, destroying most of the central city.
During Reconstruction, a coalition of Republicans, carpetbaggers and scalawags gained political control. Paramilitary groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Red Shirts intimidated and terrorized black voters. Elitist “Bourbon” Democrats took over in 1890s after disfranchising African-American and poor white voters.
The textile industry flourished in early 1900s, transforming the state from a tobacco and cotton crop state into an industrialized one. Tens of thousands of African-Americans left during the Great Migration to the north.
Throughout the Great Depression and World War II, the federal government built several military bases in the state. Fortunately, desegregation and the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s was relatively trouble-free, compared to other Southern states. As Northerners discovered the scenic beaches and amazing golf courses, South Carolina grew into a tourist destination.
Demographics of South Carolina
As of 2006, South Carolina’s estimated population is 4,321,249.
African-Americans constitute nearly 30 percent of the state’s population. Other ancestry groups include American, English, German and Irish.
South Carolina’s Christian population is a staggering 92 percent, with 84 percent of affiliation with Protestant faiths. Southern Baptists are the most dominant, making up 45 percent of the population. Sephardic Jews from the colonial era have a notable population in Charleston.
Economy of South Carolina
South Carolina’s gross state product in 2004 was $136 billion, while the per capita income in 2005 was $28.352. Textiles have been an important economic contributor throughout South Carolina’s history.
Other manufacturing industries include chemical products, paper products, automotive products and machinery. Tourism is a growing sector, especially to Charleston.
The state’s agricultural outputs include cattle, poultry, hogs, dairy products, tobacco, soybeans and dairy products.
South Carolina Law and Government
Republican Mark Sanford is South Carolina’s current governor, while Republicans Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham serve in the U.S. Senate. There are six congressional representatives in the U.S. House. Columbia is the capital of the state.
Much like the rest of the South, the state voted Democrat until the mid-1900s, when the party’s stances shifted. South Carolina has now voted Republican in every presidential election since the 1960s, except for Jimmy Carter. The South Carolina primary is significant in determining Republican and Democratic candidates for the presidency.
South Carolina Transportation
All of South Carolina’s airports function as regional airport hubs, with the Charleston International Airport as the busiest. The other five airports in the state are located in Columbia, Greenville-Spartanburg, Florence, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach. Many South Carolinians use the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport just across the state border.
I-20 runs in the east through Columbia, while I-26 travels through Charleston to Columbia. I-77 connects Columbia to Cleveland in Ohio. I-85 transverses through Greenville and Spartanburg in the Upstate region.
I-95 and U.S. Route 1 follow the state’s border to the Atlantic coast. Several other highways and U.S. routes pass through various cities in the state.
Amtrak offers four passenger routes with stops at Charleston, Columbia, Dillon, Florence, Greenville and Spartanburg.
Major Cities and Towns of South Carolina
Columbia, the state’s most populous city, is full of small theatres, musical venues and smaller music and dance companies. Finlay Park is the site for many of the city’s festivals, while Congaree National Park and Sesquicentennial Park feature lakes and forested woods next to Columbia’s downtown.
Charleston hosts the Spoleto Festival USA, a 17-day art festival, along with the MOJA Arts Festival that celebrates Caribbean and African-American culture. The city is full of colonial architecture, like the Old Exchange and Customs House. Visitors can also visit Fort Sumter, the Gibbes Museum of Art and former plantations.
South Carolina Educational System
The University of South Carolina system has eight schools, with its flagship institution in Columbia. South Carolina State University is a historically black university, while the College of Charleston, founded in 1770, is one of the oldest schools in the nation. The Citadel is a state-supported school training military cadets. There are quite a few other private liberal arts and religiously affiliated colleges.
Learn more from the South Carolina Department of Education.
South Carolina Sports Teams and Recreational Activities
Although there are no specific South Carolina major sports franchises, the Carolina Panthers in football and the Carolina Hurricanes in hockey play in North Carolina and represent both states. Minor league teams include the Charleston Battery, which play soccer, along with several baseball and ice hockey teams.
NASCAR is very popular in South Carolina, hosting several races at the Darlington Raceway. The University of South Carolina Gamecocks draw huge crowds to their football games, while smaller schools in the state also offer competitive sports programs.
Golfing is big in South Carolina, with more public golf courses per capita in Myrtle Beach than anywhere else in the country. Swimming and boogie boarding are also popular along the state’s coastline. Camping, hunting, fishing and whitewater rafting are among other popular activities.
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