<P> Located between 40 degrees and 30 degrees latitude, the physiographic makeup of the southern colonies is generally divided into three regions . The Atlantic Coastal Plain (divided into two parts; the Inner Coastal Plain and the Tidewater), Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian mountain regions . </P> <P> The Atlantic Coastal plains developed over the last 6,000 years, flattening out via the global flood as well as the transportation of sediment by river systems from the Appalachian Mountains . Crisscrossed by these river systems, the area became known as the Tidewater region due to the noticeable effect of the ocean's tides on the rivers that run through it . </P> <P> French for "foothills", the Piedmont is characterized by rolling hills stretching between the coastal plain and the Blue Ridge Mountains . It is separated from the coastal plain by the "fall line", line where elevation falls noticeably and is the sight of many waterfalls on the rivers in the region . </P> <P> The Blue Ridge Mountains is a specific region of the Appalachians . The ridgeline of the mountains varies from being 5 to 65 miles wide, with peaks averaging around 2000 to 4000 ft above sea level . The area is covered in forests with hundreds of species of trees found within the range, and today are a source of timber . Beyond the Blue mountains continues the rest of the Appalachians, except in Virginia where the Shenandoah valley opens up . </P>

Geography and town development of the new england colonies