Virginia : Geographical Facts

Three main physiographic regions constitute Virhinia. They are: the Atlantic Coastal Plain, or Tidewater; the Piedmont Plateau, in the central section; and the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains of the Appalachian chain, in the west and northwest.

The long, narrow Blue Ridge rises sharply from the piedmont, reaching a maximum elevation of 5,729 ft (1,747 m) at Mt. Rogers, the state's highest point. Between the Blue Ridge and the Allegheny Mountains of the Appalachian chain in the northwest lies the Valley of Virginia. The Valley consists of transverse ridges and six separate valleys. The floors of these valleys ascend in altitude from about 300 ft (90 m) in the northern Shenandoah Valley to 2,400 ft (730 m) in the Powell Valley. The Alleghenies average 3,000 ft (900 m) in height.

The Piedmont, shaped like a triangle, varies in width from 40 mi (64 km) in the far north to 180 mi (290 km) in the extreme south. The Tidewater is divided by four long peninsulas cut by the state's four principal rivers—the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James—and the Chesapeake Bay. The Tidewater has many excellent harbors, notably the deep Hampton Roads estuary.