What Are the Major Physical Features in Delaware?
The major physical features in Delaware are the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Other features include rivers such as Leipsic, St. Jones and Mispillon, as well as forests.
Delaware is located between two distinct regions in the United States: the Piedmont Plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The Piedmont Plateau starts in the north of the state and gradually drops down to the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The plateau is covered in hills and ridges, the highest point which is 442 feet above sea level. The coastal plain, located in the south of the state, is flat and sandy. The plain borders the Atlantic Ocean and is home to marshes.
Other water features include short rivers and estuaries that flow both east and west. The Nanticoke River flows into the Chesapeake Bay to the west. The St. Jones, Peipsic, Mispillon and Smyrna rivers flow into the Delaware Bay to the east. Down at the coast, there are several shallow lagoons.
Another important physical feature in Delaware is its vegetation. The state was once covered in forests although less than one-third of the state is still wooded. The north of the state contains hardwood forests. Southern Delaware contains both hardwood and conifer trees. One of the most common is the American holly, which is also Delaware’s state tree.
