North Carolina Geography Resources Guide

A portion of a 1960 map highlighting the history, industry and beauty of North Carolina.

North Carolina is known for its varied people and places. From the highest point east of the Mississippi at Mount Mitchell to the more than 300 miles of beaches found up and down the North Carolina coast, there's so much to explore. Our state's unique environment also showcases how history is shaped by geography, and geography is shaped by history.

To help you explore the history and science of our state's places, we've compiled resources related to North Carolina geography produced by our department below.

Our Geography-Related Resources

County Overviews

Brief overviews of each of North Carolina's 100 counties from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina, available on NCpedia for free.

The Lower Cascades Waterfall at Hanging Rock State Park

Geography and Environment on NCpedia

Articles related to North Carolina's regions, boundaries, geology, natural features and more.

North Carolina Gazetteer

A geographical dictionary that lists all geographic features, past and present, of the state in one alphabet. Available online for free through NCpedia.

North Carolina Maps

A comprehensive, online collection of historic maps of the Tar Heel State, featuring maps from three of the state's largest map collections.

Related Publications

County histories, a look at how county boundaries came to be and other related books from North Carolina Historical Publications.

State Parks

Experience North Carolina's most prized natural treasures from the state's highest peaks to its pristine shorelines and everywhere in between.

North Carolina Places By the Numbers

100North Carolina Counties The last was Avery County located along the Tennessee border, established in 1911.

6,684Height in feet of Mount Mitchell The Yancey County peak is the highest you'll find east of the Mississippi.

40State Parks and Recreation Areas North Carolina's state parks preserve the natural landmarks that make our state unique.

Watch the Formation of North Carolina's Counties

Inspired by the Digital Public Library of America’s amazing GIF IT UP contest held each fall, we took drawings by L. Polk Denmark that appeared in David Leroy Corbitt's book, The Formation of North Carolina Counties; added some highlights; and made a GIF illustrating the changes in the Tar Heel State’s internal boundaries.

Check it out below:

An animated GIF showing the formation of North Carolina's counties.

A version you can pause is available on YouTube.

Corbitt's book is available for sale from our Historical Publications Section and at a local library near you. The State Library also has a great table outlining North Carolina county formation on its website.