The Geography of Jamestown

Lesson Objectives: Describe the geography of Jamestown.Examine how the Powhatan

and the English were affected by their environment.

Land of Many Resources

Picture a ship in 1607, full of people looking for new homes in a new land. These people were traveling from England to North America in hopes of finding gold and other riches in the land that

is now the United States.

This map shows the area where the Englishmen started their community in a placed called Jamestown. It was named for the King of England, James I.

Today it is known as the state of Virginia.

The English were not the first people to build communities in Virginia. Native Americans had lived in the area for thousands of years.

Native Americans used trees to build houses and make bows and arrows. They also carved out trees to make canoes.

Using Natural Resources

The map below shows the Native Americans who lived in what is now Eastern Virginia. They were called the Powhatan. They fished along the James River and Chesapeake Bay.

A bay is a body of water partly surrounded by land.

Living with the EnvironmentIf you remember, the Anasazi’s

environment was very dry. The environment around Jamestown was different. There was plenty of rain for plants and trees. The area around Jamestown is known as a coastal plain.

A coastal plain is flat land along the coast.

The coastal plain was good for farming. The Powhatan grew corn, beans, and squash. They also hunted deer and other animals.

The English also liked Jamestown’s environment. They saw the location as a good place to build a community. Their boats had a good port in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

Why It Matters

Environment makes a differenceto communities. People need resources from the environment to live. This fact was true in our country’s past too.