Georgia's Lowest Elevation: Sea Level on the Atlantic Coast

Georgia's lowest point is sea level (0 ft / 0 m) along its 100-mile Atlantic coastline—from the Savannah River (SC border) to the St. Marys River (FL border).

Coastal Geography

• Barrier Islands (Sea Islands): Tybee, Wassaw, Ossabaw, St. Catherines, Blackbeard, Sapelo, Wolf, Little St. Simons, St. Simons, Jekyll, Cumberland – protect mainland, create salt marshes.
• Salt Marshes: ~380,000 acres – 1/3 of East Coast total. Spartina grass, nurseries for shrimp, crab, fish.
• Estuaries: Savannah, Ossabaw, St. Catherines, Sapelo, Altamaha, Satilla, St. Marys.

Elevation Gradient

• Sea level: Coast, barrier islands, marshes.
• Inner Coastal Plain (0–300 ft): Flat, sandy, pine plantations, agriculture (peanuts, cotton, Vidalia onions).
• Fall Line (~300–500 ft): Columbus, Macon, Milledgeville, Augusta – rivers become non-navigable; hydro power sites.
• Piedmont (500–1,500 ft): Rolling hills, red clay, Atlanta metro.
• Blue Ridge Mountains (1,500–4,784 ft): North GA. Brasstown Bald (4,784 ft / 1,458 m) = state high point.

Sea Level Rise Context

• GA coast: ~3–4 mm/yr rise (NOAA).
• Saltwater intrusion threatening freshwater aquifers, agriculture, septic systems.
• Barrier islands migrating landward (natural) but blocked by development.

From the tidal creeks of the Golden Isles to the summit of Brasstown Bald, Georgia spans 4,784 vertical feet—all draining to the same Atlantic that defines its floor.