United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018Parker, Amanda2004-05-25Encyclopedia article about man-made lakes in Georgia. The land that makes up present-day Georgia had few natural lakes before European settlement, and most impoundments, formed by beavers and debris dams from high flows, were relatively small. The lack of glacial retreat, land slope, and local geology provided conditions for large and small rivers and streams but not for lakes. The natural water bodies that occur in Georgia are primarily located in the southern part of the state in the Coastal Plain, where sinkhole lakes and isolated wetlands in natural shallow depressions largely fed by rain and shallow groundwater, called Carolina bays, form. Hence, the majority of lakes in Georgia that are now enjoyed for recreational, industrial, municipal, and federal government uses are man-made.GSE identifier: SS8G1engForms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Forms part of the New Georgia EncyclopediaGeography--GeorgiaScience--GeorgiaMedicine--GeorgiaSports--GeorgiaOutdoor recreation--GeorgiaEnvironmental management--GeorgiaNatural resources--GeorgiaReservoirs--GeorgiaReservoirsText