Lowcountry

The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region along the Atlantic coast of the United States, centered in South Carolina and extending into southeastern Georgia. It comprises the low-lying coastal plain, tidal marshes, barrier islands, and Sea Islands, and includes coastal cities such as Charleston, Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, Savannah, and St. Simons Island.

The area features flat terrain, extensive wetlands, and estuarine systems fed by the Savannah and Ashley rivers and other tidal channels. It has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters, and is vulnerable to hurricanes and rising sea levels.

The Lowcountry played a key role in colonial plantation economies based on rice and indigo. Enslaved Africans and their descendants formed the Gullah/Geechee culture, preserving African linguistic elements, crafts, music, and cuisine. The region is noted for its historic coastal towns, Charleston's architecture, and Sea Island communities. The Gullah culture persists in rural parts of the Sea Islands and surrounding counties.

Today the region relies on tourism, hospitality, shipping, and seafood. The Port of Charleston is a major economic hub, while protected areas and wildlife refuges preserve marshes and barrier islands. Environmental challenges include coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, and climate-change impacts.

The term "Lowcountry" can vary in scope; some definitions cover parts of coastal South Carolina and Georgia as far inland as the fall line, while others limit it to the South Carolina coast from the Savannah River to Georgetown and the Georgia coast.