Editing Scotland County, North Carolina (section)

==Geography and physical features==
[[File:Lumber River at Chalk Banks.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Lumber River]] at Chalk Banks near [[Wagram, North Carolina|Wagram]]]]
Located within the southeastern portion of the state of North Carolina,{{sfn|Powell|1976|p=443}} Scotland County rests at the border between the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/scotland| title = Scotland County| last = Mazzocchi| first = Jay| date = 2006| website = NCPedia| publisher = North Carolina Government & Heritage Library| access-date = July 21, 2022}}</ref> It is bordered by [[Hoke County, North Carolina|Hoke]], [[Moore County, North Carolina|Moore]], [[Robeson County, North Carolina|Robeson]], and [[Richmond County, North Carolina|Richmond]] counties,{{sfn|Powell|1976|p=443}} and [[Marlboro County, South Carolina|Marlboro County]] in the state of South Carolina.<ref name= censusprofile/> According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|320.62|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|319.14|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|1.48|sqmi}} (0.46%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2022 |title=2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_counties_37.txt |access-date=September 9, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> It is the smallest North Carolina county by area.<ref name="elder">{{cite news| last = Elder| first = Renee| title = Black residents in a small NC town say their community is neglected. What happens now?| newspaper = Border Belt Independent| date = August 13, 2021| url = https://borderbelt.org/black-residents-in-a-small-nc-town-say-their-community-is-neglected-what-happens-now/| access-date = July 21, 2022}}</ref> The elevation above sea level is {{convert|227|ft}}.<ref name= scotlaurchamber>{{Cite web |title=Relocating to Scotland County |url=https://www.laurinburgchamber.com/community |access-date=September 4, 2023|publisher=Laurinburg-Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce}}</ref>

Scotland is one of the state's ten counties within the [[Sandhills (Carolina)|Sandhills]] region.<ref name= augillard>{{cite web| url = https://archleague.org/article/lumbee-river-north-carolina-intro/| title = Along the Lumbee River: An Introduction| last1 = Augillard| first1 = Morgan| last2 = Swerdlin| first2 = Joey| publisher = [[Architectural League of New York]]| access-date = November 20, 2022}}</ref> The hills mostly populate the northern section of the county, with rest being largely flat.{{sfn|Covington|Ellis|1999|p=3}}{{sfn|LeGrand|2005|p=3}} Geologically, most of the soil in Scotland consists of sand, sandstone, and mudstone, with the sandiest soils in the Sandhills.{{sfn|LeGrand|2005|p=3}} The extreme western portion of the county is in the [[Pee Dee River]] drainage basin, while the rest is in the [[Lumber River]] basin. The Lumber forms the eastern boundary of the county. Several smaller tributary watercourses, including Big Shoe Heel Creek, Juniper Creek, Jordan Creek, Leith Creek, Gum Swamp Creek, and Joes Creek, flow across the area and into the Lumber{{sfn|LeGrand|2005|p=3}} and [[Little Pee Dee River|Little Pee Dee]] rivers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020 |title=Chapter 3 Little Pee Dee Subbasin |url=https://deq.nc.gov/media/4163/download|publisher=North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality|access-date=March 22, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lumber River, North Carolina |url=https://www.rivers.gov/rivers/lumber.php |access-date=March 22, 2023|website=National Wild and Scenic Rivers System|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105153751/https://www.rivers.gov/rivers/lumber.php|archive-date=January 5, 2023|publisher=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service}}</ref> Most such streams are [[Blackwater river|blackwater]] and flow southward or southeastward.{{sfn|LeGrand|2005|p=3}} The county is also populated by several hundred [[Carolina bay]]s, most of which are concentrated in the northeast, east, and just south of Laurinburg. Some of these form seasonal ponds, and there are several other manmade bodies of water including millponds.{{sfn|LeGrand|2005|pp=3, 6}}

The region generally experiences mild winters and hot summers.{{sfn|Davis|2008|p=90}} The average mean temperature in January is {{convert|44|°F}} while the mean in July is {{convert|80|°F}}. The county on average sees about {{convert|47|in|}} of rainfall per year.<ref name= scotlaurchamber/> Native trees include [[loblolly pine]], [[Liquidambar styraciflua|sweetgum]], [[red maple]], and [[water oak]].{{sfn|LeGrand|2005|p=164}} [[Longleaf pine]] grows in the Sandhills Game Land, a state nature preserve which covers part of Scotland County.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sandhills Game Land |url=https://visitrichmondcounty.com/f/sandhills-game-land |date=July 23, 2019 |publisher=Richmond Country Tourism Development Authority|website=Richmond County Visitor's Guide|language=en-US|access-date=December 20, 2022}}</ref> The Sandhills region is also populated by [[fox squirrel]]s. Other fauna in the county include Carolina [[gopher frog]]s, eastern [[tiger salamander]]s, and [[loggerhead shrike]]s.{{sfn|LeGrand|2005|pp=39–40}} Portions of the [[Lumber River State Park]] are also in the county.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/lumber-river-state-park| title = Lumber River State Park| website = North Carolina State Parks| publisher = NC Division of Parks & Recreation| access-date = December 11, 2022}}</ref>