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Chapter 1, Section 1
What is Geography?
A survey by the National Geographic Society
in 1988 revealed that 1 in 7 U.S. students
couldn’t find their own country on a world map.
Geography is the
study of the Earth’s
physical features
and how people
interact with them.
It helps us understand
ourselves and where
we live, as well as our
relationship with the
environment and with
other people and places.
Geography helps answer basic questions:
• Where did the earliest
Oklahomans come
from?
• Why did they grow
certain crops?
• Why were their
settlements located
where they were?
• What influenced their
cultures?
Globes are divided into hemispheres.
The Equator divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
The Prime Meridian divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
The axis is
an imaginary line
running through
the center of
the Earth
between the
North Pole
and the
South Pole.
The Earth rotates on its axis,
putting half the planet
in daylight and
half in darkness.
Lines of latitude measure distances
north or south of the Equator.
These imaginary East-West
lines run parallel
to each other
around the Earth.
The Equator,
the imaginary line
dividing the Northern
and Southern Hemispheres,
o
is 0 latitude.
Oklahoma is in
the Northern Hemisphere.
Lines of longitude measure distances
east or west of the Prime Meridian.
These imaginary
North-South lines are
not parallel; they meet at
the North and South Poles.
The Prime Meridian,
the imaginary line
dividing the Eastern
and Western Hemispheres,
o
is 0 longitude.
Oklahoma is in
the Western Hemisphere.
Degrees are units
of measurement
equal to 69 miles.
The North Pole
and the
South Pole
o
are 90 from
the Equator.
Each degree can be further
divided into smaller units
called minutes and seconds.
When the Prime Meridian crosses the North
and South Poles, it becomes the
o
International Date Line, or 180 longitude.
Latitude and longitude can be historically important.
In the Missouri Compromise of 1820, latitude 36o 30’ N
was the boundary below which slavery was permitted.
Most of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were included.
Oklahoma is in the center of the United States:
it is 1,160 miles from Washington, DC,
and 1,160 miles from Los Angeles, California.
It is 450 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico
and 950 miles south of the Canadian border.
Three major
interstate highways
make Oklahoma
“The Crossroads
of America.”
Its location is ideal for
the national distribution
of products.
The Oklahoma “Panhandle” is a strip of land
that extends from the main body of the state.
The three
westernmost
counties give our
state a distinctive
shape and one that
is easily spotted
on a map.
The Oklahoma Panhandle
is made up of
Cimarron County,
Texas County,
and Beaver County.
Oklahoma is not the only state with a panhandle.
Missouri and New Mexico have “Bootheels.”
Oklahoma borders six states:
the mountain states of Colorado and New Mexico;
the plains states of Kansas and Texas;
and the plateau states of Missouri and Arkansas.
Much of Oklahoma
is part of
The Great Plains,
a large oval area of
grasslands that
extends from
Canada southward
through the
central part of
the United States.
Its location is ideal for
farming and cattle-raising.
The location of our state affects its environment
and creates different geographical regions.
Chapter 1, Section 2
Geographic Regions
Originally, Oklahoma was covered by a shallow sea.
Tectonic pressure buckled the Earth’s surface,
creating mountain ranges that rose above the water.
The mountain
regions of
Oklahoma
were whittled
down over time
by erosion.
Erosion is the
wearing away
of land by wind,
rain, and ice.
When the prehistoric sea evaporated,
depressions in Anadarko and Arkoma were formed.
Today, they contain valuable mineral deposits.
A basin is a wide, flat area that is lower than the surrounding land.
Although it is part of the Great Plains,
Oklahoma’s topography varies greatly,
with ten distinct regions.
Topography is the
physical features
of the land, such as
mountains,
plateaus,
mesas,
hills,
and
plains.
The state declines from northwest to southeast.
Black Mesa, in Cimarron County, is the
highest point in Oklahoma.
It is 4,973 feet above sea level.
Little River, in McCurtain County, is the
lowest point in Oklahoma.
It is only 287 feet above sea level.
The High Plains include the Panhandle and
the northwest border of the state.
They were formed by lava from a prehistoric volcano in southeast Colorado.
Black Mesa is located here.
A mesa is a flat-topped, steep-sided landform.
The High Plains have an abundance of wildlife and fossils.
The Gypsum Hills cover the northwest region
of the state from Kansas to the Texas Panhandle.
The gypsum deposits were left when the ancient sea evaporated.
A series of buttes called the Glass Mountains are located here.
A butte is an isolated, steep-sided hill that is smaller than a mesa.
The region is also the home of the Alabaster Caverns.
The Red Bed Plains cover the west central region
of the state from Kansas to Texas.
They take their name from the reddish-orange shale and clay soil.
The area is noted for its agriculture, including
wheat and hay, alfalfa, cotton, and grasslands for cattle.
The capital, Oklahoma City, is located here.
The Wichita Mountains are in the
southwest corner of the state.
These landforms are among the oldest on Earth.
Quartz Mountain State Park is located here.
This region includes a wildlife refuge featuring herds of buffalo.
The military base at Fort Sill was established 20 years before the Land Run.
The Sandstone Hills are in the east central
region of the state.
The hills are heavily eroded and only rise to heights of about 400 feet.
The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is its major ecosystem.
An ecosystem is a region where living organisms – plant and animal life –
interact with nonliving elements – air, soil, and water – for survival.
The Arbuckle Mountains are in the south central
region of the state, near the Texas border.
This region has the most diverse mineral resources in the state.
In 1870, a random spot here was chosen for the Initial Point Marker,
dividing the territory into townships and land sections.
Its best-known tourist attraction is Turner Falls.
The Prairie Plains are an L-shaped area
in the northeast region of the state.
Tulsa, the state’s second-largest city, is located in the Prairie Plains.
In the rich soil here, farmers grow everything from strawberries to tomatoes.
Water is another major feature: Eufaula, Oklahoma’s largest lake,
and the McClellan-Kerr/Arkansas River Navigation System are located here.
The Ozark Plateau is on the northeast border and
is linked to mountains in Missouri and Arkansas.
A plateau is an elevated, relatively level area of land.
This region is heavily forested with oak, hickory, and elm trees.
The Pensacola Dam was used to create Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees,
and the Illinois River is popular for float trips.
The Ouachita Mountains are on the
southeast border with Arkansas.
This region is some of the roughest land in the state.
The timber-covered terrain and caves provided safety for
Native American peoples, and later, hideouts for outlaws.
Talimena Drive is especially known for its fall foliage.
The Red River Plains run from south central
to southeast Oklahoma along the Texas border.
The sandy soil here and long growing season were ideal for the
Native Americans to raise melons, squash, corn, and pumpkins.
The Red River was once so jammed with debris it took 40 years to clear.
Sympathetic to the South during the Civil War, it was called “Little Dixie.”
Chapter 1, Section 3
Oklahoma’s
Natural Resources
Natural resources are those things found in
the environment that are useful to humans:
soil, vegetation, minerals, and water.
Soil is one of
Oklahoma’s
most important
natural resources.
It is composed of
organic matter,
loose rock material,
water, and air.
Port silt loam
is the official state soil.
It is excellent for grazing.
The sandy soil in the west must be irrigated.
Irrigation is supplying water to dry land
by artificial means like canals and pipes.
It is expensive, but sustains crops during dry spells.
The clay soil of the Red Bed Plains usually requires
fertilizer before it is suitable for planting.
State farmers must also contend with droughts.
A drought is
a long period
without rainfall.
It causes
the topsoil to
dry up and
blow away.
A particularly
lengthy drought
in the 1930s
contributed to
“The Dust Bowl.”
Oklahoma has two major vegetation zones:
the eastern woodlands and the western grasslands.
The woodlands are humid and the grasslands are drier.
In 1832, author Washington Irving, on a
surveying mission in Indian Territory,
called the Cross Timbers “forests of cast iron.”
These hardwoods in the east account for almost 20% of the state’s land
and today are milled for fiberboard, plywood, and paper.
Early settlers on Oklahoma’s western grasslands
often found them as tall as a wagon bed.
The pioneers had to cut paths so their children could walk to school.
A region of flat land covered with grasses
is called a prairie.
North America has the world’s largest prairie, known as The Great Plains.
Fossil fuels were created underground
millions of years ago from the remains
of prehistoric plants and animals.
These energy resources continue to be a major part of our state’s economy.
The first major oil discovery in the state
came in 1897 near Bartlesville.
Word traveled quickly
and wildcatters
(oil industry workers)
flooded into the territory.
Tulsa soon became
known as the
“Oil Capital of the World.”
As of 2014, Oklahoma ranked fifth
in the nation for oil production.
Oklahoma also ranked fourth in the nation
in the production of natural gas in 2014.
Coal was first mined near McAlester in 1873.
We still produce more than a million tons a year from surface mines.
Oklahoma ranked 22nd out of the 32 coal-producing states in 2014.
Oklahoma granite is called “grey gold.”
The State Capitol Building rests on a foundation of granite.
Oklahoma has the purest gypsum in the country.
Among its many uses are:
Oklahoma is the only
state that produces
iodine, which is used
in medicines and
dietary supplements.
It is an
oilfield byproduct
and it is usually added
to salt, which is
a resource the state
has produced since
the early 1800s.
Another valuable resource lies beneath the surface:
the groundwater in our aquifers.
Aquifers are underground basins of porous gravel, rock, and sand.
They hold water that seeps down from rainfall, lakes, and ponds.
Nearly half of the fresh water used
in Oklahoma comes from aquifers.
Spring water
Well water
Oklahoma has more than 500 rivers and streams,
34 major reservoirs, and hundreds of lakes.
Our two largest lakes are Eufaula at 105,000 surface acres,
and Texoma, at 88,000 surface acres.
Since the 1930s,
most lakes in Oklahoma
have been manmade.
Rivers are dammed to
provide water for cities
and for flood control.
One of the newest lakes,
opened in 1987,
was Arcadia Lake
in Edmond.
Two major rivers, the Arkansas River and
the Red River, provide drainage for Oklahoma.
Both rivers are
tributaries, or
streams and rivers
that flow into
larger rivers.
The Arkansas River
actually begins
in Colorado.
It carries two-thirds
of the state’s
runoff water
before it empties
into the
Mississippi River.
The longest river is the North Canadian,
crossing 766 miles from the Panhandle to Arkansas.
In the Panhandle, it is also known as The Beaver River;
and in the central part of the state, it is designated as The Oklahoma River.
In the 1970s, the North Canadian River had to be mowed twice a year.
This is a view of the “new” Oklahoma River,
looking north toward Downtown and Bricktown.
At various times in the history of North America,
the Red River has been an area of conflict.
France vs. Spain
U.S. vs. Mexico
The Union vs.
The Confederacy
The University of Oklahoma
and
The University of Texas
Chapter 1, Section 4
Oklahoma’s Climate
As the famous
Oklahoman
Will Rogers
once said,
“If you don’t like
the weather,
just wait
a minute…
it’ll change.”
Weather
measures
the current
conditions of
the atmosphere:
temperature,
precipitation,
and wind.
Climate is the average weather of an area
over a long period of time.
Oklahoma’s climate is considered temperate, or mild.
Precipitation
is water
that falls
to the
Earth
as rain,
snow,
hail,
or sleet.
A location’s climate will be affected by
its latitude, or distance from the Equator.
ALASKA
will always be cold.
HAWAII
will always be hot.
Precipitation and climate are affected by elevation,
or the height of a place above sea level.
Lower elevations tend to have more rainfall; higher elevations have less.
Lower elevations tend to have less snow; higher elevations have more.
Mt. Kilimanjaro is an example of how
climate can be affected by elevation.
It is less than 100 miles from the Equator – but it is 19,300 feet above sea level.
Severe weather in Oklahoma includes
thunderstorms, hail, and dangerous lightning.
Frequent hailstorms have damaged property and destroyed crops.
Oklahoma averages a million lightning strikes each year.
The Jet Stream is a fast-moving air current
that crosses North America from west to east.
Dry, polar air is pulled along, where it collides with moist, tropical air.
A tornado occurs
when a cold, dry
air mass
collides with
a warm, moist
air mass to
create a funnel
that rotates at
destructively
high speeds.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale measures
the intensity of a tornado.
The scale was originally created by Dr. Tetsuya “Theodore” Fujita
at the University of Chicago in 1971 and revised in 2007.
Central Oklahoma is at the heart of
a region known as Tornado Alley.
Since 1950,
Oklahoma
has averaged
54 tornadoes
a year.
The National Severe Storms Laboratory
in Norman uses state-of-the-art technology to
monitor weather and provide advance warnings.
“Oklahoma… where the wind
comes sweepin’ down the plains…”
Although the wind is
sometimes damaging,
it is also responsible
for a new industry:
wind farms.
The giant turbines
generate electricity.
There are wind farms located in
Woodward, Ft. Supply,
Weatherford, and Lawton.
Our state is also examining renewable energies, or
alternative power sources like water and solar.
Water produces hydroelectricity and solar panels convert sunlight into usable power.