Download Texas Geography

Texas Geography
Essential Questions
What are the major regions of Texas?
How were the regions of Texas identified?
What are the major cities, rivers, and
landmarks in Texas?
What effect does the geographical region of
Texas have on the way people live?
Providing Useful Directions
• Relative Location: the position of a place
relative, or in comparison to, another place
– Where something or somewhere is located in relation
to something else
• Common everyday directions
• Absolute Location: the exact position of a
place on the earth
– Latitude and Longitude
• Very specific location on the earth
• Based on a grid system—imaginary lines that go across
or up and down the earth
Types of Maps
• General-Purpose Maps
– Physical Maps: map that shows the natural
features of an area
• They show the topography: features of the earth’s surface
and relationship to each other in terms of location and
elevation
– Example: mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes
– Also called elevation maps
– Use different colors to represent differences
– Political Maps: map that shows boundaries in an
area
• Shows boundaries between states, counties, countries, etc
• Also identify towns, cities, national parks, state capitals, etc
– Physical-Political Maps: shows both topography
and boundaries
• Most classroom maps
• SpecialPurpose
Maps
– Show info
about a
specific
topic
• Example:
military
maps,
historical
maps,
city street
maps,
natural
resource
maps, etc
Two Kinds of Geography
• Geography = land and people
• Things that relate to the land (climate,
vegetation, rivers, lakes, plains, etc)=
Physical Geography
• Things that people do (how people earn a living,
customs, settlements, political systems, etc) =
Human Geography
What
States Are
Adjacent
to Texas?
Vocabulary
• Plains: a wide area of flat or gently rolling
land
• Physical Geography: physical features of the
earth’s surface
• Human Geography: features of the earth that
are created or changed by humans
• Settlement: a place where people live
Weather and Climate
• Weather—condition at a certain time/place
• Climate—expected weather conditions
• Texas has a huge range of climates across the
state
– How does weather affect human geography?
• See map on page 47
• Landforms can
include mountains,
valleys, rivers,
seacoasts, lakes,
plateaus, and plains
• Read about The
Enchanted Rock
(p. 49)
• Most of Texas is
made up of Plains
Landform
Regions
(pages 48-49)
– 2 plains regions of
Texas also extend
into other states
• Gulf Coastal Plain
• Great Plains
The Enchanted Rock
Texas Rivers
• Important to Texas
• Much of Texas border made up of 3 rivers
– Rio Grande: between Texas & Mexico
• Begins in Colorado, flows 1900 miles into NM, enters Texas
near El Paso
• 2 dams built: Amistad Dam and Falcon Dam
– Water from reservoirs created with dams irrigates crops
– Sabine River: between Louisiana & Texas
• Shorter than Rio Grande
• Toledo Bend Reservoir created
– Water is used for industry and agriculture
– Red River: between Texas and Oklahoma
• Begins in eastern NM and flows to Arkansas
• Flows to Gulf of Mexico after flood control system put into place
Texas Rivers, con’t
• Other important rivers
– Canadian River
• In Panhandle of Texas
• Begins in NM and crosses Texas to Oklahoma; joins
Arkansas River
• Only major Texas River that does not flow into Gulf of Mexico
– Pecos River
• Tributary of Rio Grande
• Starts in NM and flows south to Texas
• Provides irrigation for farms in NM and Pecos, TX
– Others (all flow into Gulf of Mexico)
• Neches, Trinity, San Jacinto, Brazos, Colorado,
Guadalupe, San Antonio, & Neuces
• Many important Texas cities are located along these rivers
Map of
Texas
Rivers
Texas
Rivers
and
Cities
Rio Grande River
The Red River
The Sabine River
Regions of Texas
• Regions are determined by physical
geography (landforms)
• Very diverse
• Texas has 4 large natural regions
– Coastal Plains
– North Central Plains
– Great Plains
– Mountains and Basins
Vocabulary
• Subregion: a smaller division of a geographic region
• Escarpment: a cliff or abrupt break in the land’s surface
• Growing Season: average # of days crops grow based on
weather
• Steppe: a vast, treeless plain
• Aquifer: underground layer of porous rock, gravel, or sand that
contains water…water can reach surface of land through
springs or wells
– (see page 540…This Land of Ours…info about the Ogallala Aquifer)
Regions and Subregions of Texas
Balcones Escarpment
The Balcones Fault Zone extends from Dallas to the north and Del Rio to the
southwest. The West Austin Hill Country is part of a larger geographical area
called the Edwards Plateau.
Caprock Escarpment
Where are the Balcones and Caprock Escarpments?
The Edwards Aquifer
4 Regions of Texas
1. Coastal Plains Region
– About 1/3 of Texas
– Extends east & south from Balcones Escarpment to Gulf of Mexico
– Most of Texas’ largest cities here
• 5 Subregions:
1. Piney Woods
• area of pine forests
• Extends from Texas-Louisiana border west for about 125 miles
• Extends from Oklahoma state line south to where coastal
prairies begin…about 25 miles from coast
• Rainiest part of Texas
• Elevation: 100-400 feet above sea level
• Caddo Lake is in Piney Woods
– Only natural lake in Texas
– Giant cypress trees, floating lotus, and lots of fish
Caddo Lake—the only natural lake in Texas
Coastal Plains Region, con’t
• Subregions, con’t
2. Post Oak Belt
• West of Piney Woods
• Long, narrow zone
• Has oak, hickory, and other hardwood trees (not pine)
• Elevation: 250-500 feet above sea level
3. Blackland Prairie
• Long, narrow area—15-70 miles wide, 300 miles wide
• Runs from Balcones Escarpment near OK border through
San Antonio to Texas/Mexico border
• Elevation: 400-800 feet above sea level
• Soil not good for growing trees…most vegetation is prairie
grass with a few hardwood trees
Coastal Plains Region, con’t
4. Gulf Coastal Plain
• Forms a large arc that follows the coast of Gulf of
Mexico from Sabine River to Kingsville
• Goes inland about 30-60 miles
• Elevation: below 100 feet, humid climate
5. South Texas Plain
•
•
•
•
Runs from about San Antonio south to Rio Grande
270 miles long; 250 miles wide
Elevation: sea level to 1000 feet above sea level
Climate warm year round
Coastal Plains Cities and Ways
of Making a Living
• Cities
– Brownsville, Harlingen, Corpus Christi, San
Antonio, Houston, Beaumont, Waco, Austin,
Tyler, Texarkana, Dallas, Galveston
• Ways of Making a Living
Agriculture, tourism, timber industry,
oil/gas, shipping,
commercial fishing, manufacturing,
food and food products
Regions of Texas, con’t
2. North Central Plains Region
– Begins at Balcones Escarpment and goes west to
Caprock Escarpment
– Area of rolling plains covered by small oak trees,
mesquite trees, brush, and scattered grass
• 3 Subregions
1. Grand Prairie
• Long narrow belt extends from Red River south to Temple and
Killeen
• Elevation: 800-1700 feet above sea level
• Vegetation: tall grasses and a few hardwood trees by streams
North Central Plains Region, con’t
• Subregions, con’t
2. Cross Timbers
• Area surrounds Grand Prairie
– Eastern Cross Timbers and Western Cross Timbers
• Good area for growing trees—post oak, hickory, pecan, elm
• Elevation: 900-1500 feet
3. Rolling Plains
• Largest subregion of North Central Plains
• Begins west of the Cross Timbers and ends at Caprock
Escarpment
• Elevation: 900 feet in east; 2000 feet in west
• Region is a steppe (vast, treeless plain)
• Vegetation: short grasses, brushy plants, some mesquite
trees
• Mostly used as grazing lands for large ranches
North Central Plains Cities and
Ways of Making a Living
• Cities
– Ft. Worth, Abilene, Wichita Falls, San Angelo,
Arlington
• Ways of Making a Living
– Agriculture, Oil/Gas, Tourism
Regions of Texas, con’t
3. Great Plains Region
• 3 Subregions
1. Llano Basin
• Almost in center of Texas
• Egg-shaped area south of North Central Plains; west of
Balcones Escarpment
• Made up of granite (very hard rock formed when molten rock
cools slowly under earth’s surface)
– Pink granite from Llano Basin was used to build Texas
Capitol Building
• Elevation: 1000-1800 feet above sea level
• Vegetation: mesquite, live oak & post oak trees, short
grasses. Pecan and oak trees grow along streams
Texas State Capital Building
Great Plains Region, con’t
• Subregions, con’t
2. Edwards Plateau
• Southern part of Great Plains region
• North and west of Balcones Escarpment
• Elevation: 1000-3000 feet above sea level
• Mostly made of limestone…some limestone
has dissolved and formed caves and
underwater streams
• Has Edwards Aquifer which supplies water
for San Antonio and other towns
–See Texas Tidbits on page 56
Great Plains Region, con’t
• Subregions, con’t
3. High Plains
• Extends west from rolling plains to Pecos River in
NM
• Also known as Llano Estacado
– One of flattest places on earth
•
•
•
•
Very dry climate
Elevation: 3000-4000 feet above sea level
Vegetation: short grasses, like a steppe
Major farming area in Texas
Great Plains Region Cities and
Ways of Making a Living
• Cities
– Midland, Odessa, Lubbock, Amarillo
• Ways of Making a Living
– Agriculture, Oil/Gas
Odessa
Around
Odessa
Amarillo
Palo Duro Canyon (close to Amarillo)
West Texas Sun Set
Regions of Texas, con’t
4. Mountains and Basins Region
• No subregions
• Made up of tall mountains separated by basins
or closed valleys
• Vegetation in Mountains: forests of oak, pinon,
and ponderosa pine trees
• Vegetation in Basins: (desert like area) cactus,
shrubs, short grasses
• Very little rain
• Elevation: varied…from 2500-8700 feet above
sea level
• Guadalupe Peak: highest point in Texas
Guadalupe Peak
Guadalupe Mountain National Park
Mountains and Basins Cities and
Ways of Making a Living
• Cities
– El Paso
• Ways of Making a Living
– Manufacturing, Oil/Gas, Agriculture
Where People Live in Texas
• Most Texans live in cities or urban areas
• Largest cities in Texas—Houston and
Dallas
• Most of largest cities are east of Balcones
Escarpment
– Separates Central and East Texas from West
Texas
– Out of 27 major cities in Texas, only 7 of them
are west of Balcones Escarpment
Vocabulary
• Metropolitan Area: a city and all the areas around it
that depend on the central city
• Suburb: smaller community just outside a city
• Industry: making or preparing products to sell
• Per Capita Income: average amount of money a
person makes a year in a certain area
• Heritage: beliefs and customs that people get from
their ancestors
Why Cities Grow
• People go where there are jobs
– Houston: oil industry, space program
– Dallas: financial, telecommunications,
electronics, fashion, DFW airport,
– Ft. Worth: cattle town, airplane/helicopter
production
– San Antonio: military base, tourism:
Alamo/River Walk
– Austin: state capital, UT (largest state
university), computers (Dell)
Why Haven’t Other Areas Grown?
• Attracted less industry—except for Oil
– West Texas: further away from major
cities…higher transportation, shipping, labor,
and living costs
• Dry climate
• Not much farming (not as much water)
• Land mostly used for ranching
– Workers don’t make as much money
Farming in Texas
• Agriculture—still major industry in Texas
• Texas has 2nd largest farm income in US (CA
has more)
• Approximately 225,000 farms
• Rice (Houston), Citrus fruit and sorghum (Rio
Grande Valley),
• Texas produces more cotton than any other
state
– High Plains: largest cotton growing area in US
Rich and Poor in Texas
•
•
•
•
Per Capita Income
Highest incomes in Texas? Big Cities
Oil industry helps Texas per capita income
Lowest incomes in Texas? Along Rio
Grande River, inner cities
Diverse Names of Texas Cities
and Towns
• Names can reflect state’s heritage
– Spanish or Mexican influence
– Names of Settlers
– Native Americans
– Heroes of Texas Revolutions
– Politicians
– Immigrants and immigrant groups of people
Picture Sources
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blog.travelpod.com
care2.com
innerenergies.org
thefullwiki.org
outdoors.webshots.com
tpwd.state.tx.us
city-data.com
texasescapes.com
blog.oregonlive.com
resortbay.com
pubs.usgs.gov
esi.utexas.edu
• http://www.beg.utexas.edu/UTopia/contentpg_images/central/central_
7708.jpg
• http://www.freeworldmaps.net/united-states/texas/map.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caprock_Escarpment