Land of Contrast Chapter 1

Land of Contrast Location and Size of Texas Absolute Location: Exact location on a map, using longitude and latitude coordinates Absolute Location of Texas: Latitude of Southern tip: _____________ Latitude of Northern tip: _____________ Longitude of Easternmost tip: _____________ Longitude of Westernmost tip: _____________ 25° 50’N 36° 30’N 93° 3’W 106° 38’W

Land of Contrast Location and Size of Texas Relative Location: Location described by what it is close to, surrounded by, next to, etc… What would be an example of a relative location of Texas? Texas is North of Mexico Texas’s southeast side is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico

Land of Contrast Location and Size of Texas How big is Texas? second largest state in the U.S. 801 miles tall, 773 miles wide 267,277 square miles TX = 7% of the total land area of the U.S.

Land of Contrast Texas Natural Resources Landforms: Plains Barrier Islands Escarpment Plateau Canyon Mountains (Highest point: Guadalupe Peak – Elevation : 8,749 feet) Barrier Islands Escarpment Plateau

Land of Contrast Texas Natural Resources Texas Rivers: Use your Rivers map to list the rivers in the appropriate location category Red, Canadian North Rio Grande, Nueces, Frio, San Antonio, Guadalupe, Medina South Sabine, Neches, Trinity, San Jacinto, Brazos, Colorado East Pecos West ? ? ? ?

Land of Contrast Texas Natural Resources Texas Aquifers: underground water reservoirs 1.Edwards Aquifer 2.Ogallala Aquifer Springs occur where aquifers meet the surface.

Land of Contrast Texas Natural Resources Soil: Valuable resource used for farming.

Land of Contrast Texas Natural Resources Natural Vegetation Forests Savannas Grasslands

Land of Contrast Texas Natural Resources Mineral Resources: Main minerals in Texas are: petroleum, natural gas, coal, sand, gravel, limestone, granite Petroleum and gas (the most important mineral resources) are found in all but 23 counties in Texas.

Land of Contrast Texas Natural Resources Mineral Resources: As of 2001, the value of these minerals produced in Texas is about $17 billion annually. Produced 1/4 of the energy for the U.S. throughout history.

Land of Contrast Climate of Texas Absolute Location and Climate Mild winters. Climate of South Texas is much warmer than that of North Texas. Highly unpredictable weather, such as: tornadoes, hurricanes, dust storms, and northers

Land of Contrast Climate of Texas Relative Location and Climate Location near the Gulf of Mexico has a major influence on the climate. Ocean breezes cool land in the summer and warm it in the winter. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is the source of most of the rain that falls in TX.

Land of Contrast Climate of Texas Relative Location and Climate The Gulf is so far from some areas of Texas that it has little effect on the climate there. Hurricanes: can affect any part of the state. The hurricane of 1900 in Galveston left more than 6,000 people dead.