Geography Part 1

Geography is the study of the Earth, its physical features, and the people and creatures who live on it.

Just as you affect the environment, the environment affects where you live, what you do, where you go, and what you see.

The Five Themes of Geography Geographers use the Five Themes of Geography to learn more about how people use the land. The Five Themes are: Location Place Human-Environment Relationships Movement Region

Location Relative location is using landmarks or street names to explain where you are located. –Example: next door to the bank or Addresses like 301 Pony Drive, Grapevine, Texas Absolute location is when geographers use the exact location of a place on the earth’s surface. –Example latitude and longitude

Place Place is made up of the Physical Environment or the surroundings and conditions in which something exists How do Climate, vegetation, and landforms combine with human features in the environment. –Example how would you describe the place or environment around you?

Human-Environment Relationships How has man changed the environment to meet his needs and how man has adapted to the environment? Examples: leveling forests, damming rivers pollution, people living in igloos or pueblo homes

Movement How people and products move around the earth, and how we communicate with each other. Examples- Moving to another country or state, shipping products from one state to another,

Region The world is divided into different geographic regions based on what they have in common and how they are different. Regions can be divided based on geographic, physical, political or cultural features. -Example include the 4 Natural Regions of Texas and Texas is a state that is part of the United States.

Latitude, Longitude, and Absolute Location Latitude -Runs East and West across the earth

Equator Latitude has the Equator- a line that goes East and West at O degrees. Across the middle of the earth

Longitude -Runs North and South across the earth

Prime Meridian Longitude has the Prime Meridian- a line that goes North and South at O degrees.

Hemispheres The Equator and the Prime Meridian divide the earth into hemispheres. The area north of the Equator is the Northern Hemisphere. The area south of the Equator is the Southern Hemisphere.

The area East of the Prime Meridian is the Eastern Hemisphere. The area West of the Prime Meridian is the Western Hemisphere

Texas Geography is: The study of Texas and the people who live in it. Texas Landforms: Texas has mountains, plains, valleys, rivers, plateaus, escarpments. Texas Climate is the average weather of a location. Texas is so large it has more than one climate! Resources: soil, plant & animal life, water timber, grass, oil and gas, rock, sand, etc.: (What we need to survive!)

Geography (Landforms, Climate, Resources) affects how we live: What we eat, what we wear, what kind of tools we use, what kind of house we live in, how we travel. A Comanche Camp Drawing by: James E. Taylor

Absolute Location: absolutely where you are! Lines of longitude: run north and south & are called meridians. (from Pole to Pole) Lines of latitude: run horizontally around the earth east to west. (Equator) The Earth is divided into hemispheres: Northern and Southern, but also Eastern and Western. N W E S

Absolute location: Exact location on the Earth by latitude and longitude. –Example: Tyler is located at ____degrees ___latitude and ____degrees ___ longitude Relative location: The location of one place in relationship to another location. –Example: Houston is south of Tyler. Houston is located on the Texas Gulf coast.

Resources: what we need to live Cause--- People use resources to live: for food, shelter, clothing, tools Give examples of resources: __________ Effect--- Resources can be depleted Pollution American Indians valued the land and its resources. Do we value the land and resources today? Drawing of Plains Indians by James E. Taylor

Human-Environment Interaction: 1. 2 ways people use the environment and change it for better or worse: a. b. 2.2 ways the physical factors can affect people: a. b.

Using maps. Look in your textbook in the black reference pages. Find the following about Texas: 1.Political Maps: p. ___ What do they show? 2.Physical Maps: p.__ What do they show? 3.Topical Maps: p.___ What do they show? Write examples in your notes as we discuss these!

Climate of Texas Middle Latitudes (between North Pole and Equator) gives Texas mild winters and hot summers Gulf Air Stream brings warm moist air from Gulf of Mexico over Eastern Texas causing rain, humidity, warmer winters Warm, moist Gulf air meets Cold, dry air from the North causing violent storms and tornadoes

Middle LatitudesGulf Air over Texas

Topography and Elevation Sea Level at Gulf Coast Rising in elevation from the coast to the west Coastal Plains on the coast Plateaus or Tablelands start in the western half of Texas, formed by escarpments where land is pushed upward on a fault line Mountains farthest West

Escarpments Balcones Escarpment created the Edwards Plateau west of Austin, part of it is known as the Texas Hill Country CapRock Escarpment created the Llano Estacado and the Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle

Caprock Escarpment Balcones Escarpment

Water Resources Gulf of Mexico provides sea ports for shipping and seafood Rivers provide water for transportation, drinking, irrigation Have been dammed to provide reservoirs or lakes which meet Texas’ water needs Droughts are times of little rain.

Texas Aquifers Underground reservoirs hold much of Texas water resources. Major aquifers: –Balcones Aquifer under the Edwards Plateau –Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer under East Texas –Ogalalla Aquifer under the High Plains of the Panhandle

Aquifers provide water through springs which seep out of the ground, forming rivers and streams Water is pumped out of aquifers to provide irrigation and water needs of population Can’t be refilled without rain. Conservation practices insure enough water for future needs.