1. A Land Called Texas
Chapter 2

2. A Land Called Texas Location and Size of Texas
The Location and Size of Texas
A. Absolute Location of Texas (exact location on a map,
using longitude and latitude)
1. Latitude of Southern tip: _____________
Latitude of Northern tip: _____________
2. Longitude of Easternmost tip: _____________
Longitude of Westernmost tip: _____________
3. The absolute location of the Texas Governor’s
Mansion can be expressed as 1010 Colorado
Street in Austin or as 36°16’ N and 97°44’ W.
25° 50’N
36° 30’N
93° 3’W
106° 38’W

4. A Land Called Texas Location and Size of Texas
B. Relative Location: Location described by what it is
close to, surrounded by, next to, etc… (Ch. 1, p. 9)
Dallas is 225 miles northwest of Houston or 33
miles east of Fort Worth
What are some examples of the relative location of Texas?
2. Texas’s southeast side is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico
3. Along the border of Mexico
4. Located in south central part of U.S.

5. A Land Called Texas Location and Size of Texas
C. Size (How big is Texas?)
1. second largest state in the U.S.
miles tall, 773 miles wide
3. 267,277 square miles
4. TX = 7% of the total land area of the U.S.

6. A Land Called Texas Landforms of Texas Landforms: Plains
Barrier Islands
Escarpment (formed by earthquakes)
Plateau
Canyon
Mountain Ranges (Highest point: Guadalupe Peak – Elevation : 8,749 feet)
Barrier Islands
Plateau
Escarpment

9. A Land Called Texas South North East West ? ? ? ? Texas River System
Rio Grande, Nueces, Frio, San Antonio, Guadalupe, Medina
South
Red, Canadian
North
Sabine, Neches, Trinity, San Jacinto, Brazos, Colorado
East
Pecos
West ? ? ? ?

10. A. B. C. Texas Lakes 200 major lakes.
Caddo Lake began as a natural lake. A.
Texas lakes developed for reservoirs (artificial lakes) B.
Today, Texas lakes used for: irrigation, water supply, manufacturing, recreation, and energy C.

11. A Land Called Texas Texas Aquifers
Texas Aquifers: formations of natural gravel, rock, and sand that trap and hold rainwater underground
Edwards Aquifer
Ogallala Aquifer
Springs occur where aquifers meet the surface.

15. Barton Springs
Located in Zilker Park, not far from UT campus.

16. Comal Springs
Located in Landa Park in New Braunfels, these are the largest springs in Texas and in the Southwest.

17. Comal River A popular place to go tubing and swimming!
Runs directly behind Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels.

18. Ogallala Aquifer
One of the world’s largest aquifers, it lies under 174,000 square miles. It was named in 1899 because of its location near the town Ogallala, Nebraska.

19. A Land Called Texas Weather & Climate
Climate is an area’s pattern of weather over a long period of time.
Absolute Location and Climate
Mild winters: closer to equator
Wind Patterns:
Western winds cross deserts and carry warmer, drier air into Rio Grande Valley area and western Texas.
Winds that blow in from the north bring cooler temperatures to the Panhandle.
Elevation: generally temperature cools about 3° for each 1,000 foot rise in elevation

20. A Land Called Texas Weather & Climate B. Relative Location and Climate
Location near the Gulf of Mexico has a major influence on the climate of the coast of Texas.
Ocean breezes cool land in the summer and warm it in the winter (Gulf acts as an air conditioner).
Gulf of Mexico also brings more humidity (the amount of moisture in the air) to the coast moisture in the air.
Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is the source of most of the rain that falls in TX.

21. A Land Called Texas Weather & Climate
C. Drought: long periods without rain
, the average rainfall was 14.8 inches
2. Causes damage to crops & livestock
E. Floods: excess rain causes rivers to overflow their banks
1. In 2015, there was major flooding in many areas
of Texas.
2. Can cause damage to property & loss of lives

23. A Land Called Texas Climate of Texas E. Severe Weather
1. Tornado Alley
2. Hurricanes: can affect any part of the state.
a. The Hurricane of 1900 in Galveston left more than 6,000 people dead.
b Hurricane Ike
3. Blizzards
4. Dust Storms

24. Land of Contrast Natural Resources of Texas A. Agricultural Resources
1. Plenty of rainfall
2. Rich Soil
3. Some Texans make their living from growing crops and raising animals.
B. Soil: Valuable resource used for farming.

25. A Land Called Texas Natural Resources of Texas C. Energy Resources
Nonrenewable Resources in Texas: oil, natural
gas, coal
2. Renewable Resources in Texas: sun, wind, and
trees
Other Resources: sand, gravel, granite, copper,
salt, & sulphur

26. Land of Contrast
Natural Resources of Texas