1. Texas History
Chapter 2.1
Texans and Geography

2. Everything is Bigger in Texas
Texas is the second-largest state after Alaska.

3. Everything is Bigger in Texas
Texas has a total area of 266,807 square miles.
Alaska is 663,268 square miles, over twice the size of Texas.

4. When you know the geography of a place, it helps you appreciate
why people live the way they do
why event occurred there

5. It is important for understanding the past and the present of Texas and the world.

6. Geography can help answer what elements make a place special.
Element- a separate, identifiable part of something.

7. Elements Physical Elements Human Elements Landforms Climate Plants
Animals
Language
Religion
Architecture
Music
Politics
Ways of Life

8. Geographers look at the land and climate of a place to understand how it became what it is today.

9. Hamilton Pool

11. Hamilton Pool
A large cave collapsed because of erosion, revealing the underground pool.
Pool had formed thousands of years ago as a result of:
Volcanic activity
Glacier movement
Hurricanes

13. Geographers look at how people have changed the land .
Galveston SeaWall

14. Hurricane of 1900

15. Hurricane IKE

16. Geographers look at how the environment affects human activities.
Climate
Landforms
Plants
Animals

17. If people know about these interactions, then they can figure out how to make plans (present & future)
for themselves
for their businesses
for their government

18. Location

19. Location
Texas’ location on the Gulf of Mexico has been important for the states growth.
The Gulf provides jobs for thousands of Texans.
Fishing
Oil
Tourism
Shipping

20. Why are we studying this?
Texas has a population that is becoming larger and more diverse than before.

21. Population of Texas 2010: Population 25 million
Texas population continues to grow and become more diverse
More than 26 million currently

22. Texas is mostly populated by people from different lands.
Who Texans Are
Texas is mostly populated by people from different lands.
Texas has people of many different backgrounds, ethnicities, and races.

23. Demography—the branch of geography that studies human populations

24. Immigration—movement of people from country to country

25. The first people to live in Texas
Who Texans Are
Native Americans
The first people to live in Texas

26. First Europeans came from Spain
Who Texans Are
First Europeans came from Spain
In recent years, the largest number of immigrants to Texas have come from Mexico.

27. White, not of Hispanic origin
Who Texans Are
White, not of Hispanic origin
German, Czech, French, Irish
African Americans
Asians
Chinese, and Vietnamese

28. Where Texans Have Settled
Rio Grande Valley—Hispanics
East Texas—early settlers from the U.S.
Central Texas—Czech and German

29. The Growing Population of Texas
Demographers look at:
growth rate—the speed of growth

30. The Growing Population of Texas
Birthrate—number of births per 1000 people
Death Rate—number of deaths per 1000 people

31. The Growing Population of Texas
Birthrate: 17.5
Death rate: 7.3

32. Immigration +
Births -
Deaths =
Growth

33. Texas is historically a rural state Since 1950 it has been more urban
Where Texans Settle
Texas is historically a rural state
Since 1950 it has been more urban
2010: 88% of population live in urban areas
12% live in rural areas

34. Where Texans Settle
6.7 million people live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

35. Dallas started as a cotton market and grew when oil was discovered
Fort Worth was an Army post and became a cattle shipping center