1. Welcome to the Virtual Texas Tour
Please remember to fasten your seatbelt!
Enter and Exit through the aisle!
Take notes on the beautiful sites you see!
We will be making four stops, so hold on tight!
By the way, tips are allowed!!!!
Read the slide as is.

2. The Mountain and Basins region is the most western region of Texas
The Mountain and Basins region is the most western region of Texas. It is the highest and driest part of Texas.

3. Mountain and Basins
A basin is a low, bowl-shaped land with higher ground all around it. The basins in this Texas region are deserts.

4. This region has all of Texas’ mountains and valleys.

5. Guadalupe Peek is the highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet above sea level.

6. The Chihuahuan Desert is located here in the dry Mountain and Basins Region. Prickly pear cactus grow here. Many tumbleweeds are found in the desert also.

7. Guadalupe Peek is the highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet above sea level.

9. Big Bend National Park is located here on a gigantic bend in the Rio Grande River. 99% of the park is desert.

10. Major Cities: El Paso, Fort Stockton, and Pecos
Location: It borders Mexico, the Pecos River, and New Mexico.
Climate/Weather: This is the driest area of the state.
Other facts: There are many beef cattle ranchers and Big Bend National Park is located here. .
Review the notes from this region, and ask students to write down any ideas they may have overlooked at this time. Some students may want to share their high points so others can write them down as well.
Don’t forget to stop and let the passengers off of the bus to go learn about the Native American Tribes found in the Mountain and Basins Region. Encourage them to record notes on their note sheet about the tribes who lived here.

11. Show the Coastal Plains region.

12. Coastal Plains
Coastal Plains are mostly flat land that lies alongside an ocean. Coastal Plains cover nearly one third of the state of Texas.

13. This is the Piney Woods of Texas. It is home to many pine trees
This is the Piney Woods of Texas. It is home to many pine trees. It was once home to the Caddo Indians. The Caddos were a very different tribe because women were chosen as chiefs. Many mocking birds live here also. Mocking birds are our state bird. They got their name from their unique ability to copy or “mock” the sounds they hear.

14. The weather in the Coastal Region consists of a mild climate
The weather in the Coastal Region consists of a mild climate. Its winters are short and warm compared to those in the Northeast. Its summers are long, hot, and humid. Humid means damp or moist.

15. There are lots of rivers and lakes in coastal regions for fishing and water sports.

16. Corpus Christi has a port where ships from all over the world visit it
Corpus Christi has a port where ships from all over the world visit it. The water sparkles here, so the city was nicknamed, “Sparkling City by the Sea.”

17. The Coastal Plains of Texas lie alongside an ocean– the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico feeds into the Atlantic Ocean.

18. Rivers that flow west drain into the Gulf of Mexico
Rivers that flow west drain into the Gulf of Mexico. Many people visit the beaches of Galveston.

19. This is downtown Houston
This is downtown Houston. This is the home of NASA and the San Jacinto Monument. The San Jacinto Monument marks the site of the final battle of the Texas Revolution. Sam Houston led his soldiers to victory over the Mexican Soldiers there.

20. Oil is found in the Coastal Plains
Oil is found in the Coastal Plains. These tall structures are oil derricks. Many people call the oil found in Texas, “Black Texas Tea”.

21. In the southernmost area of Texas, known as the Valley, crops grow all year round due to the warm weather and sunshine. Some of these crops include cotton, as seen in the picture, sugar cane, citric fruits, wheat, cabbage, soybean, and corn.
The Valley really is not a valley at all! It is a flat plain that the Rio Grande flows through. How do you think it got its name?

22. Crops are often transported by trains and sold and distributed across the country.

23. Crops are often transported by trains and sold and distributed across the country.

24. In Kingsville, located in the Coastal Plains, you will find the King Ranch. It is named for Captain Richard King who was a cattle breeder. He and his wife, Henrietta King, ran the ranch. He introduced a new strain of cow in Texas that could live in the hot climate and that had thick skin to protect it from pesky insects. The King Ranch is still one of the largest Cattle Ranches in Texas.

25. The coast and flat land make it easy to transport goods to oter places
Major Cities: Austin, Brownsville, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Tyler
Location: It borders Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas
Climate/Weather: This region is very warm in the south and very cold in the north. It receives more rainfall and violent storms than any other region. The average amount of rainfall is 30 to 55 inches per year.
Agriculture: Timber, dairy, cattle, hogs, poultry, grain, cotton, corn, peanuts, roses, fruits (especially citrus), hay, fish, sheep, wheat, vegetables, rice, and shrimp.
Other facts: It has the largest population of all regions, lots of rain, many rivers, lumber & paper mills, chemical plants, clothing industry, ports, the Gulf of Mexico, & a large oil industry.
Review the notes from this region, and ask students to write down any ideas they may have overlooked at this time. Some students may want to share their high points so others can write them down as well.
Don’t forget to stop and let the passengers off of the bus to go learn about the Native American Tribes found in the Coastal Plains Region. Encourage them to record notes on their note sheet about the tribes who lived here.

26. Welcome to the High Plains of Texas, also known as the Great Plains
Welcome to the High Plains of Texas, also known as the Great Plains. Most of the Texas Panhandle lies on the High Plains. A panhandle is a narrow strip of land that is joined to a bigger piece of land. On a map it looks like the handle of a pan. Can you think of another state that has a panhandle? (Oklahoma or Florida do, and there may be others)

27. The High Plains or Great Plains
The land in the High Plains is higher, but more level than in the other regions. While it does not contain the mountains that the Mountain and Basins Region does, it does have higher plains than the rest of Texas. Remember plains are flat lands.

28. In the southern part of the High Plains region of Texas is a landform called the Edwards Plateau. Like any other plateau, part of the land of the Edwards Plateau is high and flat, like a table. The southern and eastern parts of the Edwards Plateau, however, have many hills. If fact, this land west of Austin is so hilly that it is often called the Hill Country.

29. In the Texas Panhandle the border between the Central Plains, which we visit next, and the High Plains is marked by a landform called the Cap Rock Escarpment. An escarpment is a long wall of steep cliffs where the elevation of the land changes. At Cap Rock the rolling Central Plains meet the high, flat land of the High Plains. When the Spanish explorers first saw this land, they were surprised at what seemed to be an “ocean of land.”
In the southern part of the High Plains region is another escarpment called the Balcones Escarpment. The word balcones is Spanish for “balconies,” which is what the escarpment looks like.

30. The major cities in the High Plains region are Lubbock and Amarillo
The major cities in the High Plains region are Lubbock and Amarillo. Did you know there are 56 parks in Amarillo? It is also famous for hosting the largest livestock auction in Texas!

31. Wheat is grown in the High Plains
Wheat is grown in the High Plains. It is easy to grow in areas with less water. Since the High Plains region is dry and gets little water, wheat is one crop of choice.

32. Cotton is also an important crop to the High Plains region.

33. Major Cities: Lubbock, Midland, and Amarillo
Location: It is in the northern part of the state often referred to as the Panhandle. It is bordered by New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Climate/Weather: It is windy, dry, and very cold in the winter yet very hot in the summer. It is the coldest region in Texas.
Agriculture: Wheat, cotton, grain, corn, cattle, hay
Other facts: There are large areas used to feed cattle before they are made into meat. The soil is very rich for growing large amounts of cotton and wheat with the help of irrigation. Irrigation is when water is pumped from a lake, river, or an underground water source to the crops where there is not enough rain.
The oil industry is also in this region.
Review the notes from this region, and ask students to write down any ideas they may have overlooked at this time. Some students may want to share their high points so others can write them down as well.
Don’t forget to stop and let the passengers off of the bus to go learn about the Native American Tribes found in the High or Great Plains region. Encourage them to record notes on their note sheet about the tribes who lived here.

34. Our fourth and final region of Texas is the Central Plains Region.

35. The North Central Plains
The Central Plains has a little higher elevation than the Coastal Plains. The land rises from 600 feet above sea level to about 2,000 feet above sea level at the western edge.

36. The Central Plains Region is a rural area, not having a high population. It has warmer summers and cooler winters. There are many larger cattle ranges in the Central Plains region. There is not much rainfall here.

37. Rolling hills cover much of the Central Plains in Texas
Rolling hills cover much of the Central Plains in Texas. In many places in the Central Plains rivers and streams have cut steep-sided hills and valleys into the land. For this reason, this region is often called the Rolling Hills Region.

38. Fort Worth was one of the many stops along the famous cattle trail known as the Chisholm Trail. The Chisholm Trail was established by a Cherokee trader. Many cowboys and cowgirls complete in this region in rodeos.
Did you know that after the Civil War about one third of the Texas cowboys were African-American or Mexican-American? It’s true!

39. Fort Worth is one larger city in the Central Plains region
Fort Worth is one larger city in the Central Plains region. It is known for its stockyards and cowboys.
One fact you may not know concerns a little critter found here in the Central Plains. It is the horned toad. You don’t see them very often, but if you do, be very careful! They are on the threatened list. That means the species is threatened of being extinct. Be on the lookout!

40. Major Cities: Abilene, San Angelo, Fort Worth, Wichita Falls, and San Saba
Location: It is in the central part of the state.
Climate/Weather: It has cold winters and usually the hottest summer temperatures in the state. It has an average of 20 to 30 inches of rain per year with many violent storms and tornadoes.
Agriculture: Cattle, goats, sheep, cotton, grain, oats, pecans, hay, peaches, cedar trees, wheat, corn, peanuts
Other facts: There is enough rainfall and good soil to grow many crops. Oil can be found in some areas. People raise cattle for meat, sheep for their wool, and Angora goats for their mohair.
Review the notes from this region, and ask students to write down any ideas they may have overlooked at this time. Some students may want to share their high points so others can write them down as well.
Don’t forget to stop and let the passengers off of the bus to go learn about the Native American Tribes found in the Central Plains region. Encourage them to record notes on their note sheet about the tribes who lived here.

41. I hope you enjoyed your tour!