1. Kansas History
Ch. 1 Home on the Range

2. Chapter 1 Home on the Range
“America’s Heartland”
This is the nickname given to Kansas because it is the center of U.S.
The center of the U.S. is in Smith County, near Lebanon
Absolute Location
Giving a location using longitude and latitude
Longitude – distance east/west of prime meridian
Latitude – distance north/south from equator
Relative Location
Giving a location by using another place for reference.

3. Chapter 1 Home on the Range
Physical Features – Used by geographers to divide KS into 2 Regions
Kansas is NOT flat.... Even though we have 0 mountains.
Kansas SLOWLY rises in elevation from East to West.
Rises about 10 feet per mile.
Kansas is environmentally diverse.
Eastern Kansas – has wooded areas and rolling hills
Western Kansas – has high plains
Most well known feature is the prairie.
Area too wet for desert, but too dry to be a forest.

4. Chapter 1 Home on the Range
Permian Sea
Giant inland sea through the middle of North America.
If people lived in Kansas at the time they would travel by boat.
Mosasaurs
Giant water reptiles, could grow up to 50 feet long.
Remains are used as energy sources
Many fossils can still be found throughout Kansas
Castle Rock – popular sight to find fossils of prehistoric organisms

5. Chapter 1 Home on the Range
Weather
Classified as DRAMATIC weather.
Record temperatures: High 121, Low -40
Tornado Alley
Warm and Cool Air mix in this region causing higher chances for Tornadoes.
Kansas also experiences: Blizzards, Droughts, and Floods
STOP! End of Part #1

6. Chapter 1 Home on the Range
Grasslands
Prairies are characterized by either tall grasses or short grasses.
East = Tall Grass, Central = Mixture, West = Short Grass
Kansas is known as the “Sunflower State”
Home to 12 different species of sunflowers.
Prairie Fires
Positive for the life cycle.
Contributed to the growth of Prairie in KS
One of the main reasons Kansas has few forests.

7. Chapter 1 Home on the Range
Human Environmental Interaction
Dust Bowl
Area of land where vegetation has been lost, soil is reduced to dust
Causes: Erosion, Drought, Windstorms
Ogallala Aquifer
Underground pool of water
Causes: Drought, Water for Irrigation, Winds Cause Evaporation
Movement
Kansas is a crossroads.
Indians relocated here, immigrants established new lives, and even the Pony Express passed through Kansas.