1. TEXAS GEOGRAPHY
Texas is a big
place can you handle it?

2. In your composition book write the following Rivers
These are the requirements on your map of Texas
(the cover of your foldable)
Rio Grande River
Canadian River
Colorado River
Pecos River
Brazos River
Sabine River
Red River
Guadalupe River
Nueces river
Trinity River
Prairie Dog Town River
San Antonio River

3. In your composition book, write the following landforms
These are the requirements on your map of Texas for landforms
High Plains (Great Plains)
North (Central) Plains
Mountains & Basins
Edwards Plateau
Grand Prairie
Post Oak Belt
Gulf Coastal Plains
West Texas Mountains

4. In your composition book, write the following landforms Cities
These are the cities that are expected to be on your map of Texas
San Antonio
Galveston
Houston
Amarillo
El Paso
Dallas
Fort Worth
Austin

5. Why Geography? Geography prepares us for modern life
People, businesses, governments depend on geography everyday to meet their needs
Computer software such as GIS and GPS use geography to help people

6. Sizing Up Texas Second largest US State
The area of Texas is 267,277 square miles
Some parts of Texas are closer to the capitals of other states than to Austin.

7. Sizing Up Texas Texas is the combined size of: New York Pennsylvania
Ohio Illinois
Connecticut Rhode Island
Massachusetts Vermont
New Hampshire New Jersey
Maine

8. Sizing Up Texas
El Paso, Texas is closer to the Pacific Ocean than to Houston.
Some students in Texas live 4 hrs from the nearest school
How could these geographic facts affect Texas?

9. 6 Geographical Questions
Location
Place
Regions
Human-Environment Interaction
Human Systems
Physical Systems

10. Location – Where is it?
Absolute Location – The exact location of a place on the earth’s surface
Relative Location – The location of a place in relation to other places
The Absolute location and Relative location of Texas affect it in many ways – How has Texas’ relative location to Mexico affected it?

11. Using Latitude and Longitude
The Absolute Location of a place is given using latitude and longitude coordinates
Coordinates are written using a numerical measurement and a directional label.
Latitude is given first followed by longitude
(31° N, 97° W) is the approximate location of Belton on the earth’s surface

12. Place – What is it like?
Place refers to the physical and human characteristics of a location
Physical Characteristics include:
Landforms, Climate, plants, animals
Human Characteristics include:
Language, Religion, Architecture, Music, Politics, ways of life

13. Physical Characteristics

15. Human Characteristics

17. Regions – How does it compare to other places?
Geographers divide areas into regions in order to better study them.
Regions are places that are united based on common characteristics
Regions can be based on physical, human, business and other characteristics

18. 4 Natural Regions of Texas
land area that
shares similar elevation,
precipitation, climate, soil,
and vegetation

19. Natural Regions of Texas

20. Human-Environment Interaction
How do humans react to their environment and how does it affect them?
Ex: Pollution
Deforestation
Hurricanes/Tornadoes
Farming
Damming Rivers to make lakes

22. Human Systems Movement - How people move through the environment
Cultural Diffusion - new ideas brought by migrating people become widely accepted.
People bring ideas and goods with them when they move from one place to another.

23. Movement in Texas

24. Vocabulary-Wow, there are so many words!
absolute location
exact position of
a place using latitude and longitude
relative location
location of a place in relation to another place
What is the absolute location of Houston?
What is the relative location of Texas to Mexico?
Houston Skyline

25. Precipitation Drip, drip, drip… How much rain does
our area receive each
year?
What part of Texas
receives the most rain?
What part receives the
least amount of rain?

26. Texas Aquifers Ogallala Aquifer Rain slowly fills these
giant underground
lakes. The aquifer
then supplies water
for drinking and
irrigation.
Edwards Aquifer
Ogallala Aquifer

27. Reservoirs-man-made lakes
Which one of these is not a reservoir?
Lake Houston
Lake Livingston
Caddo Lake
Ahhhhhhhh!

28. Elevation-height of the land
What is your elevation? How tall are you?
West Texas is a tall place with Guadalupe Peak reaching
8, 749 feet.
The Humble area is about 90 feet above sea level.

29. Texas mountains that take a prize!
El Capitan-2nd tallest (above)
Guadalupe Peak-tallest (right)

30. Escarpment-steep cliff
Caprock-in
Texas Panhandle
Balcones-in central Texas

31. Other Important Terms Which one is which? savanna barrier island
plateau

32. Most Important Mineral Resources
NATURAL GAS
PETROLEUM-GAS

33. Petrochemical Industry
To turn the oil and gas into something useful, you must refine it at a petrochemical plant.
The area around Pasadena and Deer Park has many of these refineries.
Ever heard of Stinkadena?
TEXACO
TEXACO
TEXACO

34. AGRIBUSINESS
Agribusiness combines farming, ranching and related businesses.
It is an important part of the Texas economy.
Cotton is the number one cash crop for our state.

35. TEJANO Texas has a very rich cultural history.
Caliente!
Texas has a very rich cultural history.
Much of the Texas culture is tied to Mexico such as food, architecture, and language.
A Tejano is a person of Mexican heritage who calls Texas home.
Yummy!
Hola!