Texas is a vast state made up of many different natural elements and terrains. Texas is a vast state made up of many different natural elements and terrains

Texas is a vast state made up of many different natural elements and terrains.

• Texas is a vast state made up of many different natural elements and terrains.

• The 3 largest states in the United States are:

• 1st largest is ……………………….

• 2nd largest is ………………………..

• 3rd largest is ………………………..

Texas is the 2nd largest state in the United States.

• Texas is the 2nd largest state in the United States.

• Traveling across Texas you will see everything from forests to mountains to beaches to plains.

• What region do we live in?

• North Central Plains Region

• The 4 Regions of Texas are

• Great Plains

• North Central Plains

• Coastal Plains

• Mountains and Basins

Each region has different natural resources.

• Each region has different natural resources.

• This allows Texas to be one of the most self-sufficient states in the country.

• Do you know what SELF-SUFFICIENT means?

Location

• Location

• Center part of the state
• Hill Country in the southern part
• Bordered by the Cap Rock Escarpment on the west
• Bordered by the Balcones Escarpment on the east

Austin

• Austin

• Waco

• Fredericksburg

• Llano

• Fort Worth

• Wichita Falls

• Abilene

• The Hill Country is a popular name for the area of hills along the Balcones Fault and is a transitional area between the Great Plains and the Gulf Coastal Plains.

• Prairies
• Forests in the Cross Timbers
• Rolling Plains and Hills
• Variety of trees
• Small shrubs
• Limestone rock

• - Thick grass

Rich soils support farm industries

• Rich soils support farm industries

• Natural resources have spurred other industries

This region is divided into

• This region is divided into

• 3 subregions:

• Grand Prairie

• Cross Timbers

• Rolling Plains

GRAND PRAIRIE – flat and rolling hills, grasslands; suited for livestock

• GRAND PRAIRIE – flat and rolling hills, grasslands; suited for livestock

• CROSS TIMBERS – sandy soil; good for farming a variety of crops

• ROLLING PLAINS – grasslands; hilly terrain; steep valley; rivers; suited for cattle and ranches

• Sub tropical
• Cold winters
• Hottest summer temperatures in the state
• 20-30 inches of rainfall a year
• Violent storms and tornadoes

In the summer, one of the favorite activities is floating down a creek or river in an inner tube.

• In the summer, one of the favorite activities is floating down a creek or river in an inner tube.

• Spring is a time for residents to drive the winding back roads and take in the rainbow of colors produced by the blooming wildflowers, including Bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush.

• In the fall and winter, hunters visit in hopes of taking home a white-tailed deer.

• Some of the favorite local cuisines are barbecue and a variation on traditional Mexican food affectionately referred to as Tex-Mex.

Bobcat

• Bobcat

• White-tailed deer

• Turkeys

• Screech Owl

• Mexican Freetail Bat

• Cliff Swallow

• -Bobcat

• -White-tailed deer

• -Turkeys

• -Screech Owl

Cattle, goats, sheep, cotton, grain sorghum, oats, pecans, hay, peaches, cedar trees, wheat, corn, peanuts

• Cattle, goats, sheep, cotton, grain sorghum, oats, pecans, hay, peaches, cedar trees, wheat, corn, peanuts
• Fertile soil, beef, wool, mohair from angora goats, oil in some areas

• NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS ECONOMY

• The fertile soil produces crops for a large portion of its industry

Crops: Cotton, corn, and other grains.

• Crops: Cotton, corn, and other grains.

• Resources: Limestone, sand, gravel, oil, gas, and clay.

• Grow: Peaches, hay, peanuts, wheat, and sorghum.

largest of the 4 Texas regions

• largest of the 4 Texas regions

Covers 1/3 of the land of Texas

• Covers 1/3 of the land of Texas

• Northeast border is the Sabine River

• Southeast border is the Gulf of Mexico

• West border is the Balcones Escarpment

• The Coastal Plains reaches inland, away from the coast about 250 miles

• Austin
• Brownsville
• Dallas
• Houston
• San Antonio
• Tyler
• Texarkana
• Corpus Christi

Woods & Forest

• Woods & Forest
• Beaches
• Grassy Plains and Prairies
• Has lots of fishing and shrimping
• It is the largest of the four regions in Texas
• Gets the most rainfall
• Has citrus groves

• This region is divided into

• 5 subregions:

• Piney Woods

• Gulf Coastal Plains South Texas Plains

• Post Oak Belt

• Black land Prairie

Piney Woods – pine forest, farming, timber

• Piney Woods – pine forest, farming, timber

• Gulf Coast Plain – prairie, bayous, farming, ranching, fishing, ports, oil, petrochemicals

• South Texas Plains – warm dry climate, year-round farming, ranches

• Post Oak Belt – sandy soils, prairies, farming, energy resources

• Blackland Prairie – rich soil, large population, manufacturing

The land along the Gulf Coast is very near sea level. It is hard for water to drain off the land, since there is nowhere lower for the water to go. Much of the coast of Texas is made up of marshes----wetlands where a variety of tall grasses grow.

• The land along the Gulf Coast is very near sea level. It is hard for water to drain off the land, since there is nowhere lower for the water to go. Much of the coast of Texas is made up of marshes----wetlands where a variety of tall grasses grow.

-Hot and damp, humid

• -Hot and damp, humid

• -Tornadoes, hurricanes

• “More rain and violent storms

• than any other region”

• -30-55 inches of rain per year

• Warm in the South

• Cold in the North

The land along the Gulf Coast is very near sea level. It is hard for water to drain off the land, since there is nowhere lower for the water to go. Much of the coast of Texas is made up of marshes----wetlands where a variety of tall grasses grow.

• The land along the Gulf Coast is very near sea level. It is hard for water to drain off the land, since there is nowhere lower for the water to go. Much of the coast of Texas is made up of marshes----wetlands where a variety of tall grasses grow.

Many kinds of animals live in the coastal plains region…

• Many kinds of animals live in the coastal plains region…

• Quail, Hawks, Owls, Bald Eagles and hundreds of other birds
• White tail deer
• Foxes, Bobcats, Skunks
• River otters
• Alligators in the marshes!!! Some weigh up to 500 lbs!!!

• Timber, dairy, cattle, hogs, poultry, grain, sorghum, cotton, corn, peanuts, roses, fruits, hay, fish, sheep, wheat, vegetables, rice, citrus, and shrimp
• People, lots of rain, rivers, lumber and paper mills, chemical plants, ports, and oil

• COASTAL PLAINS

• Economy Way of life:

• fishing, timber, oil and gas

• The gulf coast is a major center of economic activity. The marshlands provide breeding grounds for ocean life, which make the fish and shrimp businesses very important.

• The port of Houston is one of the 10 busiest ports in the world.

Oil and Gas

• Oil and Gas

• Along the coastal region you will find many oil

• rigs that are on-shore and off-shore.

• The ocean gives easy access to ship the oil and gas to where it needs to go.

Houston – petrochemicals, shipping, manufacturing

• Houston – petrochemicals, shipping, manufacturing

• Dallas – banking, manufacturing, corporate headquarters

• Laredo – trade, farming

• San Antonio – tourism, military, retail

GREAT PLAINS

• GREAT PLAINS

• Region is located mostly in the panhandle area of Texas.

• This area is very flat with a high elevation that features canyons. It is a barren area with very few trees.

• Texas Panhandle to the north
• Cap Rock Escarpment on the east

• -Northeast Texas

• -Colorado and Red Rivers are the borders.

-Amarillo

• -Amarillo

• -Lubbock

• -Odessa

• Abilene

• Midland

• -San Angelo

• -Wichita Falls

Panhandle area of Texas

• Panhandle area of Texas

• Highest Elevation in Texas

• High and flat treeless plains and grasslands

• Caprock Escarpments with elevation rising to the east

• Balcones Escarpments along the eastern and western edges

• Red River forms Palo Duro Canyon

• -Rolling grassy lands

• -Thick grasses

• -Cross Timbers area - large areas of hardwood trees

• -Limestone rock

• -Higher elevation because limestone doesn't wear down easily

This region is

• This region is

• divided into

• 3 subregions:

• High Plains

• Edwards Plateau

• Llano Basin

Climate

• Climate

• Windy, Dry Air
• Tornadoes
• Very cold in winter
• Very hot in summer
• Coldest region of Texas
• 15-20 inches of rainfall a year
• Violent sand, snow, and rain storms

Pronghorn

• Pronghorn

• Prarie Dog

• Snakes

• Toads

Cattle ranching and cotton farming are major sources of commerce in this area

• Cattle ranching and cotton farming are major sources of commerce in this area

• Farming - fruits, vegetables, watermelons, oats

• Ranching - cattle, angora goats (mohair)

• Cedar trees - fenceposts

• Oil and gas

Used grasslands for farming

• Used grasslands for farming

• Pumped water for irrigating crops

• Drilled for oil and gas

• Built cities

• Far west Texas

• East border near Pecos River

• South border is the Rio Grande

• North border is

• New Mexico

• Alpine
• El Paso
• Fort Stockton

• - Pecos

• -Kermit & Monahans in Permian Basin area

• -Fort Davis, Marfa, & Alpine in Mountain area

Towering Peaks, Rocky Canyons, and flowering cacti.

• Towering Peaks, Rocky Canyons, and flowering cacti.

• Mountains and Basins have dry, rocky soils.

• Places: Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe National Park, and Davis Mountains

Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas

• Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas

Dry desert climate

• Dry desert climate

• Rocky soil

• Mountains, Canyons, Basins

• Plateaus

• Limited Plant Life

Mountains ranges, basins & plateaus

• Mountains ranges, basins & plateaus
• Guadalupe Mountains
• Big Bend National Park
• Guadalupe Peak – highest peak in Texas (8749 feet)
• Basins are lowlands surrounded by higher land.

This region

• This region

• has no subregions

-Driest part of state

• -Driest part of state

• -8 inches of rain per year, 20 in mountains

• -Hot days, cool nights

• mountain lions

• peregrine falcons

• rattlesnakes

• Ranching-cattle, sheep, goat

• Farming - cotton, fruits, vegetables, cantaloupes (irrigation in El Paso and Pecos River Valley)

• Oil and gas - part of Permian Basin

Includes about 1/3 of Texas

• Includes about 1/3 of Texas

• Home to more people than any other part/region of Texas

• About 2 out of every 3 Texans live in the Coastal Plains

• The Coastal Plains is divided into 5 subgroups:

• -Piney Woods -Post Oak Belt
• -Gulf Coast Plain -Blackland Prairie
• -South Texas Plain

Piney Woods: -pine forests

• Piney Woods: -pine forests

• -rainiest part of Texas -elevation low

• -growing season (average number of days between the last killing frost of spring and the first killing frost of fall) is 230-265 days

• Post Oak Belt: -dryer than Piney Woods -west of Piney Woods subregion

• -oak, hickory trees - growing season 230-280 days

Blackland Prairie: -long, narrow area

• Blackland Prairie: -long, narrow area

• -follows the Balcones Escarpment (cliff or abrupt break in the land’s surface) near Oklahoma border, through San Antonio, and down to the Mexico border -growing season 230-280 days soil not good for growing trees -prairie grass

• Gulf Coastal Plain: -warm temperatures, long growing season 240-309 days, low elevation

• South Texas Plain: -warm year round vast range of elevations (sea level to 1,000 ft. above) -growing season 265-341 days (long growing season in Brownsville)

Grand Prairie: -near Temple and Killeen

• Grand Prairie: -near Temple and Killeen

• -soil NOT good for growing trees

• -mostly tall grasses

• 2. Cross Timbers: -post oak, hickory, pecan and elm trees

• 3. Rolling Plains: -largest subregion in North Central Region

• -most of this subregion is largely steppe (vast, flat, treeless plain)

Tall mountains separated by large basins (closed valleys)

• Tall mountains separated by large basins (closed valleys)

• Forests on mountains

• Lower elevations (basins) are deserts with cactus, short grasses, and shrubs

• Very little rain

• Contains the HIGHEST POINT

• IN TEXAS: Guadalupe Peak ~ 8,751 feet

Each region contains different natural resources. From the cotton fields of the Mountain and Basin and Great Plains regions to the ports of the Coastal/Gulf Plains, each area is rich with essential resources. This range of resources is a huge benefit as it allows Texas to be one of the most self-sufficient states in the country.

• Each region contains different natural resources. From the cotton fields of the Mountain and Basin and Great Plains regions to the ports of the Coastal/Gulf Plains, each area is rich with essential resources. This range of resources is a huge benefit as it allows Texas to be one of the most self-sufficient states in the country.

Draw and label the 4 natural regions (pg 10 in map book) COLOR THE REGIONS

• Draw and label the 4 natural regions (pg 10 in map book) COLOR THE REGIONS

• Draw and label 5 major cities (pg 3 in map book)

• Draw and label 5 rivers (pg 50 in class book)

• Draw a compass rose on your map

You will be given a region to work on AS A GROUP.

• You will be given a region to work on AS A GROUP.

• You will need to find a way to make sure that all topics are somehow shown on your poster. Designate certain people to do certain jobs.

• *This project will be given 2 FULL class days to work on and can be worked on during any extra catch-up time throughout the day.

• *Project is due Friday, Sept 5th at the beginning of the social studies period.

*The following are requirements for your poster :

• *The following are requirements for your poster :

• Illustration of Texas

• Illustration of your given region.

• Climate

• Major cities

• Way of life

• Contributions

• Plants and animals

• Landforms

• Any other interesting info you find.

• *This is a MAJOR GRADE!!!

• *Each group member will have an opportunity to grade the other members by using the rubric for the project.