Transcript Notes from 08/30/2016

Geography
of Texas
Geogr aphy of Texas
Fault Line
*Plain a wide flat ar ea sometimes in high
elevation sometimes r olling. gr eat for gr owing
cr ops*
Balcones Escar pment
Plateau
Gr eat Plains
(flat land)
nt
me
p
r
Hil l Countr y
ca
Es
s
e
n
l co
Ba
Gulf Coast
Plain
(flat Land)
highlight*
Hill Countr y
and Plains Regions
Pa d r e is l a n d
Bar r ier Reef
Chapter 2
Exactly how big is Texas?
• Texas is the second
largest state in the
United States after
Alaska with a total
area of 266, 807
square miles.
• Texas is as large as
New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Illinois, Connecticut,
Rhode Island,
Massachusetts,
Vermont, New
Hampshire, New
Jersey, and Maine
combined!
Why is it important to study
geography?
**Aha!**
• Knowing the geography of a
place helps you appreciate why
people live the way they do and
even why certain events
occurred in the area’s history.
• Geography is essential to
understanding the past and
present.
What’s so special about geography?
• Geography can help us answer questions
about what makes a place unique.
– Physical characteristics: landforms, climate, plants,
animals
– Human characteristics: language, religion,
architecture, music, politics, ways of life
• *Learning about how people are affected by the
physical and human characteristics of the area they live
helps us plan for the future.
Relative Location
• The relative location of Texas has been
important in the state’s development.
• The Gulf of Mexico provides jobs to thousands
of Texans who work in the fishing, oil, tourist,
and shipping industries.
**Land and Climate**
• Geography can help us
understand how events
of the past shape the
land today.
• It can also help us
understand how and
why people have
adapted the land and
water of Texas
Hamilton Pool Preserve, Travis
County, Texas
Largest Cities
• Texas’ largest cities developed in the eastern
part of the state where people originally
settled because of the fertile soil.
Dallas-Fort Worth
• Dallas started as a cotton market, and
then boomed when oil was
discovered.
• Fort Worth was originally a military
outpost and became a large cattleshipping center after the construction
of railroads.
• Arlington is home to industrial
companies and high-tech companies.
• These cities have continued to expand
toward each other and are know as a
Metroplex, a term used to describe
an area where two major cities are
economically interlinked and in close
proximity.
The Physical Landscape of Texas is
diverse!
Landform
Landform
Mountains
Hills
Landform
Plains
Landform
Physical
Features of
Texas
Plateaus
Water Resource
Water Resource
Gulf of Mexico
Lakes & Reservoirs
Water Resource
Water Resource
Rivers & Streams
Aquifers
Physical Landscape of Texas
• Texas varies in elevation from sea level to its
highest point atop Guadalupe Peak (8,749 ft)
in West Texas
Vocabulary
• Plain
– A large area of flat, or nearly flat land
– Example: The Great Plains of Texas in the
Panhandle
Vocabulary
• Barrier Island
– A narrow island between the mainland
and the ocean
– Example: Padre Island
Vocabulary
• Escarpment
– A steep and long cliff that results
from faulting and separates two
relatively level areas of differing
elevations
– Example: The Balcones Escarpment
Vocabulary
• Fault
– A break in the
earth’s crust
caused by moving
plates
Vocabulary
• Plateau
– An area of high, flat
land
• Example: The Edwards
Plateau is an uplifted
and elevated region
formed when the area
was covered by oceans
millions of years ago.
Vocabulary
• Caprock
– Hard bed of
rock below
the soil of
the High
Plains
subregion
– Example:
Caprock
Escarpment
in the Texas
Panhandle
Vocabulary
• Basins
– Lowlands
surrounded by
high lands
Vocabulary
• Guadalupe Peak
– The highest point in Texas
– Rises 8,749 feet above sea level
– Located in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Vocabulary
• Dam
– A man-made
adaption
made for the
environment