Texas Geography Chapters 1, 2, and 3

Geography Earth and its people the study of the earth, its physical features, and its people Earth and its people

Trend a general movement toward change over the course of time Change

Climate Expected Weather expected weather conditions at a place usually over a period of years Expected Weather

Census a periodic count of the population (every 10 years) Population

Drought a long period of dryness that causes damage to crops or prevents their growth Dry

Precipitation moisture in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail Rain

Reservoir an artificial lake where water is collected for use Fake Lake

How has Texas’s population changed throughout the state’s history? There has never been a period in the last 150 years when the population did not grow. Texas is the second most populated state in the U.S. 2000 census – Texas had 21 million people

What trends does the line graph show? The graph shows a relatively steady increase in population from 1850 to 1960. The rate of population growth from 1960 to 2010 is greater than that from 1850 to 1960 and also increases at a steady rate.

How might population growth affect Texas’s future? More people in cities (urban) Amount of land left for farms and wilderness will decrease More pollution Need for more services (water, reservoirs, transportation, etc.)

Five Themes of Geography (MR. LIP) Movement Region Location Interaction Place

Movement Transportation and communication (goods, news, culture, natural resources, ideas)

Region An area that is unified by some feature. Defining regions helps people quickly find and organize information about their surroundings.

There are four natural regions in Texas: Coastal Plains (where we live) North Central Plains Great Plains Mountains and Basins (sunken area) [only in west Texas]

Absolute or Relative Location Where is the place? Two ways to describe location: Absolute or Relative

What is Absolute Location? Exact location of a place using latitude and longitude. “Global Address” No other place in the world has the same address. Example: Dallas is at 32°45’ N (latitude) and 96°48’W (longitude) Who uses absolute location? Pilots, Armed Forces, NASA, Sailors

What is Relative Location? Relates or compares one place to another. Examples: Dallas is 192 miles north of Austin. Our Middle School is about a mile from Sonic. Who uses relative location? Everybody!

Interaction between Humans and the Environment How people change due to the environment and how the environment changes due to people What are the benefits of human modifications to the environment? Beautifies the land, creates new homes and stores, roads create mobility What are the negative effects of human modifications to the environment? Pollution, less open fields

Place Describes what the place is like What characteristics make a place unique? Physical Environment (characteristics): climate, terrain (land), weather Human Characteristics: culture, government, buildings, planting crops

Five Parts of a Map Title (Clarifies the map’s purpose) Legend (Gives an explanation of the map’s symbols and scale - KEY) Grid System (Latitude and Longitude – shows location) Compass (Cardinal Directions: North, South, East, and West – shows location) Scale (Shows the relationship between the size of the elements on the map and the actual areas they represent) (3 Types of scale: Graphic, Written, and/or Fractional) That Little Girl Can Sing!

Two Types of Maps What are the two main types of maps? General-Purpose – designed to tell where places are located and what they are like (Provide broad information) 3 Types of General-Purpose Maps: Physical Map, Political Map, and Physical-Political Map Special-Purpose – sometimes called thematic maps, show information about a specific topic (military, natural resource, precipitation, historical, city street maps)

Texas Rivers (page 50) What are Texas most important rivers? Rio Grande – separates Texas and Mexico and is the longest river in Texas Two Dams: Amistad Dam and Falcon Dam (water stored in reservoirs behind these dams irrigate crops in Texas and Mexico)

Texas Rivers (page 50) Sabine River – separates Texas and Louisiana (Forms Texas’s Eastern Border) (Dam forms Toledo Bend Reservoir)

Texas Rivers (page 50) Red River – separates Texas and Oklahoma (Forms part of Texas’s Northern Border) (It flows into the Gulf of Mexico because of the construction of a flood-control system and into the Mississippi)

Texas Rivers (page 50) Canadian River – located in the Panhandle. It is the only major Texas river that does not flow into the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas Rivers (page 50) Pecos River – a tributary of the Rio Grande A tributary is a stream that flows into a larger stream or other body of water. (contributes) What river is a tributary of the Neches River?

Why do you think Texas is shaped as it is? Texas gets its irregular shape from four bodies of water that form parts of its border: the Rio Grande, the Gulf of Mexico, the Sabine River, and the Red River.

In Texas, most rivers flow from northwest to southeast In Texas, most rivers flow from northwest to southeast. What do you think is the reason for this geographic pattern? The elevation of the land is generally higher in northwest Texas and lower in southeast Texas.

How did geography affect the development of Texas? Conclusion How did geography affect the development of Texas?