1. Chapter 1 Section 1: Understanding Texas Geography

2. Six Geographical Questions A.A knowledge of geography is essential to the study of Texas and the world. B.The six geographical questions focus on location, places and regions, human- environment interaction, human systems, physical systems, and uses of geography.

3. Discussion Question What are the six geographical questions? Location, places and regions, human- envrionment interaction, human systems, physical systems, and uses of geography.

4. Location A.Absolute location refers to the exact position of a place. B.Relative location is the position of a place in relation to other places. C.The location of Texas relative to Mexico is one of the most important factors in the state’s development, both socially and economically.

5. Why is Texas’s location important to its economy? It is midway between the two U.S. coasts and close to Mexico, making it a convenient crossroads for trade. Discussion Question

6. Places and Regions A.Place refers to qualities that give an area its identity. B.Places are grouped into regions that are united by common characteristics.

7. Discussion Question How does place differ from region? Place refers to qualities of an area, whereas region refers to groups of places that share similar characteristics.

8. Human-Environment Interaction A.Human-Environment Interaction refers to the way people relate to their environment and how the environment affects them. B.Human activity has affected the environment causing pollution.

9. Discussion Question What is one way that human activity can impact the environment? Automobile emissions can cause air pollution.

10. Human Systems A.People bring ideas and goods with them when they move from one place to another. B.The process of cultural diffusion refers to the changes that occur when new ideas brought by migrating people become widely accepted.

11. How can migration cause a change in the way people do things or think? People are able to exchange ideas and adapt them to new situations. Discussion Question

12. Physical System A.Geographers study how physical systems, such as volcanoes, glaciers, and hurricanes, shape Earth’s surface. B.Geographers study ecosystems, or communities of plants and animals that depend on one another and their surroundings for survival.

13. Discussion Question What is a physical system? A group of interdependent neutral process, such as hurricanes and volcanoes, that shape the Earth.

14. The Use of Geography A.Understanding geography and its tolls helps prepare you fro modern life. B.Individuals, businesses, and governments depend upon knowledge of geography and maps. C.Computer software such as the Geographic Information System, helps people make informed decisions about the best use of their surroundings.

15. How does new technology help people? It can help create accurate, informative maps that assists decisions makers in using resources wisely. Discussion Question

16. Sizing Up Texas A.Among the 50 states, Texas is second in size only to Alaska. B.The area of Texas is 267,277 square miles, or the combined size of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Maine. C.Some parts of Texas are closer to the capitals of other states than to Austin.

17. Discussion Question How do you think Texas’s size affects its people? It has a variety of landforms, people, and climates, which influence how Texans make their living and how they relate to one another.

18. Chapter 1 Section 2: Natural Resources

19. Viewing Texas The southernmost point in Texas meets the Gulf of Mexico; Padre Island and Laguna Madre lie along the southern Gulf Coast. North of Brownsville the land rises slowly and is covered with cactus, mesquite trees, and other hot-climate plants. The Balcones Escarpment follows a fault that cuts across Texas in an arc.

20. Viewing Texas The Hill Country is a plateau that begins at the Balcones Escarpment and contains more streams and rivers than any other part of Texas. The Caprock Escarpment disrupts the high plains of northwest Texas and creates beautiful canyons, such as Palo Duro and Tule Canyons. From plains of West Texas rise numerous mountain ranges.

21. Discussion Question What conclusion can you draw about Texas’s landscape? Texas has a wide variety of landforms that resulted from violent geologic activity long ago.

22. Texas’s Water Resources Increasing demands for water are straining the ecosystems of communities along rivers and near dams in Texas. The Gulf of Mexico and bays along the Texas coast are the state’s main water resources. Because rivers polluted by waste and chemicals empty into these bays, seafood from them sometimes declared unsafe to eat.

23. Discussion Question What can you conclude about Texas’s water resources? Texas faces many concerns because of the lack of water sources and pollution.

24. The “Wrong-Way” Rivers of Texas Although the Rio Grande is the state's largest river, it carries little water compared to other rivers of its length. Other Texas rivers include the Panhandle’s Red River and Canadian River and East Texas’s Sabine, Neches, Trinity, San Jacinto, Brazos, Colorado, and Pecos Rivers.

25. Texas’s rivers flow away from the dry northwestern region, where water is most needed, to the moist southeast, and are thus called “wrong-way” rivers. Many Texas rivers are dammed to control floods and to help keep precious water from flowing unchecked into the Gulf of Mexico. The “Wrong-Way” Rivers of Texas

26. Discussion Question What have Texans done to change some “wrong-way” rivers? They have built dams to keep water from flowing rapidly away from dry areas.

27. Texas Lakes Have Many Uses All but one of the major lakes of Texas, Caddo Lake in East Texas, was created by damming rivers. Once created to control floods and provide irrigation, Texas lakes now provide most of the water needed for cities and manufacturing.

28. How has the role of lakes expanded since the rivers were first dammed? Rivers were dammed to control flooding, but lakes now serve manufacturing needs and provide city water and irrigation for farming. Discussion Question

29. Aquifers Used for Irrigation San Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos, and Austin depend on large springs fed by the Edwards Aquifer. Rain in the Hill Country periodically fills the Edwards Aquifer. Another major aquifer with declining water levels is the Ogallala Aquifer.

30. What consequences might declining aquifers level cause? People might suffer from lack of drinking water, and crops might suffer from lack of irrigation. Discussion Question

31. Soil Is a Valuable Resource Huge area of Texas have rich soil that produces cotton, watermelons, spinach, wheat, corn, rice, and a variety of other crops. Land unsuitable for farming usually can be used for ranching, making Texas a leading producer of cattle and other livestock.

32. Discussion Question How mightTexas soil help create prosperity? It has many uses: It is able to yield many different agricultural products in abundance, and it can also support large ranches that make Texas a leading cattle producer.

33. Three Vegetation Regions Texas has three principal vegetation regions - forests, savannas, and grasslands - that occur in the eastern third of the state. Texas timber, including long-leaf pines, and hardwood trees such as oak and hickory, provides one of the state’s top cash crops, outranked only by cotton. 33

34. Three Vegetation Regions Texas’s savanna regions to the west support only limited livestock grazing, while savannas in Central Texas, from the southern tip to the Red River, support a variety of grasses, trees, and brush on rocky soil. Grasslands, which are the third principal vegetation region, attracted early settlers and continue to be the most heavily settled. 34

35. Discussion Question Why do you think grassy prairies were attractive to settlers? Settlers could graze livestock and grow grain to support themselves and their families. 35

36. Texas Leads in Energy Production Texas is rich in petroleum, natural gas, coal, cement, sand, and gravel, as well as building stone, such as limestone and granite. Gypsum, used to produce drywall, is mined in many parts of Texas. Texas is leading producer of salt, mainly from the mines near Grand Saline in Van Zandt County. 36

37. Discusion Question How are Texas’s minerals important to the rest of the country? Petroleum and natural gas are essential for energy production and transportation. Concrete, limestone, granite, and gypsum are essential for constructing homes, factories, and other buildings necessary for modern living. 37

38. Chapter 1 Section 3: The Climate of Texas

39. Absolute Location Affects Climate Texas’s mild winters, which occur because of its absolute location in the middle latitudes, attract many vacationers. Texas has unbelievable weather, including tornadoes, hurricane, and dust storms. 39

40. Periods of harsh winter conditions are caused by frigid northers that sweep from Canada across the plains, uninterrupted by any mountains. Texas is the meeting place of cool, northern air and warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, creating violent, destructive storms. 40 Absolute Location Affects Climate

41. Discussion Question How does Texas’s location in the middle latitudes affect its climate? The meeting of warm, moist Gulf air and cool, northern air can cause violent storms. 41

42. Relative Location Also Affects Climate The location of Texas relative to the Gulf of Mexico has a major influence on climate as warm, moist winds move inland from the south, cooling the land in summer and warming in winter. The Gulf of Mexico is also the source of most of the rain that falls in Texas. 42

43. Relative Location Also Affects Climate The location of West Texas relative to the desserts and mountains of Mexico accounts for its dry air and little rainfall. Areas in the Panhandle and across the middle state, such as the Dallas-Fort Worth area, are far from the influence of the Gulf of Mexico and experience broiling heat in summer and frigid temperatures in winter. 43

44. Discussion Question 44 How might Texas’s climate be different without its location near the Gulf of Mexico? Its coast would not be as moist and it probably would be colder in winter.

45. Elevation and Climate Patterns El Paso’s high elevation keeps the city from being the hottest area in Texas because temperatures are cooler at higher elevation. The hottest temperatures in Texas occur at lower elevations. The mountains regions of West Texas receive more rainfall than the surrounding desert because moisture-filled air moving up the mountains cools, and some of the moisture falls as rain. 45

46. Discussion Question How does land elevation in Texas affect climate? Higher elevations tend to be cooler and have more rainfall, and lower elevations are hotter. 46