Land of Contrasts Understanding Texas Geography 1.1 6 Geographical Questions: When studying places and events in Texas, ask yourself these 6 questions: • Where is the place? • What is the place like? • How is the place similar to and different from other places? • How do the people who live there interact with their surroundings? • How are those people in that place linked with other people and places? • How does geography relate to the past, present, and future of that place? 1.1 6 essential elements: • • • • • • Location Places and Regions Human Environment Interaction Human Systems Physical Systems Use of Geography 1.1 Location - Where is the place? • Absolute Location – exact position of a place on the earths surface. (longitude/latitude) • Relative Location – position of a place in relation to another. (Texas is south of Oklahoma). 1.1 Places and Regions What is the place like? • Places – features that give an area its own identity. (landform, climate, language) • Regions – areas united by common characteristics. (climate/language) 1.1 Human-Environment Interaction - How are those people in that place linked with other people and places? • - relationships linking people to their surrounding environment. (cut forests, earthquake, and flood) 1.1 Human System - Why people settle in certain places? • Movement – People bring ideas and culture from one place to another (trade and urbanization –growth of cities) • Cultural Diffusion – wide acceptance of ideas and culture to a new location which change a culture 1.1 Physical Systems • Geographers analyze how physical systems interact and shape the earth’s surface. • Examples - volcanoes, glaciers and hurricanes. • Ecosystems – communities of plants and animals that are dependant upon one another and their particular surroundings for survival. 1.1 The Uses of Geography • Helps prepare you for life in our technological society. • Individuals, businesses and governments depend upon geography and maps on a daily basis. (military, delivery trucks) 1.1 Sizing up Texas • 2nd largest state in the U.S. (Alaska is the largest) • Texas makes up about 7% of the total area of the United States. • Larger than many nations including France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. 1.1