C.F.A. # 1
1. Geography is the study of a) Transportation systems throughout history.
b) The land, its environment, resources and its peoples.
c) Precipitation, wind and drought over a period of time.
d) Migration patterns in rural areas.
2. What are the names of the four natural regions of
Texas?
a) Panhandle, Gulf Coast, East Texas, West Texas b) Mountains and Valleys, Great Plains, North Plains, Gulf
Coast c) Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central Plains,
Coastal Plains d) Mountains and Basins, Valleys, North Central Plains,
Coastal Plains

C.F.A. # 1
3. A key that explains symbols or colors on a map is a
_____________.
a) Legend b) Grid c) Compass d) Scale
4. This forms the boundary between Texas and
Louisiana a) Gulf of Mexico b) Red River c) Sabine River d) Rio Grande

C.F.A. # 1
5. How does elevation affect climate in the Mountains and Basins region?
a) Higher elevations have cooler temperatures.
b) Lower elevations have cooler temperatures c) Higher elevations have strong hurricane force winds.
d) Higher elevations have lots of humidity and rain.

climate
Draw a
Picture
Definition
Examples
1.
2.
precipitation drought landform

region
Draw a
Picture
Examples
1.
2.
longitude
Definition latitude plains

Vocabulary
Define & Draw a picture

• The study of the land, its environment & resources, and the people who live in it.
– Physical Geography: features such as landforms, elevation, water, climate & vegetation
– Human Geography: How people change their environment. Ex: farming, mining, transportation, jobs

• The world is constantly changing. Knowing something about the past can make it easier to predict which trends will continue in the future.
– A trend is a general movement toward change over the course of time.
– A census is a periodic count of the population.

• Geographers use a variety of tools to organize & analyze information.
• Tools such as graphs, charts and tables help geographers organize data.

What is a century?
What trend does this line graph show?

Immigrants to Texas, 2001

Bar graphs use bars of different lengths to show & compare the relationship between two or more kinds of information.
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
100
90
80
70
Four Largest Cities in Texas and the Population Density, 2000
Hispanic
Asian
European
Austin Dallas Houston San
Antonio

Top 4 U. S. Cities by Population
U.S. Cities 2009 Census Population
New York, NY
Los Angeles, CA
Chicago, IL
Houston, TX
8,391,881
3,831,868
2,851,288
2,257,926

A timeline shows the sequence of events.
Timelines are useful for studying how one event may have led to or caused later events.

– Location: Position on the Earth ’s Surface
• Relative Location (buildings / landmarks)
• Absolute Location (map location / coordinates)
– Place: Physical environment
– Human/ Environment Relationships:
• Shaping the Land (hills, bodies of water, leveling land etc)
– Movement: Migration
• Migrate is to move from one place to another.
– Regions:
• Geographers divide the world into geographic regions by areas that have certain features in common

How might you describe the relative location of the school in this illustration?

Human activities can have a significant impact on the environment. A lignite (coal) mine such as the one below can transform a landscape.
What is one way humans are trying to limit the damage they do to the environment?

70 S
80 S
90 S
100 S
110 S
30 N
20 N
10 N
0
10 S
20 S
30 S
40 S
50 S
60 S
110 N
100 N
90 N
80 N
70 N
60 N
50 N
40 N

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Legend

►
Longitude lines run north and south.
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Latitude lines run east and west.
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These lines measure distances in degrees.

Pg 31

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Directions describe the location of places in relation to other places.
►
► north, south, east, west
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► northeast, southeast, southwest and northwest

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Copy question and answer in 3-5 complete sentences.

Activity 1:
Create an acronym to help you locate major Texas rivers on a map.
Activity 2:
Label the Major Texas Rivers (Text. Pg.50)
Rio Grande
Pecos
Nueces
San Antonio
Guadalupe
Lavaca
Colorado
Brazos
San Jacinto
Trinity
Neches
Sabine
Red
Canadian
Real people never say good luck charlie because sometimes they need some real cheese.

Major Texas Rivers

4 Regions of Texas Flipchart
1. Outside:
• Color & label 4 regions
• Label major cities
2. Inside:
• Climate
• Landforms
• Crops / Vegetation
• Businesses / Industry

Great Plains
North Central
Plains
Mountains &
Basins
Coastal
Plains

Texas Bus Tour
Welcome!
• Our tour guide today is
Tumbleweed Tonya
• Fasten your seatbelts
• Enter and Exit through the aisle
• Take notes in your Texas Travel
Guide as we make four stops, so hold on tight!
• By the way, tips for the tour guide are encouraged.

Our first stop is the Mountains and Basins region!
The Mountains and Basins region is the most western region of Texas. It has many mountain ranges and is very dry.
Mountains and
Basins Region

A basin is a low, bowl-shaped land with higher ground all around it. The basins in this Texas region are deserts.

The mountains in Texas are part of the Rocky Mountains which stretch through the western United States from
Mexico to Canada. The Texas Rocky Mountains are made up of many small mountain ranges.
Mountains and Basins
Region of
Texas

The Davis Mountains are in the center of the
Mountains and Basins region.

The Chisos Mountains are located in the Big Bend
National Park.

The Guadalupe Mountains border Texas and New Mexico.

Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet above sea level.

The Chihuahuan Desert is located in this region. Prickly pear cactus grows here.

Big Bend National Park is located in a gigantic bend in the Rio Grande River. 99% of the park is desert!

Did you know the largest pterodactyl bone ever discovered was found right here in Big Bend National
Park? It had a wingspan of 51 feet and was found by
Douglas A. Lawson in 1971.

This is the city of El Paso. The name is
Spanish for “The Pass”. El Paso is the largest city in this region of Texas.

Mountains and Basins Notes
Landforms
• Desert-like to mountainous to forests
Climate
• Higher elevation – cool
• Lower elevation – dry
• Extreme temperatures
• Little rainfall
Vegetation and Crops
• Cactus and other desert plants
• Forests on mountains
• Cotton crops

Mountains and Basins Notes
Businesses & Industry
• Oil & Gas
• Copper mining
• Salt mining
• International trade
Major City
• El Paso

Our second stop is the Coastal Plains region!
The Coast Plains are mostly flat land that lies alongside an ocean. Coast Plains cover near one third of the state of Texas!
Coastal Plains
Region

This the Piney Woods of East Texas. It was once the home of the Caddo Indians.

Our state bird, the Mockingbird, lives here. They got their name from their unique ability to copy or “mock” other birds. Another state symbol is found in abundance here. The pecan tree is the state tree of Texas.
Pecan tree
Mocking bird

Weather in the Coastal Plains region is usually mild. That means that winters are short and warm compared to other parts of the country. Summers are long, hot, and humid.

There are lots of rivers and lakes in this region.
Perfect for fishing and water sports.
Fishing in Texas

The Coastal Plains of Texas lie alongside an ocean. All rivers that flow west drain into the Gulf of Mexico.
Many people visit the beaches that lie along Texas.

Shipping is a huge industry in this region. Corpus
Christi and Houston have huge ports where ships from all over the world visit to load and unload goods.
Corpus Christi
Houston
A cargo ship

Farming and ranching are important industries in the
Coastal Plains region.
In Kingsville, you will find King
Ranch. It was started in the late
1800s by Captain Richard King and his wife Henrietta. It is still one of the largest cattle ranches in Texas today.
In the southern most area of Texas known as “The Valley”, some crops are grown all year due to the warm weather. Crops include cotton, sugar cane, citric fruits, soybeans, and corn.

Oil is found in the Coastal Plains region. These tall structures are oil derricks. Many people call the oil found in Texas “Black Texas Tea”.

Many large cities are located in the Coast Plains including Dallas, Austin, and Houston. Although Austin is our state’s capital, Houston is the state’s largest city.
Houston is also the fourth largest city in the U.S.!
Houston
Austin
Dallas

Coastal Plains Notes
Landforms
• Land varies from sea level to very hilly, small mountains to flat dry plains
Climate
• Warm
• Mild Winters
• Humid
• Plentiful Rain
Vegetation and Crops
• Prairie in the northeast
• Pine/Oak forests in Northwest
• Excellent ranch land in Coastal Prairie
• Long growing seasons
• Fruits, vegetables, corn, grain, cotton, rice

Businesses & Industry (variety)
• Lumber
• Oil & Gas
• NASA – space
• Fishing, Farming & Livestock
• Tourism
• Technology
• Government
Major Cities
• Dallas
• Houston
• San Antonio

Our third stop is the Central Plains Region! The
Central Plains region is in the center of Texas. It has a little higher elevation than the Coastal Plains and is covered with rolling prairies.
North Central
Plains Region

The Central Plains Region is a rural area. This means a small population and a lot of open country. It has warm summers and cool winters. There are many cattle ranches and farms here.

This region does have some wild weather. During the spring there is a chance of tornados. These are funnel-shaped storms with swirling winds that do a lot of a damage to a community.

Fort Worth is one of the larger cities in the Central
Plains region. It is known for its stockyards and cowboys.

Fort Worth was one of many stops along the famous cattle drive trail known as the Chisholm Trail. The
Chisholm Trail was started by a Cherokee trader.

Cowboys and cowgirls in this region still work on cattle ranches. Many compete in rodeos around the country.

Did you know that after the Civil War, about one third of the Texas cowboys were African-American or
Mexican-American? And several were women!

Landforms
• Flat to gentle rolling land
Climate
• Cool summers
• Cold winters
• Windy
• Good rainfall
Vegetation & Crops
• Prairie in east and west separated by forests
• Rich soil
• Wheat, cotton, pecans , peanuts, corn, fruits and vegetables

Businesses & Industry
• Agriculture
• Dairy farms
• Beef cattle
• Horses
• Sheep
• Goats
• Oil Manufacturing
Major Cities
• Fort Worth
• Abilene

Our last stop is the Great Plains Region! Most of the Texas Panhandle is located here.
Great Plains
Region

Land in the Great Plains region very high in elevation, but is still very flat.

In the southern part of the Great Plains is a landform called the Edwards Plateau. It’s very high and flat, like a table. The southern and eastern parts have hills though.
This area of Texas is often called the “Hill Country”.

The Cap Rock Escarpment is in the Texas Panhandle.
This is where the rolling Central Plains meet the high, flat land of the Great Plains.

In the southern part of the Great Plains is another escarpment called the Balcones Escarpment. Spanish explorers called it that because it looked like “balconies”

Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the
U.S. It is sometimes called the “Grand Canyon of
Texas”.
Palo Duro Canyon is located just south of Amarillo.

The Great Plains region is very dry and few water sources. Early settlers faced many droughts and sandstorms. However in the winter, the Panhandle will often get blizzards which are very harsh snow storm.
Blizzard in the
Panhandle
Sandstorm in the
Panhandle

Ranching is very popular in the Great Plains. Flat grassy land is perfect for raising cattle. What you don’t see are armadillos. It’s much too cold here!
Not up in the panhandle!
Longhorn cattle

Wheat and cotton are important crops in the Great
Plains. Wheat can grow in areas with little water.

Two major cities in the Great Plains are Lubbock and
Amarillo. Both cities grew after railroads were built in
Texas. Railroads carried the cattle to markets back east.

Today, both Lubbock and Amarillo are home to many different industries, including farming, cattle ranching, gas, oil, health care, and tourism.

Landforms
• High flat land
Climate
• Cool summers, cold winters
• Dry, but adequate rainfall
Vegetation & Crops
• Grassland with few trees
• Wheat and cotton crops

Businesses & Industry
• Tourism
• Hunting
• Cattle
• Pecans
• Sheep, goats
• Farming
• Oil
• Cottonseed
• Helium
Major Cities
• Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland

Texas Bus Tour
Postcard Home
• Choose a region we just visited.
• Write to someone and tell them all about it.

Choose a region we just visited. Draw a picture to represent that region. You may use your notes. Make sure to include pictures of specific details we discussed.

Now, write a note to someone and tell him or her about your trip to one of the regions. Be sure to include the name of your region and two facts about the region (things you might see, etc.)
TO:
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________

Regional Tourism Guide
Imagine that you work for the Tourism Division of the Texas Department of
Commerce. Create a tourism guide for a Texas region of your choice. Be sure to include the following in your tri-fold brochure:
• Front of Brochure:
• A title and a slogan for the region
• Illustration representing the environment or attractions in the region
• Inside Pages:
1. An introductory paragraph (4-5 sentences) that highlight why the particular region is a good tourist location
2. A calendar that shows significant events in the region (festivals, fairs, or other local events)
3. A description with illustrations of state and national parks in the region
4. A table that shows the average monthly temperatures and rainfall for the major cities in the region