Social Studies Study Guide
Use the Venn diagram to describe the relationship between the regions.
Mountains & Basins
Mountains
Central Plains
Hot
summers
Cold
winters
Coastal Plains
Ocean
Rolling
Prairies
Great Plains
Cities
Flat Lands
Border
Canyons
1. Using the scale on the map, approximately how far would you travel from San
Antonio to Dallas?
Between 250-300 miles
2. In which cities would you expect to find the most different landscape and weather
from the other cities? Explain why.
a. San Antonio
b. Austin
c. Waco
d. El Paso
San Antonia, Austin, and Waco are located in the Coastal Plains region therefore
they have similar physical features. El Paso is located in the Mountains & Basins
region.
3.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Write True or False next to each statement based on the MAP above:
Rivers are only found in the Coastal Plains region. False
Rivers are more important in the Central Plains than other region. False
All four regions have rivers. True
Cites grew because they were all close to sources of water. True
Cities grew because they were close to oil. False
There are several major cities in the Mountains and Basins Region. False
There are few major cities in the Mountains and Basins because of transportation
limitations. True
4. Complete the table
Central Plains
Great Plains
Landmarks
Ft. Worth Live
Stock
Exchange
Cross Timbers
Palo Duro
Canyon, Cap
Rock
Escarpment,
Edward’s
Plateau
Major Cities
Ft. Worth
(central plains
region) cattle
industrial
terminal
Amarillo (great
plains region)
regional trade
center
Coastal Plains
Mountains &
Basins
Colorado
Guadalupe
River, Brazos
Mountains,
River,
Davis Mountains,
Balcones
Chisos
Escarpment
Mountains (part
of Rocky
Mountains), Rio
Grande River,
Pecos River
Houston –
El Paso –
(coastal region) farthest west
4th Largest city (mountain and
in the United
basin region)
States
international
international
trade route,
trade and
military
banking center
San Antonio
(coastal region)
trading
crossroads
Dallas –
(coastal plains
region) banking
and financial
Austin –
(coastal plains
region) and
central plains
region (on the
cusp of the 2
regions) state
capital,
government
Brownsville –
farthest south
(coastal plains
region)
international
trade route
Climate
hot summers,
cool winters
hot summers,
cold winters,
semi-arid
mild winters
and summers,
humid
hot summers,
cold winters, arid
Economic
Activities &
Natural
Resources
Past –
Past –
Past –
Past – ranching
agriculture
(farming and
ranching, and
agriculture
agriculture
(farming and
(cattle, goat, and
sheep)
ranching),
small
businesses,
and military
forts
(wheat and
cotton farming)
ranching) and
small
businesses
Present –
Present –
commercial
agriculture
(farming and
ranching), wind
farms, and
small industries
Present –
commercial
agriculture
(cotton
farming), oil
and gas,
ranching, wind
farms
Present –
commercial
agriculture, oil
and gas,
banking,
aerospace
ranching (cattle,
goat, and
sheep), oil and
gas, national
park systems
industries,
technology,
education,
military, and
service
industries
Landforms
rolling prairies,
forests, rivers
plains,
plateaus,
escarpments,
canyons
plains, rivers,
hills, desert,
islands along
the coast,
bayous,
escarpments
mountains,
canyons, and dry
plateaus
Vegetation
grasses, brush,
small trees
grassland,
cotton, wheat,
short grasses,
shrubs
grasses and
shrubs, oak or
pine forest
cactus, shrubs,
pine trees in
mountainous
areas
5. Vocabulary
Grid System
Population
a network of horizontal and vertical lines used to locate points on a
map or a chart by means of coordinates
A compass rose is a circle or similar design which includes
graduated degrees or quarter point
a scale indicates the relationship between the distances on a map,
chart, or plan and the corresponding actual distances. Examples
include “1 inch equals 1 mile.”
an explanatory list of the symbols appearing on a chart or map is a
legend. Sometimes, this is called a key because it is key to
understanding what a map is saying.
a symbol is something which stands for or suggests something else.
It can be a visible sign of something which is intangible.
an area that is used to identify and organize areas of the Earth’s
surface for various purposes
areas defined by government (e.g., cities, urban area, counties,
political parties)
the number of people in an area
Economic
the types of industries, how people make a living
Compass rose
Scale
Legend
Symbol
Region
Political
Landforms
6. Texas Regions compared to US regions.
Texas Regions
US Region
characteristics similar to the Great Plains and the U.S.
Central Plains
Midwest
Coastal Plains
characteristics similar to the U.S. Gulf Coast area
Great Plains
characteristics similar to the U.S. Midwest
Mountains & Basins
characteristics similar to the U.S. Rocky Mountain area
7. Political Map of Texas