Texas History, Ch. 1 and 2Geography and

Regions of Texas

Longitude and Latitude

• Longitude lines are east and west of the Prime Meridian

• Latitude lines are north and south of the Equator.

Cities

• Dallas and Fort Worth are the main cities of the Metroplex

Cities

• Houston is the largest city in Texas

• Amarillo is the largest city in the North Plains

• El Paso is the largest city in the Mountains and Basins region

Geography

• The Guadalupe Mountains are the highest mountain range in Texas

Geography

• The Caprock Escarpment divides the Great Plains from the North Central Plains to the west

• Erosion is the wearing away of the earth’s surface by water, wind and ice.

Geography

• The West Texas mountains receive more rainfall than the nearby desert because moisture-filled air moving up the mountains is cooled.

Geography• A tableland

covered with small trees and brush is a plateau.

• Location answers the question, “Where is it?”

Geography

• The Balcones Escarpment was the result of a giant earthquake millions of years ago.

Geography

• Geography helps deal with the present by explaining why people live the way they do.

• Geography helps deal with the past by explaining why certain events occurred the way they did.

Geography

• Physical characteristics of geography include the climate, plants and animals.

Climate

• Climate is affected by absolute location, relative location and elevation.

Climate

• When cool air from the north combines with moist, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, it results in violent storms.

Climate

• The Coastal Plains region has a mild climate because of the Gulf of Mexico.

Climate

• The Gulf of Mexico most strongly affects the climate of the Coastal Plains.

Climate

• The cooler temperatures in the Great Plains are due largely to the region’s high elevation.

Climate

All of the following are vegetation regions found in Texas:•Savannas•Large forests•Grasslands

Regions

Texas makes up about 7 percent of the land area of the United States!

Regions

• The Gulf Coast Plain product sold to more than 100 countries around the world is rice.

• Large-scale commercial farming is called agribusiness.

Regions• The population of the

Mountains and Basins region is very sparse.

• The North Central Plains region is well suited for ranching.

• The Coastal Plains have large oil fields, a mild climate and is heavily populated.

Regions

• The most important economic activity in the Gulf Coast Plain is cattle raising.

Good Luck on Your Test!!