the 4 regions of texas geography starring mr. h’s college geography teacher

The 4 Regions of Texas Geographystarring Mr. H’s College Geography Teacher

region: an area of land with similar characteristics (like a desert)

escarpment: a steep cliff formed byfracturing of the Earth’scrust

border: the line that separatestwo countries, states, etc.

plains: flat land

product: something produced by labor

soil: dirt

More Vocab…

• Prairie- Large area of flat land, with few or no trees(similar to a plain).

• Plateau- High, wide area of flat land, with steep sides.

• Bayou(swamp)- Very shallow and marshy water covering low lying land filled with trees…and gators!!!

Even more vocab….

• Coast- Land at the edge of a large body of water, such as the ocean.

• Desert- Very, very, dry land.

• Aquifer- Underground, water bearing formation that is used for irrigation and drinking water.

Seriously. More??

• Canyon- Steep, narrow valley with high sides, and often has a river or stream flowing through it.

• Barrier Island: An island that protects the coast from erosion.

• Climate: Average weather of a place over a period of 20 to 30 years.

What kind of weather do you like?

Do you like it better hot or cold?

Would your answers change if you lived two hundred years

ago?

What kind of elevation/terrain do you like? Hilly or flat, grassy

or desert etc?

Elevation- How high above sea level is the land?

Notice how the elevation of Texas keeps going up as

you travel WEST. Why does the elevation of

Texas change as you head west?

The Balcones Escarpment

Answer: The Balcones Escarpment. Balcon

means balcony in Spanish.

“Step down! Step down!”

The 4 Regions of Texas

Balcones Escarpment

12

3

4

Back in Mr. Harman’s day, he had to

memorize the 26 regions of Texas: you

have it easy!

The Gulf Coastal Plains

OKLAHOMA

DALLAS

HOUSTON

GULF OF MEXICO

MEXICO

Products-

Population-

Landscape-

SAN ANTONIO

48

Lumber, cotton, rice, fishing, oil, citrus fruits,cattle ranching.

Big population. Thelargest cities are here:Dallas, Austin, Houston,San AntonioMostly flat. Becomes

more hilly as you move west. Lots of rivers and lakes.

RED RIVER

ARKANSAS

SOIL

The “5th” Region: The Piney Woods

(located in the Gulf Coastal Plains)

Central Plains

RED RIVER

Products-

Population-

Landscape-

35

Cattle and sheep ranching,oil, farming (wheat and cotton).

Medium. Less than theGCP. Fort Worth, Abilene, Waco, San Angelo, Austin.Mostly flat. Some hills.Hottest summers in the state, violent storms and tornadoes, cold winters.

CAPROCK ESCARPMENT

The Great Plains

The Great Plains

The Great Plains Summed Up in One Word: Flat

This region is mostly flat, but does have

some other landforms:

plateaus

canyons

Palo Duro Canyon

Products-

Population-

Landscape-

20

Cattle and sheep ranching,oil, farming (wheat and cotton).

Low percentage. Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa, Austin.

Mostly flat. Some hills, plateaus and canyons. Palo Duro Canyon. Windy, dry, very cold in winter-coldest region of Texas! Sand and snow storms!

NEW MEXICO LUBBOCK

The Mountains and Basins Region

Products-

Population-

Landscape-

8

Some cattle ranching. A little farming along the Rio Grande. Oil, trade with Mexico.

Very low. Very few towns. Alpine, El Paso, Fort Stockton.

Deserts and mountains. Driest area of the state. Warm most of the year.

RIO GRANDE

MEXICO

EL PASO

El Paso

Guadalupe Peak- Tallest Mountain in Texas

CaprockEscarpment Balcones

Escarpment

CentralPlains Gulf Coastal

Plains

Great PlainsMountains and Basins