Texas’ Natural ResourcesTexas’ Natural Resources

Chapter 1 Section 2Chapter 1 Section 2

Viewing TexasViewing Texas• The southernmost point in Texas meets

the Gulf of Mexico; Padre Island and Laguna Madre lie along the southern Gulf coast.

• North of Brownsville the land rises slowly and is covered with cactus, Mesquite trees, and other hot-climate plants.

• The Balcones Escarpment follows a fault that cuts across Texas in an arc.

Padre IslandPadre Island – – SouthernmostSouthernmost PointPoint

WavesWaves

No Waves

Barrier IslandBarrier Island

South Texas – Rio Grande ValleySouth Texas – Rio Grande Valley

South Texas Brush CountrySouth Texas Brush Country

Balcones EscarpmentBalcones Escarpment

Viewing TexasViewing Texas• The Hill Country is a plateau that

begins at the Balcones Escarpment and Contains more streams and rivers than any other part of Texas.

• The Caprock Escarpment disrupts the high plains of northwest Texas and Creates beautiful canyons, such as Palo Duro and Tule Canyons.

• From the plains of West Texas rise numerous mountain ranges.

Texas Hill CountryTexas Hill Country

Central TexasCentral Texas

Central TexasCentral Texas

Caprock EscarpmentCaprock Escarpment - Lubbock - Lubbock

West Texas MountainsWest Texas Mountains

West TexasWest Texas

West TexasWest Texas

West TexasWest Texas

Texas Water ResourcesTexas Water Resources

• Increasing demands for water are straining the ecosystems of communities along rivers and near dams in Texas.

• The Gulf of Mexico and bays along the Texas coast are the state’s main water resources.

• Because rivers polluted by waste and chemicals empty into these bays, seafood from them is sometimes declared unsafe to eat.

The “Wrong-Way” Rivers of The “Wrong-Way” Rivers of Texas Texas (pages 33–34)(pages 33–34)

• Although the Rio Grande is the state’s largest river, it carries little water compared to other rivers of its length.

• Other Texas rivers include the Panhandle’s Red River and Canadian River and East Texas’s Sabine, Neches, Trinity, San Jacinto, Brazos, Colorado, and Pecos Rivers.

Rio Grande RiverRio Grande River

Red RiverRed River

Canadian RiverCanadian River

Sabine River – East TexasSabine River – East Texas

Neches River - BeaumontNeches River - Beaumont

Lake Buchanan Dam – Central TXLake Buchanan Dam – Central TX

The “Wrong-Way” Rivers of The “Wrong-Way” Rivers of Texas Texas (pages 33–34)(pages 33–34)

• Texas’s rivers flow away from the dry northwestern region, where water is most needed, to the moist southeast, and are thus called “wrong-way” rivers.

• Many Texas rivers are dammed to control floods and to help keep precious water from flowing unchecked into the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas Lakes Have Many Uses Texas Lakes Have Many Uses (page 34)(page 34)

• All but one of the major lakes of Texas, Caddo Lake in East Texas, was created by damming rivers.

• Once created to control floods and provide irrigation, Texas lakes now provide most of the water needed for cities and manufacturing.