Geography of Texas
Words to Know
region
landform
geography
weather
natural resources
immigrant
culture
aquifer
Physical Landscapes
Climate/weather
Natural Resources
Texans
Texas incudes:
Landforms
hills
mountains
plateaus
plains
Landforms
Landscapes - canyons, islands, valleys and
extinct volcanoes
Plains cover much of TX
Eastern part covered by forests (example the
Piney Woods)
Rugged hills in Central TX
In the West it becomes rolling prairies and
treeless grassland
Groups of mts. in west (example, Guadalupe
Peak)
Water resources
Lakes and Aquifers
Lakes and Aquifers
Reservoirs are impt. artificial
lake used to store water
Few natural lakes, but hundreds of
lakes built by people
2 aquifers Edwards and Ogallala
River Systems
Gulf of Mexico is very impt.
major water source for Texas,
eventually all water flows into it,
this is also an impt. resource it
provides fishing and shrimping and
also recreation
Rio Grande longest river and is the
boundary between Texas and the
country of Mexico.
The Texas Climate
Regions Characteristics Cause/Reasons
ALL regions Hot summers,
Lots of sunshine
Closeness of TX to
equator
ALL regions Rainfall increases west
to east
Warm moist Gulf air in
East TX
Rio Grande Valley Hotter temperature Warm dry winds from
the west
Gulf Coast Cooler summers,
warmer winters
Higher humidity
Sea breezes off the Gulf
of Mexico
Panhandle Colder in winters, has
northers
Cold winds from the
north
West TX Cooler at higher
elevations year round
At higher elevations air
in thinner and absorbs
less heat
Climate
The Gulf of
Mexico is the
main source of
most of the
rain that falls
in Texas.
Weather
Tornadoes mainly in No. Central TX
Hurricanes occur along the Gulf Coast
Blizzards Panhandle/No. TX
Drought mostly in W. Texas
Floods mainly along rivers Hill Country
CLIMATE
Hurricanes are the most
destructive weather phenomenon
in Texas.
Natural Resources
crops
vegetables,
corn, rice,
cotton, wheat,
timber fruit
fossil fuel
coal, natural
gas, oil
livestock
cattle, sheep,
turkey, pigs,
chickens
other
resources
rivers, aquifers
NATURAL RESOURCES
The largest seaport in Texas is
the Port of Houston.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Soil is a valuable resource because huge
areas of Texas are used for farming.
Texas is the nations leading producer of
cotton.
Vegetation
Texas has 3 types of natural
vegetation regions:
forests
savannas
grasslands
Minerals
The main mineral
resources are
petroleum, natural
gas, coal, sand,
and gravel.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Petroleum or
crude oil is a
non-renewable
resource and
very important
to the Texas
economy.
NATURAL RESOURCES
The Permian Basin and Gulf Coast
are the largest producers of natural
gas in Texas.
TEXANS
Immigrant groups contributed to the diversity of
Texas. These groups include..
Native Americans
Spanish
Germans
Czechs
French
Irish
African Americans
Asian Americans
Settlement Patterns
Germans and other Europeans - settled
in the Hill Country
Examples Germans established the
towns of Fredricksburg and New
Braunfels
Southern United States settled in East
TX
Mexicans settled along the border
region near Mexico called the Rio
Grande Valley and South Texas area
The Growing Population of
Texas
Demography branch of geography that studies
human population
In order to do this you need to study the growth
rate.
Which includes the birthrate and the death rate
