Regions of Texas How Many Regions Are in Texas? 4 Great Plains
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Regions of Texas How many regions are in Texas? 4 Great Plains North Central Plains Mountains and Basins Coastal Plains What region is Allen in? Can you name the 4 Regions of Texas? Great Plains North Central Plains Mountains and Basins Coastal Plains 2. North Central 1. Great Plains Plains 1 2 4 3 3. Coastal Plains 4. Mountains and Basins • Texas is a vast state made up of many different natural elements and terrains. The 3 largest states in the United States are: 1st largest is ………………………. 2nd largest is ……………………….. 3rd largest is ……………………….. Texas is the 2nd largest state in the United States. Traveling across Texas you will see everything from forests to mountains to beaches to plains. What region do we live in? North Central Plains Region The 4 Regions of Texas are Great Plains North Central Plains Coastal Plains Mountains and Basins Regions of Texas • Each region has different natural resources. • This allows Texas to be one of the most self-sufficient states in the country. Do you know what SELF-SUFFICIENT means? NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS • Location – Center part of the state – Hill Country in the southern part – Bordered by the Cap Rock Escarpment on the west – Bordered by the Balcones Escarpment on the east North Central Plains Cities • Austin • Waco • Fredericksburg • Llano • Fort Worth • Wichita Falls • Abilene • The Hill Country is a popular name for the area of hills along the Balcones Fault and is a transitional area between the Great Plains and the Gulf Coastal Plains. North Central Plains Physical Features – Prairies – Forests in the Cross Timbers – Rolling Plains and Hills – Variety of trees – Small shrubs – Limestone rock - Thick grass NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS PHYSICAL FEATURES AFFECT INDUSTRY • Rich soils support farm industries • Natural resources have spurred other industries NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS SUBREGIONS This region is divided into 3 subregions: Grand Prairie Cross Timbers Rolling Plains NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS HAS 3 SUBREGIONS GRAND PRAIRIE – flat and rolling hills, grasslands; suited for livestock CROSS TIMBERS – sandy soil; good for farming a variety of crops ROLLING PLAINS – grasslands; hilly terrain; steep valley; rivers; suited for cattle and ranches north Central Plains well suited for cattle, other flat and rolling livestock; Fort Worth is a large GRAND hills; grasslands meat-processing center PRAIRIE wet and mild limits crops that can be grown climate; thin soil to mainly crops for animal feed; cotton in some areas CROSS absorbs water well—very good TIMBERS sandy soil for farming; many crops grown from peanuts to corn, cotton, hay grasslands; hilly well suited for cattle (valleys— ROLLING shelter; grasslands and rivers— terrain; steep PLAINS food and water); contains many valleys; rivers of the state’s largest ranches NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS CLIMATE – Sub tropical – Cold winters – Hottest summer temperatures in the state – 20-30 inches of rainfall a year – Violent storms and tornadoes North Central Plains Climate Central Texas is shaped by its many rivers and hills. In a single year the region can receive up to 48 inches of rain, and flooding is common near rivers and in low lying areas. North Central Plains • In the summer, one of the favorite activities is floating down a creek or river in an inner tube. • Spring is a time for residents to drive the winding back roads and take in the rainbow of colors produced by the blooming wildflowers, including Bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush. • In the fall and winter, hunters visit in hopes of taking home a white-tailed deer. • Some of the favorite local cuisines are barbecue and a variation on traditional Mexican food affectionately referred to as Tex-Mex. NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS PLANTS -bluebonnets -Indian Paintbrush -Texas Oak Trees -Mesquite Trees North Central Plains Plants Indian Blanket Standing Cypress Blue Sage North Central Plains Animals • Bobcat • White-tailed deer • Turkeys • Screech Owl • Mexican Freetail Bat • Cliff Swallow And the road runner…. The real road runner… NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS ANIMALS -Bobcat -White-tailed deer -Turkeys -Screech Owl NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS AGRICULTURE – Cattle, goats, sheep, cotton, grain sorghum, oats, pecans, hay, peaches, cedar trees, wheat, corn, peanuts – Fertile soil, beef, wool, mohair from angora goats, oil in some areas NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS ECONOMY The fertile soil produces crops for a large portion of its industry NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS • Crops: Cotton, corn, and other grains. • Resources: Limestone, sand, gravel, oil, gas, and clay. • Grow: Peaches, hay, peanuts, wheat, and sorghum. Where are the North Central Plains? North Central Plains North Central Plains COASTAL PLAINS COASTAL PLAINS • largest of the 4 Texas regions Location of Coastal Plains • Covers 1/3 of the land of Texas • Northeast border is the Sabine River • Southeast border is the Gulf of Mexico • West border is the Balcones Escarpment • The Coastal Plains reaches inland, away from the coast about 250 miles COASTAL PLAINS CITIES – Austin – Brownsville – Dallas – Houston – San Antonio – Tyler – Texarkana – Corpus Christi Coastal Plains Physical Features – Woods & Forest – Beaches – Grassy Plains and Prairies – Has lots of fishing and shrimping – It is the largest of the four regions in Texas – Gets the most rainfall – Has citrus groves COASTAL PLAINS This region is divided into 5 subregions: Piney Woods Gulf Coastal Plains South Texas Plains Post Oak Belt Black land Prairie COASTAL PLAINS SUBREGIONS • Piney Woods – pine forest, farming, timber • Gulf Coast Plain – prairie, bayous, farming, ranching, fishing, ports, oil, petrochemicals • South Texas Plains – warm dry climate, year- round farming, ranches • Post Oak Belt – sandy soils, prairies, farming, energy resources • Blackland Prairie – rich soil, large population, manufacturing The Coastal Plains Subregion Main Industrial and Economic Activities Piney Woods timber, farming (fruits, vegetables), cattle ranching, oil Gulf Coast Plain farming (rice, cotton, grains), livestock, fishing, shrimping, center of oil industry, petrochemicals, ports and shipping South Texas farming (Rio Grande valley: fruit, vegetables, sugar-cane); Plains ranching; retail and international trade; tourism; military bases (San Antonio) Post Oak farming (cotton), corn, cattle, hogs); mining (oil,gas, Belt lignite); manufacturing Blackland farming (cotton, grains, vegetables, cattle, chickens, Prairie hogs); Dallas/Metroplex: banking, insurance, and oil corporate headquarters, international cotton market, manufacturing, transportation hub COASTAL PLAINS • The land along the Gulf Coast is very near sea level. It is hard for water to drain off the land, since there is nowhere lower for the water to go. Much of the coast of Texas is made up of marshes----wetlands where a variety of tall grasses grow. COASTAL PLAINS CLIMATE -Hot and damp, humid -Tornadoes, hurricanes “More rain and violent storms than any other region” -30-55 inches of rain per year Warm in the South Cold in the North COASTAL PLAINS PLANTS • The land along the Gulf Coast is very near sea level. It is hard for water to drain off the land, since there is nowhere lower for the water to go. Much of the coast of Texas is made up of marshes----wetlands where a variety of tall grasses grow. COASTAL PLAINS ANIMALS Many kinds of animals live in the coastal plains region… – Quail, Hawks, Owls, Bald Eagles and hundreds of other birds – White tail deer – Foxes, Bobcats, Skunks – River otters – Alligators in the marshes!!! Some weigh up to 500 lbs!!! Coastal Plains Animals…. COASTAL PLAINS AGRICULTURE – Timber, dairy, cattle, hogs, poultry, grain, sorghum, cotton, corn, peanuts, roses, fruits, hay, fish, sheep, wheat, vegetables, rice, citrus, and shrimp – People, lots of rain, rivers, lumber and paper mills, chemical plants, ports, and oil COASTAL PLAINS Economy Way of life: fishing, timber, oil and gas The gulf coast is a major center of economic activity. The marshlands provide breeding grounds for ocean life, which make the fish and shrimp businesses very important. The port of Houston is one of the 10 busiest ports in the world. COASTAL PLAINS • Oil and Gas Along the coastal region you will find many oil rigs that are on-shore and off-shore. The ocean gives easy access to ship the oil and gas to where it needs to go. THE GULF COAST PLAINS ADAPTS TO ENVIRONMENT • Houston – petrochemicals, shipping, manufacturing • Dallas – banking, manufacturing, corporate headquarters • Laredo – trade, farming • San Antonio – tourism, military, retail Where are the Coastal Plains? Coastal Plains Coastal Plains GREAT PLAINS GREAT PLAINS • Region is located mostly in the panhandle area of Texas. • This area is very flat with a high elevation that features canyons. It is a barren area with very few trees. GREAT PLAINS LOCATION – Texas Panhandle to the north – Cap Rock Escarpment on the east -Northeast Texas -Colorado and Red Rivers are the borders. GREAT PLAINS CITIES -Amarillo -Lubbock -Odessa Abilene Midland -San Angelo -Wichita Falls PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE GREAT PLAINS • Panhandle area of Texas • Highest Elevation in Texas • High and flat treeless plains and grasslands • Caprock Escarpments with elevation rising to the east • Balcones Escarpments along the eastern and western edges Caprock• Red River– hard formsbed of rockPalo belowDuro theCanyon soil of the High Plains Escarpment – cliffs GREAT PLAINS GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES -Rolling grassy lands -Thick grasses -Cross Timbers area - large areas of hardwood trees -Limestone rock -Higher elevation because limestone doesn't