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The Geography of
Texas!Chapter 1
So….what is geography? Well….it means to study the earth
*This includes the earth’s landforms, or shapes and types of land!
* So…we are going to study the geography of Texas!
Do you know some examples of landforms in Texas?
Plateaus Hills
Mountains Plains
Basins Mesas
Buttes Escarpments
Don’t forget…Climate & Vegetation!
*In addition to landforms, if you want to learn about a place you must learn about the weather and what plants grow there!
*So what is climate?? It is the average weather of a place over a period of 20 to 30 years!
*Climate helps determine what vegetation, or plant life, grows in the area.
*For example: Would it make sense if palm trees naturally grew in West Texas? NO! The climate needs to be damp!
*So…if climate affects what vegetation grows in an area…what does vegetation affect?
*The vegetation (plant life) that grows in an area affects what kind of animals live in a region!
*All of these factors help shape a place!!!
*So…..understanding a place like Texas involves learning about the land and its features! This is called physical geography!
Do people shape the geography of a place???
*Yes!! Learning about people and their ways is called human geography!
*Where people live, culture leaves its mark!
*Culture means the customs, ideas, beliefs, and skills of a people.
*It includes the language people speak, the foods they eat, and other details about the way they live!
**Remember! Physical and human geography are connected! It is key to understanding a place!
Why study geography???
*Studying geography tells you about a place – what it is like and how it got to be that way!
*Understanding TX geo. helps give us a greater
appreciation for our home.*We learn about the abundance the land has provided and what we must do to continue to live successfully on the land.
5 Themes to Geography
1.Location2.Place 3.Interaction4.Movement5.Region
Location
*Absolute location – finding the exact location of a place on a map or globe.
Ex: Where is Austin located?
*To describe absolute Location, latitude and longitude lines are used.
*Latitude – measure distance N and S from the equator and runs sideways on a globe! (AKA parallel lines)
*Longitude – measure distance E to W from the prime meridian and runs up and down on a globe! (AKA meridian lines)
*Relative location – the location of a place compared to or relative to another place.
Ex: Is Austin North or South of Dallas?
Ex: Is a place inland or on the coast? Is it near a river or a lake?
*Answering these questions can tell us about a place.
Place*Place is described in terms of its physical
and human features.Ex: physical features include landforms,
vegetation, and weather.Ex: Human features show how people
shape a place through their ideas and actions like religion, language, food, and sports.
Interaction*This means the interaction between
people and their environment.*People have always adapted to their
environment in which they live*They also change the place in which they
live.
Movement*Transportation – the movement of people
and goods.*Communication – the movement of ideas.*In order for people to get what they want,
they travel from place to place. When they move they bring things with them…ideas, technology, products, and so on.
*They meet other people with their own things and ideas. This exchange of information and things changes the place.
MovementToday, the internet and television speed
up the movement of ideas. *Movement allows us to enjoy the
features of diverse cultures.
Region*A region is an area of the world that
has similar, unifying characteristics.*Any trait can define a region! - Physical: climate, landform- Cultural: language, customs- Economic: ranching, farming, and
other major industries set apart regions.
*A region can be any size!!
Region*A region can be as large as the U.S. or as
small as a neighborhood!*One city can have several regions! Ex: parks, residential areas, and businesses.