Geography of Texas

Texas is the second largest state in the United States, after Alaska. It covers about 7% of the total water and land area of the country. The state is located in the South Central United States and is part of both the U.S. South and the U.S. Southwest.

Texas has a very diverse geography. It includes parts of the Great Plains in the north and west, and the Gulf Coastal Plains along its eastern and southern edges. The state is also home to the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in Mexico just across its southern border.

People in Texas often divide the state into different areas such as North Texas, East Texas, Central Texas, South Texas, and West Texas. Some also talk about the Panhandle and the Upper Gulf Coast. These areas have their own special features and cultures, making Texas a big and interesting place to learn about.

Physical geography

Texas is a very big state, covering 268,581 square miles (695,622 km²). From the northwest corner to the Rio Grande river near Brownsville, it stretches 801 miles (1,289 km). The state also has a wide east-to-west distance of 773 miles (1,244 km). Some parts of Texas are closer to faraway cities than to their own state capital.

The highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak at 8,749 feet (2,666.7 m) above sea level, and the lowest point is where Texas meets the Gulf of Mexico. Texas has many streams, rivers, and parks, with five state forests and 120 state parks covering over 605,000 acres (2,450 km²). The state also has many different climates, soil types, and plant and animal areas.

Coast and estuaries

Texas has a long coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, which includes many islands and special water areas where rivers meet the sea. These areas are important for both nature and the economy.

Coastal Plains

The area near the Gulf of Mexico, called the Gulf Coastal Plains, has many different plants and gets between 20 to 58 inches (510 to 1,470 mm) of rain each year. This flat land has rivers, marshes, and places like Big Thicket National Preserve and Padre Island National Seashore.

North Central Plains

The North Central Plains have gently rolling hills and forests with 35 to 50 inches (890 to 1,270 mm) of rain each year. This area includes cities like Abilene and Wichita Falls, with different types of soil.

Great Plains

The Great Plains include areas like the Llano Estacado and the Panhandle. This area has plains, canyons, and many small lakes, called playa lakes, especially in the southern part. It gets about 15 to 31 inches (380 to 790 mm) of rain each year.

Mountains and basins

West Texas, called the Trans-Pecos, has mountains, deserts, and gets less than 12 inches (300 mm) of rain each year. This area includes places like Big Bend National Park and is part of the Chihuahuan Desert. It has many different plants and some mountains that are over 8,000 feet tall.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Texas

Texas has three main climate types: Continental, Mountain, and Modified Marine. The Modified Marine, or subtropical, climate covers most of the state. The amount of rain varies widely, from about 60 inches in East Texas to only about 9 inches in El Paso. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Texas was 120 °F, and the coldest was -23 °F.

Geology

Main article: Geology of Texas

Texas is made up mostly of sedimentary rocks. In East Texas, you can find layers of rock from a time long ago, shaped by old shorelines and the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. These rocks sit on top of older, folded mountain ranges that sank down millions of years ago.

West of this area, the rocks are from even earlier times. Oil can be found in many of these rock layers, especially near the Gulf coast. Some parts of central and western Texas have older rocks, including some that came from volcanic activity long ago. The western high plains have a thick layer of sediment called the Ogallala formation, which helps provide water. Texas does not have active volcanoes and has very few earthquakes. The Big Bend area experiences the most shaking, but it is not heavily populated, so it does not cause much damage.

Resources

Texas has many natural resources that help it grow food and make things. The state produces oil, cattle, sheep, and cotton. It also makes poultry, eggs, dairy products, and many types of fruits and vegetables.

Texas has many useful minerals and rocks. It has asphalt-bearing rocks, cement, clays, bituminous coal, and lignite. The state also has fluorspar, gemstones, graphite, bat guano, gypsum, helium, iron ore, rare-earth elements, limestones, magnesium salts, manganese, mica, opal, salts, sands, silver, sulfur, and uranium. The Barnett Shale in the Fort Worth basin is an important source of natural gas.

Regions

Texas has many different ways to describe its landscapes and cultures, and these areas often overlap. Some main regions include the High Plains, around Lubbock and Amarillo, the Metroplex around Dallas and Fort Worth, and the Gulf Coast near Houston. Other regions are the Capital area around Austin, the Alamo region around San Antonio, and West Texas including Midland and Odessa.

Texas also shares parts of larger U.S. regions like the Southwestern United States, Southern United States, and the Great Plains.