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Southwest Region
Southwest Region:
-Includes 4 states:
Land:
-This region covers a large amount of land even though it is only made up of 4 states. It includes plains, hills,deserts, and mountain ranges. This area has a lot of farmland.
-This region stretches west from the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Texas to the Colorado River in Arizona.
-The Sonoran Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert make up a large part of the land in this region.
-The Sonoran Desert has large
sandy plains and bare mountains. Branches of the Colorado River run through it, so many trees, cacti and shrubs find enough water to grow there. Beautiful lowering cacti and yucca make the desert seem more like a garden than the open sandy place one might imagine.
Land Cont.:
-The Chihuahuan Desert is the largest desert in North
America. It is approximately 800 miles long and 250 miles wide. Most of the Chihuahuan Desert is in Mexico. In the United States, it extends into parts of New Mexico,Texas and southeastern Arizona.
-The Southwest has vast plains, spectacular canyons, and colorful plateaus.
-The eastern part of the Southwest region is made up of plains, which are areas of flatland.
-The Central Plains are the lowest lands in the Southwest region.The fertile soil of the Central Plains spreads from the coast of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico, and into central Oklahoma.
Land Cont.:
-Farther west, the land rises to form the Colorado Plateau. A plateau is a high, flat landform that rises steeply from the land around it. The Colorado Plateau covers much of northern New Mexico and Arizona.
-The Colorado Plateau is fairly level, but it is crisscrossed by hundreds of deep canyons. A canyon is a deep, narrow valley with steep sides.
-The largest and most famous of these canyons is the Grand Canyon. It runs 217 miles through Arizona.It is so deep that the top and bottom have different weather.
Water:
-At the bottom of the Grand Canyon is the Colorado River. This river has been flowing through the canyon for millions of years.
-The force of the river has caused the canyon walls to wear away over time. This is called erosion.
-The Colorado River travels south and west down through same of the driest parts of the country.Then it crosses into Mexico and ends in the Gulf of California. The Colorado River is 1,470 miles long.
-Many smaller rivers flow into the Colorado. Rivers that join other rivers are called tributaries. Each tributary adds water and soil, called silt, to the Colorado. This silt gives the river its reddish-brown color.
Water Cont.:
-The Hoover Dam is one of America's greatest manufactured structures. It was built to control flooding on the Colorado River more than 60 years ago, and to store water. An area where water is stored is called a reservoir.
-Lake Mead, the lake behind the Hoover Dam, provides water for many of the people in the
Southwest region.
-The Rio Grande River also brings much needed water to the area. The Rio Grande is 1,885 miles long. It begins in the mountains of Colorado, and then flows south through the middle of New Mexico. Then the river turns southeast, making a big bend along the border of Texas, until it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The Rio Grande forms part of the border between the United States and Mexico.
Climate:
-Much of the Southwest region is desert, so it has a hot, dry climate with very little rain.
- Many places in the Southwest region have 300 days of sunshine a year!
-The climate of the Southwest region is mild. That means there are not a lot of changes in the weather. Because it is sunny and warm most of the time, people like to visit the region.
-The eastern parts of Oklahoma and Texas get enough rain to grow crops, but water must still be used carefully. When it doesn't rain for a long time, a drought can occur. A drought is a period of little or no rain.
-Much of the land in the Southwest region is bare. Not
enough rain falls for forests to grow. Over time, plants and animals, and people have all adapted to living in this dry land.
Climate Cont.:
-The desert animals have adapted to their environment. Some of the animals in the desert are the Mexican gray wolf, the great horned owl, the golden eagle, and the rattlesnake.
-During the day, the animals find little hideouts where the sun cannot get to them.
-Many desert animals, such as bighorn sheep, pocket mouse, and pronghorn antelope use cacti and other vegetation as a shelter from harsh weather and as a source of water.
-The bighorn sheep has adapted to the desert because it has big feet, which are good for walking on the rough terrain. The bighorn sheep only needs to drink every few days.
-The pocket mouse doesn't need to drink at because it gets all the water it needs from the food it eats.
Climate Cont.:
-Phoenix, Arizona is America's hottest large city. During the summer, temperatures can soar to 115 degrees Fahrenheit
-With a population of more than one million people, Phoenix is now the sixth-largest city in the United States.
-Not many people wanted to move to Arizona because it was too hot, too dry, and too lonely. Two things made it possible to live in the desert—air conditioners and automobiles.
-Air conditioning lets people live in comfort no matter how hot the day is.
-Automobiles made travel through the desert
safer. Travelers who got stuck in the desert could die of
thirst.
Natural Resources:
-There are many cattle and sheep ranches in the Southwest region. This region leads all other states in the raising of beef cattle as well as sheep.
- The cattle provide beef to all parts of the United States. Some beef is sold to other nations, like Japan.
-Deserts are full of valuable minerals. Gold, iron, and copper are found in the Colorado River basin.
-New Mexico is known for its silver
mines.
-Arizona produces about two-thirds of the copper mined in the United States.
-Native Americans used gold, silver and copper for tools and weapons as well as for jewelry and in paint for pottery.
-Copper ore is still mined in the state for many different uses. Copper is used in mostly in wire or coins, such as a penny.
Natural Resources:
-The Southwest region is also rich in the fuels that supply energy. Uranium, coal, natural gas, and oil are all found in the Southwest region.
- The most important natural resource in the Southwest is oil. Oil is so valuable that it has been nicknamed “black gold.”
-The oil that bubbles up from the ground is called crude oil, and is not very useful. A refinery is a kind of factory that separates crude oil into parts like gasoline and heating oil. Some parts of the crude oil are used to produce goods like plastic, crayons, and medicines.
-One of the biggest problems of the Southwest region is a limited water supply. Aqueducts are used in the Southwest to move water from lakes and rivers to farms and cities. Aqueducts are large pipes or canals that move water over a long distance.
-The people of the Southwest rely on the Colorado River for many things. The Colorado River provides drinking water for 25 million people. It supplies water for more than three million acres of farmland. Water rushing through machines called turbines cause huge machines to
spin. These spinning turbines produce much of the electricity used in the Southwest
Landmarks:
-The Grand Canyon is the most famous landmark in the Southwest region. Many people today visit Grand Canyon National Park and enjoy hiking, riding mules on trails, rafting on the Colorado River, or simply looking at the beautiful landforms.
-Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico is another popular tourist destination. More than 85 caves and caverns make up the park.
-Huge rock formations called stalagmites and stalactites decorate the rooms of the more than 80 caves in the park. Each room has something special in it such as Hall of Giants is as big as 14 football fields.
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Landmarks Cont.:
-Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas is responsible for training astronauts from the United States and its
international partners. All of the astronauts live and train at the Johnson Space Center. The Mission Control Center manages all activity on board the spacecraft and directs all space shuttle missions.
-Petrified Forest- In northern Arizona, you can see a special kind of fossil, petrified wood. It is like walking in a desert.
-Millions of years ago, the trees died and were covered with mud and volcanic ash. Minerals in the mud replaced the tree's living matter and eventually hardened into
stone.
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Culture :
-Parts of the Southwest once belonged to Spain and Mexico.
-Spain sent priests to the Southwest in the early 1700s. The priests built churches and missions where they taught the Native Americans about the Christian religion.
-In 1845, Texas decided to split off from Mexico and join the United States. This caused a war between Mexico and the United States over who owned the land. The United States won. Mexico had to give the land to the United States, but parts of Spanish and Mexican culture are still seen in the region.
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-Many people in the Southwest region speak Spanish. Many foods and festivals in the region come from Spain or Mexico. Many buildings are made in Spanish, Mexican, and Native American styles.
Culture Cont. :
-The Southwest has many Spanish- American and Native-American people. More Native-Americans live in the Southwest than in any other region of the United States. The
Navajo Reservation is the home of the biggest American Indian tribe. Other tribes in the Southwest include the Hopi, Zuni and Apache.
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-Tortillas are important ingredients in traditional Southwestern cooking.
-The tortilla acts as a
wrapper or as bread.
-Wedges of tortillas are fried to make tortilla chips. Nachos, tacos, enchiladas,quesadillas, and burritos are also made with tortillas.
Culture Cont. :
-Because many kinds of hot chili peppers are grown in the Southwest, many of the foods served in the Southwest are spicy.
-Green chili peppers are made into salsa.
-Red chili peppers are used in slow cooked dishes. The most popular slow-cooked dish is chili con carne, often known simply as chili.
-Chili con carne (chili with meat) is made with meat simmered in a sauce of dried red chili peppers, tomatoes, and a variety of spices. Contests are held throughout the Southwest
region to choose the best chili.
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-Tamales are packets of corn-based dough that are wrapped in softened cornhusks, and steamed. While
tamales are served throughout the year in restaurants in the Southwest, tamales are a traditional Christmas food.
-Southwestern desserts are fairly simple, serving as a
soothing and cooling finish to a spicy meal. Sopapillas, a kind of deep fried doughnuts, are served as a dessert with honey. Another favorite dessert is flan, a baked
custard.
2. What is a reservoir?
3. What is the largest desert in North America?
4. What is the largest and most famous canyon in this region?
5.How many states make up this region?
6. The Hoover Dam is one of America’s greatest what?
7.What is a drought?
8.Which of these is the Colorado River NOT used for?
9.What two things made it possible to live in the desert?
10.What is this region’s most important natural resource?
11. Give ONE example of a way animals have adapted to the climate here.
Type here.
12. Give one landmark found in this region.
Type here.
13. Name ONE food tortillas are used in.
Type here.
14. Name ONE Native American Tribe that lives in this region.
Type here.