Southwest Region

1
Southwest Region

• Unit 5
• Social Studies
• 4th Grade

2
The Southwest has four states
New Mexico
Texas
Arizona
Oklahoma
3
Plains

• The Southwest has many plains and dessert areas
• There are Coastal Plains that lie along the wet
  lands Inland there are the Central Plains
• Texas and Oklahoma has mainly a Geography of
  plains

4
Desert

• Chihuahuan Desert spreads from Texas to New
  Mexico
• Sonoran Desert covers southern Arizona
• Most of Arizona and New Mexico are desert

5
Plateau

• New Mexico and Arizona share the Colorado Plateau
  
• A plateau consists of Mesas and Butte
• A Mesa is a hill with a flat top and steep sides
• A Butte is a steep hill of rock with a flat top
  but it is smaller than a mesa

6
Climate

• Rain shadow- drier side of the mountain
• The mountains to the west block moist ocean air
  causing the southwest to stay dry
• Occosionaly a cloud burst will occur (a sudden
  heavy rain)
• This rain fills the arroyos ( deep ditches carved
  by running water)

7
Sources of Water

• Groundwater - most of Arizona and New Mexico have
  little rainfall
• Aquifers- are used to drill up groundwater that
  collects below the surface
• Reservior- is a human-made lake
• The only large rivers in these states are the
  Colorado River, Rio Grande, and the Pecos River
• Aqueduct are large pipes that are used to carry
  water from dams and wells were water is needed

8
Natural Resources

• Minerals and Fuels- oil, natural gas,
• coal , copper, and uranium deposits
• Forests- pine, oak, and hickory are types of wood
  used Ponderosa Pine Trees cover parts of New
  Mexico and Arizona
• Farms and Ranches- crops they grow are cotton,
  wheat, vegetables, and citrus fruits
• Ranches mainly have Beef cattle

9
Quiz on Monday

• MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION ON YOUR
  CHART FOR MONDAY!!!!