16
Gulf of
Mexico
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Gila River
Toledo
Bend
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Lake
Mead
Lake Powell
Elephant
Butte
Reservoir
Lake
Meredith
Amistad
Reservoir
Lake Travis
Lake
Buchanan
Lake Tawakoni
Lake
Texoma
Eufaula
Lake
Laguna Madre
MISSOURI
COLORADO KANSAS
UTAH
NEVADA
C A L I F O R N I A
A R K A N S A S L O U I S I A N A
TEXAS
ARIZONA
OKLAHOMA
NEW MEXICO
M E X I C O
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SacramentoMountains
Llano
Estacado
Rocky
Mountains
Colorado
Plateau
Guadalupe Peak
8750ft (2667m)
Wheeler Peak
13,159ft
(4011m)
Humphreys Peak
12,365ft (3851m)
Hualapai
Peak
8419ft (2566m)
Signal Peak
4879ft
(1487m)
Organ Peak
8871ft (2704m)
Emory Peak
7825ft (2385m)
Harlingen
Kingsville
Beeville
Eagle Pass Port Lavaca
Bay Freeport
City
Uvalde
Del Rio
Seguin
New
Braunfels
Huntsville
Temple
Lufkin
Nogales
Douglas
Pecos
Nacogdoches
Brownwood
Corsicana
Las Cruces Carlsbad Big Spring Stephenville
Snyder
Hobbs
Yuma
Lamesa
Artesia
Casa
Grande
Sulphur Springs
Brownfield
Roswell
Sherman Texarkana
Paris
Vernon
Plainview
Clovis Ardmore
Lake Havasu
City Duncan
Prescott Altus
Ada
Hereford
Grants Canyon Chickasha McAlester
Flagstaff
Gallup El Reno
Pampa
Santa Fe
Los Alamos Dumas Muskogee
Broken Arrow
Woodward
Ponca City
Farmington
Bartlesville
Miami
Page
Kingman
Holbrook
Shiprock
Safford
Deming
Fort Stockton
Dalhart
Raton
Guymon
Childress
Alpine
Hugo
Clinton
Brady
Van
Horn
Tucumcari
Vaughn
Globe
Wickenburg
Tuba City
Sedona
Aztec
Bloomfield
Espanola
Belen
Fabens
Bisbee
Benson
Sierra
Vista
Clifton
San Carlos
Somerton Eloy
Perryton
Borger
Muleshoe
Littlefield
Levelland
Tulia
Seminole
Andrews
Monahans
Colorado
City
Sweetwater
Ballinger
Pearsall
Hondo
Kenedy
Schertz
San Marcos
Kerrville
Copperas Cove
Belton
Round Rock
Taylor
Alice
Robstown
Mission
Edinburg
San Benito
Portland
Port O’Connor
Norias
Lake Jackson
El CampoAngleton
Rosenberg Texas City
Edna
Alvin
Brenham
Conroe
Livingston
Pineland
Jacksonville
Henderson
Marshall
Athens
Cleburne Ennis
Coleman
Mineral Wells
Greenville Atlanta
Gainesville
Denison
Burkburnett Idabel
Warner
Tahlequah
Claremore
Vinita
Okmulgee
Shawnee
Sapulpa
Sand Springs
Stillwater
The Village
Moore
Elk City
Alva
Boise City
Fort
Davis
Alamogordo
Willard
Sanders Corrales
Ajo
Show Low
Willcox
McCamey
Taloga
Durant
Clayton
Socorro
McAllen Brownsville
Victoria
Galveston
Bryan
Killeen
San Angelo
Odessa Midland
Tyler Longview
Denton
Scottsdale
Wichita
Falls
Lawton
Norman
Enid
Glendale
Baytown
College
Station
Port Arthur
Laredo
Corpus
Christi
Pasadena
Beaumont
Waco
Tucson
Abilene Arlington
Fort Worth
Mesa
Lubbock
Albuquerque
Amarillo
Oklahoma City
Tulsa
Garland
Plano
San Antonio
Houston
El Paso
Dallas
Phoenix
Austin
A
B
B
C
C
D
D
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I
I
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
USA: Southwest
The southwest is an area of great contrasts. Much of
Oklahoma and Texas consists of flat, rolling grasslands and
huge farms, while both Arizona and New Mexico are hot, arid,
and mountainous, with vast canyons and river valleys carving
their way through the land. Since the discovery of oil in 1901,
Texas has become the country’s top oil producer
with Houston as the center of the billion-dollar
industry. Tourism is also important to the
Southwest, as visitors flock to see the
Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert,
and other natural wonders. Buildings
here reflect the mix of Latino, American
Indian, European American, and
modern American cultures.
HOT PLACE TO LIVE
The climate across much of the
Southwest is hot and dry, with summer
temperatures often reaching 100°F
(38°C). Although water can be scarce,
many people have a swimming pool in
their backyard so they can cool off.
DESERT LIFE
The saguaro cactus can
reach up to 50 ft (15 m)
tall, grow as many as
40 branches, and live for
200 years. Cacti, yucca,
and other plants have
all adapted to the hot,
dry desert conditions
found in the Southwest.
So, too, have many
animals, including the
deadly rattlesnake.
THE GRAND CANYON
The Grand Canyon in northern Arizona is one of the natural wonders of the
world. This incredibly deep gorge was slowly cut out of the rock, beginning
6 million years ago, by the Colorado River. People can hike around its edge
or venture down into the canyon to camp for the night.
AMERICAN-INDIAN CULTURES
American Indians, including Navajo, Hopi,
and Apache, used to live across the Southwest
but are now concentrated in reservations set up
by the US government. The largest of these is in
Arizona and New Mexico, and is home to the
Navajo people. The Navajo farm the land and
produce crafts, like the woven blanket wrapped
around these Navajo children.
Kachina doll made
by the Hopi
Suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona
Saguaro cacti in the
Sonoran Desert
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North America
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