THE GREAT PLAINS REGION
The Great Plains region lies to the north and west of the Central Plains region. This area stretches westward to the border of New Mexico and northward into the Texas Panhandle. The terrain of the Panhandle is mostly atland, but changes to higher elevations as we move eastward. Another escarpment, known as the Cap Rock Escarpment, borders the eastern edge of the Great Plains region. The Cap Rock Escarpment is 200 miles long with cliffs that reach almost 1,000 feet high. Though the Great Plains region is drier and more barren than the other regions, farmers have located water underground. With the help of irrigation, wheat, cotton, and sorghum are grown and harvested in the Great Plains region. The southern part of the Great Plains region lies above an area called the Permian (PER•mee•on) Basin. This basin is the state’s largest natural reservoir (REH•zeh•vwar) for petroleum and natural gas. Oil wells are used to pump the oil from the ground. Trains, trucks, and ships take Texas’s oil all over the world. Many people raise sheep and goats in the Great Plains region. The Great Plains city of San Angelo (AN•juh•low) is called the “Wool and Mohair Capital.” Texas’s Angora goats provide about half of the world’s mohair. This fact gives a whole new meaning to “wild and wooly” West.
from Texas Regions, Splash Publications, c. 2009
The Great Plains region lies to the north and west of the Central Plains region. This area stretches westward to the border of New Mexico and northward into the Texas Panhandle. The terrain of the Panhandle is mostly atland, but changes to higher elevations as we move eastward. Another escarpment, known as the Cap Rock Escarpment, borders the eastern edge of the Great Plains region. The Cap Rock Escarpment is 200 miles long with cliffs that reach almost 1,000 feet high. Though the Great Plains region is drier and more barren than the other regions, farmers have located water underground. With the help of irrigation, wheat, cotton, and sorghum are grown and harvested in the Great Plains region. The southern part of the Great Plains region lies above an area called the Permian (PER•mee•on) Basin. This basin is the state’s largest natural reservoir (REH•zeh•vwar) for petroleum and natural gas. Oil wells are used to pump the oil from the ground. Trains, trucks, and ships take Texas’s oil all over the world. Many people raise sheep and goats in the Great Plains region. The Great Plains city of San Angelo (AN•juh•low) is called the “Wool and Mohair Capital.” Texas’s Angora goats provide about half of the world’s mohair. This fact gives a whole new meaning to “wild and wooly” West.
from Texas Regions, Splash Publications, c. 2009