PENNSVALLEY
62
COPYRIGHT
Lesson 34:
Natural Resources and Economy
of the Southwest Region
The Southwest has awide range of climates.That means that this region also has awide range
of environments and natural vegetation. There are mountains, forests, vast open grasslands, and
deserts in this region. As we have learned, physical features and factors that affect the environment,
such as climate and precipitation, influencewhat is grown and raised.
You can findmany different natural resources in the Southwest. One of themost important is its
rich, fertile soil.However, theSouthwest also includes someof thedriest areas in
our country. Fertile soil is uselesswithout freshwater, another valuablenatural
resource. One way people in the Southwest have solved this problem is
through
irrigation
. Irrigation is bringing water to land by canals, ditch-
es, or pipes.This allows farmers to raise crops likewheat, cotton, fruits,
and vegetables.
The Colorado River is a very important river in the Southwest. To
control floodingand toprovidewater for agricultureandhumanuse, four
major dams have been built along the river. In your study of the Rocky
Mountain region, you will learn about the Hoover Dam, which created
LakeMead. It is one of the largest reservoirs in theworld. Farther north
is theGlenCanyonDam that createdLakePowell.Thesedamsarealso
important sources of power.Water flows into huge turbines that create
electricity, known as
hydroelectricity
.
The Southwest is well known for ranching, especially cattle and
sheep. Some ranches can be larger than 20,000 acres. It takes many
acres of short grass in a dry region to feed one cow.There are a lot of
cows found on the famous King Ranch inTexas. It is the largest ranch
in the United States. It stretches more than 825,000 acres and is
nearly the size of Rhode Island.Texas leads the nation in cattle ranching.
The states of the Southwest also have valuable
mineral resources.
Arizona is the number one supplier of copper in the United States. Gold, sil-
ver, zinc, and lead are also mined in Arizona. NewMexico is a major pro-
ducer of copper and uranium.Uranium is ametal used as a fuel for making
energy in nuclear reactors that create electricity. Fossil fuels of coal, petro-
leum, and natual gas are found inNewMexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Texas is the number one producer of petroleum in our nation.
Most
manufacturing
occurs near large urban areas. Computers
and electronic equipment, machinery, chemicals, oil refining, trans-
portation equipment, and food processing are major manufacturing
industries. The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, located near
Houston, is ground control for human guided space flights.
Tourism
is a major industry in the Southwest.Millions of visitors
travel to this regioneach year toenjoy the scenic beauty, and toexplore
themanynational parksand sites.TheClick&Learn featureon thenext
pageprovidesaguide tosomeof themore famousnatural wondersand
beauty of theSouthwest.
Tucson is
called the
“Astronomy Capital of
theWorld.” More than
30 of the largest
telescopes in the world
can be found on the
mountaintops that
surround the city.
Present-day
irrigation
canals follow some of
the same paths built by
the HohokamNative
Americans hundreds of
years before the first
European settlers
arrived in the
Southwest.
Southwest Region
