The document summarizes the key physical and human geographical features of the American Southwest region, which includes California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. It notes that the region has a variety of climates from arid to semi-arid, and features important rivers like the Colorado and Rio Grande. Agriculture is a primary economic activity, especially in California's Central Valley where water from major rivers supports intensive farming of fruits, vegetables, and vines. Other important industries include mining, especially of oil and natural gas, and high-tech centers like Silicon Valley in California. Major cities like Los Angeles and Houston have large populations and experience urban challenges around transportation and pollution.

2. States
 California
 Arizona
 Nevada
 New Mexico
 Texas

3. Relief
 To the west in California is the Central Valley that
separates the Coastal Ranges from the Sierra Nevada
Mts.
 Further east are the Highlands –inter montane
plateaus and basins of Nevada and Arizona
 The southern Rocky Mts are in Texas

4. Drainage
 The main rivers are the Colarado,the Gila, and the Rio
Grande,the Sacramento and San Joachin
 The Colarado flows through the barren landscape of
Nevada
 The Gila Valley is in Arizona
 The Rio Grande separates Texas from Mexico
 In California the Sacramento and San Joachin have
been used to develop one of the world’s largest
irrigation schemes

5. Soils
 Much of the area is arid or semi-arid with vast areas of
desert eg. Death Valley
 In the river valleys alluvial soils are fertile and suitable
for agriculture
 On mountain slopes soils are poor

6. Climate
 Because it is such a vast area climate varies.
 Much of the area is arid or semi-arid with less than
250mm of rainfall annually.
 Southern California,Arizona and New Mexico are
desert or semi-desert.
 Death Valley[California/Nevada] is one of the hottest
places on earth with recorded temperatures of over 50
degrees C.
 Other factors that influence climate are altitude and
distance from the sea.

7.  The American SW forms part of the US sunbelt.Areas
bordering Mexico have over 2,500 hours of sunshine
annually
 Central Valley in California has a Mediterannean
climate of hot dry summers and mild moist winters
and provides a very pleasant lifestyle although summer
temperatures can be very hot

8. Primary Activities
 The 2 main primary activities are agriculture and
mining
 Intensive agriculture is practised in California in the
Central Valley[fruit ,vegetables and vines]
 Extensive agriculture is practised in New Mexico,
Nevada, Arizona and Texas[cattle ranching]
 Agriculture is largely influenced by climate, soils and
the availability of water. Desert areas are devoid of
agriculture because of very low rainfall and extreme
temperatures


9. Central Valley-intensive agriculture
 Central Valley produces citrus fruits, vegetables,salad
veg and is home to world famous vineyards
 Crops grown are
oranges,dates,cherries,peaches,plums,tomatoes,lettuc
brocolli,brussell sprouts and vines
 California is the 2nd largest [roducer of citrus fruits in
the States after Florida
 One third of all fruit crops in the US is grown in
California
 Oranges are a large section of citrus fruit production

10.  Irrigation is widely used to support agriculture esp in
the Central Valley. Water from the Sacramento and
San Joachin rivers supply the Central Valley project
 It is one of the biggest and mast successful irrigation
schemes in the world and a major factor in the success
of the Central Valley
 Also in California are the Napa Valley and Sonama
Valley that specialise in viticulture. Sunshine and high
temperatures provide quality grapes for world famous
wines eg Gallo Family Vineyards [monoculture]

11.  The Central Valley also produces cotton and rice
 Dairy farming is found in the Central Valley because of
access to water

12.  Outside California agriculture is largely extensive in nature
and pastoral farming dominates. Huge ranches characterise
areas of Nevada ,Arizona,New Mexico and Texas
 Pastoral farming[ranching] require large areas of land as
rainfall is unreliable and vegetation is sparce
 Farm units are usually owned by huge agri-companies
involved in the production and distribution of foodstuffs
 Cattle are reared on ranches and then are fattened in cattle
lots before sale
 Many farm workers use cowboy skills on the huge ranches
and many are migrant workers from Mexico

13. Mining
 In the past settlers were attracted to the SW because of it’s
mineral wealth
 The discovery of gold in 1848 led to the Californian Gold
Rush and in 1859 a silver deposit was discovered in Nevada
 To-day, oil and natural gas deposits are the dominant
resources
 Texas has enormous deposits of both
 The wealth of such areas tends to fluctuate according to oil
values on world markets
 Uranium,sulphur,gold,silver,lead and zinc are also mined

14. Secondary Activities
 The American SW has many advantages for indusrtial
development
 Availability of raw materials
 Cheap land for factories
 Excellent transport infrastructure
 Access to markets in the US as well as European and Asian
markets
 US airforce bases and aerospace industry are based in Texas
and California
 Highly educated graduates
 Good quality of life attracts workers

15. California-Secondary Activies
 Silicon Valley us located south of San Francisco and is a
world leader in IT
 Intel,Hewlitt-Packard,Apple and IBM are all located in
California
 Stanford Uni and Uni of California are central to the
growth and success of Silicon Valley
 50% of all high-tech equipment in the US is manufactured
here
 World wide markets also
 A vast array of products come from Silicon Valley:software
applications,laser technology and microchips

16. Texas- Secondary Activities
 Most important state for oil and gas production
 Coastal cities are called the Chemical Crescent
 Oil refineries,petro-chemical plants and fertiliser
factories are numerous
 Offshore oil and gas platforms
 Important cities with huge output are
Houston,Dallas,Fortworth,Austin and San Antonio
 Austin is home to Dell Corporation
 Huge aerospace indusrty in Houston

17.  Many other industries are located on the Mexican
border.
 Maquilladoras [twin-factories] operate at low cost but
are highly profitable
 Many house-hold name multinational companies are
located on the border. Unskilled workers on low pay
work in product assembly on the Mexican side while
research,development and marketing is done on the
American side

18. Tertiary Activities in the SW
 Tourism is a major section of the economy of this region
 The Grand Canyon, Yosemite Park and the Carlsbad Caves
attract thousands of visitors annually
 Climate attracts many domestic and international tourists
 Many urban attractions-San Francisco, Los Angeles and esp
Hollywood
 Las Vegas in Nevada is the gambling capital of the world
and a major entertainment centre
 Alcatraz, Chinatown,Hollywood.
 Winter sports in mountainous regions
 Wild West experience
 Disneyland

19. Transport
 Roadworks are particularly well developed
 Some cities have experienced rapid urban sprawl.In los
Angeles there is a lack of public transport and a strong car
culture
 Many thousands commute to work and a dense network of
roads has developed
 Cheap cars and fuel contribute to this car culture
 L.A. Has the most polluted air of any US city with severe
smog
 Demand is rising for better public transport
 Tolls, special lanes for those car-pooling and advances in
use of electric cars are all features of transport in California

20. Human Processes
 The SW is a multi-cultural society with a population of
some 60m
 Native American Indians are a small % of population and
live mostly in Arazona and New Mexico
 The Navajo are the largest tribe. Originally nomadic
hunters they live on reservations with an unique lifestyle
 Another culture in the area is Hispanic – Spanish speaking
 California,Arizona,New Mexico and Texas
 Because of a shared border with Mexico the influence of
Spanish culture is strong.
 Huge Spanish speaking population with Spanish tv
channels,radio,newspapers and schools

21.  Job opportunities and a better standard of living are pull
factors
 Many Hispanics are in low paid jobs
 Border states are often referred to as Mexamerica
 California has a large Asian population that originally came
during the Gold Rush and during the construction of
aquaducts and railways
 In the past discrimination was severe and led to ghettos
 Chinatown,once a ghetto is now a major tourist attraction
 There are many illegal immigrants who are regularly
deported

22. Growth of an urban area
 Los Angeles has a population of 14m and is the 2nd
largest city after New York
 It has America’s largest container port which generates
billions of dollars in wages and taxes for the state of
California
 L.A. has been a city since the 1880’s and grew rapidly
beginning with the Gold Rush
 Gold was not the only attraction as it’s growing port,
railway construction and oil provided jobs
 The railway allowed people and goods to move more
easily and suburbs grew

23.  In 1932 the Olympic Games were held here and lead to
improvements in recreational facilities and roads through
and around the city
 In the 1940’s the city’s tram system was closed. L.A.
Became-and still is-a car dependent city with resultant air
pollution problems
 During WW2 L.A. became a major industrial centre for
aircraft and ammunitions because of it’s Pacific coast
location
 Major manufacturing centre but faces competition as
factories relocate to Mexican border
 L.A has many ethnic groups

25. Central Valley

26. Solar power

27. Central Valley