THE GULF COASTAL PLAINS

 

Absolute Location- In latitude, the region extends 500km between Brownville, Texas, the farthest south at 26 degrees North and Jackson, Mississippi, the farthest south at 32 degrees North. It extends from east to west it ranges from 84 degrees west to 99 degrees west in latitude.

 

Relative Location- The gulf coastal plains are located to the south of the interior plains. They are entirely located within 200 km of the Gulf of Mexico coast in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

 

Place

 

§         Warm weather

§         Has heaviest torrential rainfall

§         250 mm of rain a day

§         East part of region averages 1500mm of rain per year

§         Average temperature in the gulf coastal region during the day is 35 degrees

§         Average temperature during the night is 30 degrees

§         The growing season is very long

§         The many canals in region add waterways and transportation for the residents

§         The gulf of Mexico influences the warm temperature and vegetation

§         The land is very flat with gently rolling hills

§         No land in the region is 100m above sea level

§         The coastline is very swampy

§         The soil is sandy and silty

§         The soil and land is not very fertile to grow vegetation

§          Heavy Rainfall

§         Tightly packed clay under surface makes water not sink into soil and creates the land very swampy

 

Interaction

 

Primary Industry

 

            Farming

§         Lacks rich soil but yet farms are all year around

§         A lot of agriculture because of warm damp climate and modern farming tools.

§         Fruits, vegetables, rice, peaches, sugar cane, oranges and gape fruits, and flax

§         No chemicals are used for insects

§         Cattle are very important in the Gulf coastal plan region.

 

Fishing

§         Very important

§         Shrimp, snapper, menhaden, oysters

§         Sport fishing

Drilling

·         Oil is the most important and major industry

·         Most of the oil found under shallow water in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Secondary Industry

 

§         Some examples are petrochemicals such as plastics, paint, weed killers and fertilizers used from the great amounts of oil and gas in the area.

§         Refineries and pipelines

§         Inexpensive natural gas and they are easy to transport throughout the region.

 
 
 
Tertiary Industry

 

§         Tourism is very important because of warm climate and long beaches

§         People come to New Orleans to listen to jazz and eat Cajun food

§         People come to Houston Dosee NASA’s manned space craft station

 

Quaternary Industry

 

§         USA space administration is in Houston Texas along with many oil company headquarters such as Shell, Tenneco and Pennzoil oil.

§         Houston has 100 000 students in 19 different colleges and universities.

§         This region brings many researchers

 

Cities

 

New Orleans, Louisiana

- In 1987, population was 1 321 000 people

- 1718, was founded by the French explorers

- Have levees (high river banks) to protect the city from floods from the Gulf of Mexico and      many other river systems

- Exports = cotton

- Imports = minerals

- Imports from South America

- Has Mardi Gras

- Big on Jazz music

 
Houston, Texas
- In 1987 population was 3 626 000 people     

- Has a rapid increase in oil price

- 4th largest city in United Sates

- Has 3rd largest port in United States

- Contains 126 science and research firms

- NASA’s manned spacecraft center

- Petrochemicals, grain, breweries, steel, chemicals, and paper are very important industry in area

- Famous for art museums and cultural institutions

  

Movement

 

Transportation

- Have many major airports in the region such as the major airport in New Orleans

- The region 9is connected to the rest of the continent by many railways and interstate highways

- Due to the flat and gently rolling landscape the land is easily suited for railways to be built to transport goods across the region

- The region acts as an important base for air routes to Mexico, West Indies, and Central and South America

- Transportation very much depends on Waterways

- The many streams, rivers, delta’s that run through out the region makes water transportation easy to access

- Transporting goods by water is the cheapest and most efficient way of transporting goods.    

- The two main waterways in the region is the Mississippi river and the Houston Ship Canal

- Region uses lots of ship ports to transport resources and goods to other places since region borders Gulf of Mexico

- Houston has 3rd largest transportation port in America

 

Communication

- In region uses several ways to communicate

- Uses radio, television, and newspapers to communicate with people across the region

 

Trade

- Some of the major trade areas are Mexico, West Indies and Central and South America

- Trade oil and gas products, cotton, paper, plastics and cattle is just some of the items exported out of the region

-  Some items that are imported is fruits, vegetables and many different types of minerals