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Kansas is the center of the 48 states

Absolute Location:  37-40*N and 94-102*W

Relative Location:

* Next to Colorado
* Below Nebraska
* Landlocked
* Missouri river is the only natural boarder

* Shaped like a rectangle

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Prairies

Hills

Rivers

East Kansas - Many forests

Kansas used to be covered by the Permian Sea

Less than 4% of the original tallgrass prairie exists.

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Kansas often has too much water or too little water

Most of the lakes we have in Kansas are results in flood control projects

There is a huge reservoir under Kansas called the Ogallala Aquifer - mainly used for irrigation

Cheyenne Bottoms used to be a natural environment but they had to change the water levels.

We need to protect our water so we will still have it through droughts.

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Kansas has all different kinds of unpredictable weather

The winds make the weather even more extreme

Types of Weather:

* Storms
* Snow
* Rain

-40*F is the coldest temperature recorded and 121*F is the hottest

The average precipitation for eastern Kansas every year is 40 inches

Extreme Weather:

* Tornadoes
* Blizzards
* Droughts
* Floods

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Animals:

* Many types of animals were going extinct because they were being hunted
* There are over 3,500 types of insects in Kansas
* Insects help pollinate plants and they are food for bigger animals
* Grasshoppers can feed on crops and ruin them

Plants:

* Plants have to be able to survive the harsh weather
* Kansas has some of the best soil in the world
* Kansas prairies are either tall grass or short grass

* Bluestems are the most common of the tall grasses which are a favorite food for animals. This makes Kansas a leading state in Cattle Ranching.

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Kansas can be split up into 11 different regions:

High Plains:

* Formed by sediments from the Rocky Mountains

Red Hills:

* Contains hills with iron oxide

Glaciated Region:

* Glaciers use to cover this area

Ozark Plateau:

* Has the oldest surface rock in the state

Arkansas River Lowlands:

* Formed by rocks from the Rocky Mountains that the Arkansas River carried

Wellington-McPherson Lowlands:

* Has sand dunes covered in grasses

Cherokee Lowlands:

* Very flat with good soil

Chautauqua Hills:

* Has low hills topped with sandstone

Smoky Hills:

* It got its name because it is very hazy in the mornings

Flint Hills Uplands:

* Has limestone that contains flint

Osage Cuestas:

* Contains cliffs that are 50-200 feet high

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We cut down trees, mine, and take water

We build houses, office buildings, and factories

We build railroads, tunnels, and roads

We remove things like oil from the ground

We have to work around drought and floods (weather)

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Kansas has always been a crossroad

Settlers passed through Kansas before it was even open for settlement

Immigrants from foreign lands brought with them their customs and beliefs

The pony express ran right through Kansas

Goods and services are moved in and out of our state

The wheat and airplanes built in Kansas are exported all over the world

Many types of goods are brought into the state