Texas Details

Texas is state located in the south central part of the United States. It is bounded by Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, Louisiana to the east, Gulf of Mexico to the southeast, Mexico to the southwest and New Mexico to the west. It has a total land area of 261,797 sq mi. (678,054 sq km), making it the largest state in the coterminous United States. Texas is the 2nd largest member-states of the confederate.

Texas is derived from an Indian word which means “friends” or “allies”. This state is also known as the Lone Star State. Texas became the 28th member of the confederate in December 29, 1845.

Historical claims suggest that Texas was discovered by Spanish explorers who came around 16th and 17th centuries. These explorers settled in Ysleta near El Paso in 1682. These initial explorations were followed with settlements at Matagorda Bay and Brazos River in 1685 and 1821 respectively. Texas became a state in 1845.

Texas boasts of enormous natural resources. It ranks first in the production of oil, cattle, sheep and cotton. It is a leading supplier of poultry and eggs, dairy products, greenhouse and nursery products, wheat, hay, rice, sugar cane, peanuts and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Texas is blessed with sulfur, salt, helium, asphalt, graphite, bromine, natural gas, cement and clay. It is also equipped with manufacturing industries engaged in chemicals, oil refining, food processing, and machinery and transportation equipment.

This state has over 100 state parks and recreation areas and accommodates millions of tourists each year. Its major tourist destination includes the Gulf Coast resort area, the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Alamo in San Antonio, the state capital in Austin, and the Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

The capital of Texas is Austin and its largest city is Houston. This state has an estimated population of 24,326,974 (2008 estimate) and is the 2nd most populated state in the US.

Residents of Texas are called Texan.