Texas

Click a letter for the index

Or search the encyclopaedia:

 

 

Go

 

Click images to enlarge
State in southwestern USA, one of the Great Plains states, bordered to the east by Louisiana (partly along the Sabine River), to the northeast by Arkansas, to the north by Oklahoma (part of this boundary being along the Red River), to the west by New Mexico, to the southwest by the Rio Grande River and Mexico, and to the southeast by the Gulf of Mexico; area 678,051 sq km/261,797 sq mi; population (2000) 20,851,800; capital Austin. Texas's nickname derives from the state flag's single star. The landscape of Texas varies, with the Great Plains in the north, the Basin and Range region in the west, and the Coastal Plain region and the Gulf of Mexico in the south. Huge inland seas created much of the bedrock of present-day Texas, and the state's sedimentary rocks contain many fossils and are rich in oil reserves. Texas produces nearly one-third of US petroleum. Chemicals, petrochemicals, cotton, sorghum, wheat, and livestock are among the state's chief economic products. Despite the vast rural landscape, over 80% of the Texas population resides in urban areas. The Dallas-Forth Worth Consolidated Metropolitan Area is the state's most populous; other cities include Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso. Originally home to the Apache, Comanche, and Karankawa peoples, Texas was settled by the Spanish in the 16th and 17th centuries. Texas was part of Mexico 1821–36, after which it became an independent republic. Texas was admitted to the Union in 1845 as the 28th US state. The annexation of Texas was one of the causes of the Mexican War (1846–48).

The George Cross was awarded by King George VI and originally appeared in a small blue canton. The present design dates from 1964 when the islands gained independence. Effective date: 21 September 1964. >>