Texas, abbreviated TX, is a state of the United States, forming, together with Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, the so-called Southwest Central States. Bordering Mexico and New Mexico in the west, Oklahoma in the north, Arkansas in the northeast, Louisiana in the west and the Gulf of Mexico in the south.
Texas has a total area of approximately 695,660 km2 and is the second largest state in the United States after Alaska. With 28,304,596 residents (US Census, 2017), Texas is also the second most populous state, after California. Texas was listed as state number 28 in the United States on December 29, 1845. The capital is Austin, while Houston is the largest city.
The state is often called The Lone Star State because the state had a lone star in the coat of arms when it was an independent republic.
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Geography
Texas borders Mexico in the southwest along the Rio Grande River, toward New Mexico in the west; The Red River borders Oklahoma and Arkansas to the northeast and the Sabine River to Louisiana to the west. Towards the Gulf of Mexico in the southeast, there are lagoon coasts and long sandbanks from Galveston in the north to the mouth of the Rio Grande in the south. Inside is a broad coastal plain, which in the west turns into a fertile black soil area; “Black prairie”. Central and Western Texas is a Great Plains; 400–700 m asl West of the Pecos Riverthe terrain is mountainous and rugged. The landscape reaches in Guadalupe Peak furthest west at 2667 m.
A number of larger rivers flow through Texas toward the Gulf of Mexico, including the Rio Grande, Nueces, Colorado, Brazos and Trinity. East Texas is covered by a belt of cypresses and long-pine pine along the sandy shores of the coast; By the way, there are many deciduous forests, including oak, hickory, plane and mulberry. The plateau country of West Texas is predominantly grass-steppe; furthest west bush and partly desert. The mountainous areas have more rainfall, and are grown by conifers, mainly pine forests, in the northwest corner.
The Gulf of Mexico is often hit by hurricane and some years also Texas. The worst was the tropical cyclone Rita in 2005 between Sabine Pass, Texas, and Johnson’s Bayou, Louisiana. Hurricane Harvey hit Texas on August 25, 2017. The hurricane brought storm surge, heavy rainfall and, in the aftermath, the worst flood in the state’s history.
Population
Texas has a population density of about 39 residents per mile 2, versus about 33 for the entire United States. Nearly 85 percent of the population of Texas lives in urban areas, compared to about 80 percent for the entire United States. East Texas is quite densely populated, with the largest population concentration in the Houston area. However, western Texas is sparsely populated outside of sprawling urban areas.
Of the population, 42 percent are white, 39.4 percent are Hispanic or Latino (approximately 32 percent Mexican origin), and 12.7 percent are African American. It is estimated that there are more than one million illegal immigrants living in Texas.
The largest cities are Houston (2,312,717, US Census 2017), San Antonio (1,511,946), Dallas (1,341,075), Austin (950,715), Fort Worth (874,168) and El Paso (683,577 residents). Austin is a university town and an important industrial research center, as well as the hometown of the great annual cultural and technology festival South by Southwest (SXSW). The largest church community is the Baptist Church, the Catholic Church and the Methodist Church.
Texas sends two senators and 36 representatives to the federal congress in Washington DC.
Business
Texas has the second largest state economy in the United States after California. Had Texas been a country, it would have been the world’s 10th largest economy around the world.
Texas has over 500,000 km2 or agricultural land, of which about 30 percent is agricultural land. The state is America’s leading cotton producer; moreover, much wheat and sorghum, rice, maize, peanuts, vegetables and fruits are grown. The livestock team is also significant. In central and western Texas there are some of the largest cattle farms in the United States.
Texas has rich mineral resources and is the largest oil producing area in the United States (3.17 million barrels per day, 2014). The gas is distributed via wiring to almost the entire United States, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. Other important minerals are salt, sulfur and limestone.
Coastal industry includes some of the United States’ largest concentrations of oil refineries, chemical and petrochemical plants, located in Houston, Beaumont, Galveston and Corpus Christi, among others. In addition, there are smelters and shipyards, extensive engineering and mechanical industry, textile, food and electronic industries.
Houston ‘s aerospace city is a major traffic hub and among the United States’ largest port cities with large exports of petroleum and agricultural products; Dallas is a leading banking and financial center in the Southwest.
History
Texas was colonized by the Spaniards from 1686. When Mexico declared independence in 1821, Texas joined Mexico, which in 1824 created the state of Coahuila y Tejas – Coahuila and Texas. Immigrated North Americans, however, revolted in 1835, and after their chief military leader, Sam Houston, defeated Mexican General Santa Ana in 1836, Texas became an independent republic. Joining the United States in 1845 led to war with Mexico, which in 1848 had to give up all land east of the Rio Grande. During the Civil War, Texas was on the southern states.
In 1901 large amounts of oil were found in the Spindletop field near Beaumont. Since then, several major oil discoveries have been made in East Texas, from 1948 in western Texas as well. The oil resources formed the basis for the state’s rapid industrial and financial growth in the 20th century, and for the development of cities such as Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth. The population has increased significantly since 1945, and in the 1990s Texas New York passed as the United States second most populous state.
