Texas (TEK-səə ss, locally also TEK-siz; Spanish: Texas or Tejas) is one of the most populated state in the South Central area of the United States. It surrounds Louisiana to the eastern, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and a global boundary with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and southwest. Texas has a coast on the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Treatment 268,596 square miles (695,660 km2) and with over 31 million citizens since 2024, it is the second-largest state by area and population. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Celebrity State for the single celebrity on its flag, symbolic of its previous status as an independent country, the Republic of Texas. Spain was the initial European nation to insurance claim and control Texas. Following a short-term swarm controlled by France, Mexico managed the land up until 1836 when Texas won its freedom, ending up being the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas joined the USA of America as the 28th state. The state's annexation set off a chain of occasions that brought about the Mexican–-- American Battle in 1846. Adhering to triumph by the United States, Texas stayed a slave state up until the American Civil War, when it proclaimed its secession from the Union in very early 1861 prior to formally joining the Confederate States on March 2. After the Civil War and the reconstruction of its depiction in the federal government, Texas got in an extended period of economic torpidity. Historically, five significant industries formed the economic situation of Texas before World War II: bison, cattle, cotton, oil, and wood. Prior to and after the Civil Battle, the cattle sector—-- which Texas concerned dominate—-- was a major economic motorist and produced the traditional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber expanded to be major industries as the cattle industry ended up being less profitable. Inevitably, the discovery of major petroleum down payments (Spindletop specifically) launched an economic boom that ended up being the driving force behind the economic climate for much of the 20th century. Texas created a diversified economy and advanced sector throughout the mid-20th century. As of 2024, it has the second-highest number (52) of Fortune 500 business headquartered in the USA. With an expanding base of industry, the state leads in several markets, including tourist, agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronic devices, aerospace, and biomedical scientific researches. Texas has actually led the U. S. in state export income since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state item. The Dallas–-- Ft Well worth metroplex and Greater Houston locations are the nation's 4th and fifth-most populous city regions specifically. Its capital city is Austin. Due to its dimension and geologic features such as the Balcones Mistake, Texas includes varied landscapes usual to both the U. S. Southern and the Southwestern areas. A lot of population facilities remain in areas of previous meadows, grasslands, forests, and the coastline. Traveling from east to west, terrain ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling levels and rugged hillsides, to the desert and hills of the Large Bend.
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