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This is a good article. Click here for more information. Page semi-protected Texas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search This article is about the State of Texas. For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). "Texan" redirects here. For other uses, see Texan (disambiguation). Texas State State of Texas Flag of Texas Flag Official seal of Texas Seal Nickname(s): The Lone Star State Motto(s): Friendship Anthem: "Texas, Our Texas" Map of the United States with Texas highlighted Map of the United States with Texas highlighted Country	United States Before statehood	Republic of Texas Admitted to the Union	December 29, 1845 (28th) Capital	Austin Largest city	Houston Largest metro	Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex Government • Governor	Greg Abbott (R) • Lieutenant Governor	Dan Patrick (R) Legislature	Texas Legislature • Upper house	Senate • Lower house	House of Representatives Judiciary	Supreme Court of Texas (Civil) Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (Criminal) U.S. senators	John Cornyn (R) Ted Cruz (R) U.S. House delegation	22 Republicans 13 Democrats 1 Vacancy (list) Area • Total	268,596[1] sq mi (695,662 km2) • Land	261,232[1] sq mi (676,587 km2) • Water	7,365[1] sq mi (19,075 km2) 2.7% Area rank	2nd Dimensions • Length	801[2] mi (1,289 km) • Width	773[2] mi (1,244 km) Elevation	1,700 ft (520 m) Highest elevation (Guadalupe Peak[3][4][5])	8,751 ft (2,667.4 m) Lowest elevation (Gulf of Mexico[4])	0 ft (0 m) Population (2020) • Total	29,360,759[6] • Rank	2nd • Density	108/sq mi (40.6/km2) • Density rank	26th • Median household income	$59,206[7] • Income rank	24th Demonym(s)	Texan Texian (archaic) Tejano (usually only used for Hispanics) Language • Official language	No official language (see Languages spoken in Texas) • Spoken language	Predominantly English; Spanish is spoken by a sizable minority[8] Time zones Majority of state	UTC−06:00 (Central) • Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT) El Paso, Hudspeth, and northwestern Culberson counties	UTC−07:00 (Mountain) • Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT) USPS abbreviation TX ISO 3166 code	US-TX Traditional abbreviation	Tex. Latitude	25°50′ N to 36°30′ N Longitude	93°31′ W to 106°39′ W Website	texas.gov hideTexas state symbols Flag of Texas.svg Flag of Texas Seal of Texas.svg Living insignia Bird	Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Fish	Guadalupe bass (Micropterus treculii) Flower	Bluebonnet (Lupinus spp., namely Texas bluebonnet, L. texensis) Insect	Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Mammal	Texas longhorn, nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) Reptile	Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) Tree	Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) Inanimate insignia Food	Chili Instrument	Guitar Shell	Lightning whelk (Busycon perversum pulleyi) Ship	USS Texas Slogan	The Friendly State Soil	Houston Black Sport	Rodeo Game	Texas 42 dominoes Other	Molecule: Buckyball (For more, see article) State route marker Texas state route marker State quarter Texas quarter dollar coin Released in 2004 Lists of United States state symbols Texas (/ˈtɛksəs/, also locally /ˈtɛksɪz/;[9] Spanish: Texas or Tejas, pronounced [ˈtexas] (About this soundlisten)) is a state in the South Central region of the United States. It is the second largest U.S. state by both area (after Alaska) and population (after California). Texas shares borders with the states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and southwest, and has a coastline with the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast.

Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth largest in the U.S., while San Antonio is the second-most populous in the state and seventh largest in the U.S. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country, respectively. Other major cities include Austin, the second-most populous state capital in the U.S., and El Paso. Texas is nicknamed the "Lone Star State" for its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal.[10] The origin of Texas's name is from the word táyshaʼ, which means "friends" in the Caddo language.[11]

Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains diverse landscapes common to both the U.S. Southern and the Southwestern regions.[12] Although Texas is popularly associated with the U.S. southwestern deserts, less than ten percent of Texas's land area is desert.[13] Most of the population centers are in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests, and the coastline. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, and finally the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.

The term "six flags over Texas"[note 1] refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim and control the area of Texas. France held a short-lived colony. Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas joined the union as the 28th state.[14] The state's annexation set off a chain of events that led to the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U.S. in early 1861, and officially joined the Confederate States of America on March 2 of the same year. After the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.

Historically four major industries shaped the Texas economy prior to World War II: cattle and bison, cotton, timber, and oil.[15] Before and after the U.S. Civil War the cattle industry, which Texas came to dominate, was a major economic driver for the state, thus creating the traditional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century cotton and lumber grew to be major industries as the cattle industry became less lucrative. It was ultimately, though, the discovery of major petroleum deposits (Spindletop in particular) that initiated an economic boom which became the driving force behind the economy for much of the 20th century. Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry in the mid-20th century. As of 2015, it is second on the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with 54.[16] With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, including tourism, agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences. Texas has led the U.S. in state export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. If Texas were a sovereign state, it would have the 10th largest economy in the world.