Texas (TEK-səə ss, locally additionally TEK-siz; Spanish: Texas or Tejas) is one of the most populated state in the South Central region 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 border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and southwest. Texas has a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Covering 268,596 square miles (695,660 km2) and with over 31 million locals as of 2024, it is the second-largest state by area and populace. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State for the solitary star on its flag, symbolic of its former standing as an independent country, the Republic of Texas. Spain was the first European nation to case and control Texas. Complying with a short-term swarm regulated by France, Mexico managed the land until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas joined the USA of America as the 28th state. The state's annexation triggered a chain of occasions that brought about the Mexican–-- American War in 1846. Following triumph by the USA, Texas remained a slave state up until the American Civil War, when it stated its secession from the Union in very early 1861 before formally joining the Confederate States on March 2. After the Civil War and the repair of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic torpidity. Historically, 5 significant markets formed the economic situation of Texas before The second world war: bison, cattle, cotton, oil, and timber. Prior to and after the Civil Battle, the cattle industry—-- which Texas came to control—-- was a major economic chauffeur and created the conventional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber expanded to be significant markets as the livestock industry came to be much less financially rewarding. Eventually, the exploration of major petroleum deposits (Spindletop particularly) started an economic boom that became the driving pressure behind the economy for much of the 20th century. Texas developed a varied economic situation and high tech market during the mid-20th century. Since 2024, it has the second-highest number (52) of Ton of money 500 firms headquartered in the USA. With an expanding base of market, the state leads in many markets, consisting of tourist, farming, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical scientific researches. Texas has led the U. S. in state export revenue considering that 2002 and has the second-highest gross state item. The Dallas–-- Ft Well worth metroplex and Greater Houston areas are the nation's fourth and fifth-most heavily populated urban regions specifically. Its resources city is Austin. As a result of its size and geologic attributes such as the Balcones Mistake, Texas contains varied landscapes typical to both the U. S. Southern and the Southwestern regions. The majority of populace centers are in locations of previous savannas, grasslands, woodlands, and the coastline. Traveling from eastern to west, surface varieties from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and sturdy hills, to the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.
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