Texas (TEK-səə ss, in your area also TEK-siz; Spanish: Texas or Tejas) is the most heavily populated state in the South Central area of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and an international 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. Treatment 268,596 square miles (695,660 km2) and with over 31 million residents since 2024, it is the second-largest state by area and populace. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State for the single star on its flag, symbolic of its previous standing as an independent country, the Republic of Texas. Spain was the first European nation to case and control Texas. Following a temporary swarm managed by France, Mexico regulated the land till 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 triggered a chain of occasions that caused the Mexican–-- American War in 1846. Adhering to success by the USA, Texas stayed a slave state till the American Civil War, when it stated its secession from the Union in early 1861 before officially signing up with the Confederate States on March 2. After the Civil War and the reconstruction of its depiction in the federal government, Texas went into an extended period of economic stagnation. Historically, five significant industries shaped the economic climate of Texas prior to The second world war: bison, cattle, cotton, oil, and hardwood. Before and after the Civil War, the livestock sector—-- which Texas concerned control—-- was a major financial driver and developed the typical photo of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber grew to be significant industries as the cattle market ended up being much less rewarding. Ultimately, the discovery of significant oil deposits (Spindletop in particular) initiated a financial boom that became the driving pressure behind the economic situation for much of the 20th century. Texas developed a diversified economic situation and high tech market throughout the mid-20th century. As of 2024, it has the second-highest number (52) of Lot of money 500 firms headquartered in the United States. With an expanding base of industry, the state leads in many industries, consisting of tourist, farming, petrochemicals, power, computers and electronic devices, aerospace, and biomedical scientific researches. Texas has actually led the U. S. in state export profits because 2002 and has the second-highest gross state item. The Dallas–-- Fort Well worth metroplex and Greater Houston locations are the country's fourth and fifth-most populated metropolitan regions respectively. Its funding city is Austin. As a result of its size and geologic attributes such as the Balcones Fault, Texas has varied landscapes usual to both the U. S. Southern and the Southwestern regions. The majority of population centers are in locations of former meadows, grasslands, forests, and the coast. Traveling from east to west, terrain arrays from seaside swamps and piney timbers, to rolling levels and rugged hills, to the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.
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