Texas (TEK-səə ss, in your area also TEK-siz; Spanish: Texas or Tejas) is the most populous state in the South Central area of the USA. It surrounds Louisiana to the eastern, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and a worldwide border 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. Covering 268,596 square miles (695,660 km2) and with over 31 million locals since 2024, it is the second-largest state by location and populace. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State for the solitary celebrity on its flag, symbolic of its former standing as an independent nation, the Republic of Texas. Spain was the very first European country to case and control Texas. Following a brief swarm regulated by France, Mexico controlled the land up until 1836 when Texas won its independence, ending up being the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas joined the United States of America as the 28th state. The state's annexation triggered a chain of events that caused the Mexican–-- American Battle in 1846. Adhering to triumph by the USA, Texas continued to be a slave state up until the American Civil War, when it proclaimed its secession from the Union in early 1861 before officially joining the Confederate States on March 2. After the Civil Battle and the remediation of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered an extended period of financial stagnation. Historically, 5 major industries shaped the economy of Texas before World War II: bison, livestock, cotton, oil, and hardwood. Prior to and after the Civil War, the livestock market—-- which Texas pertained to control—-- was a significant financial driver and developed the conventional photo of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber expanded to be major sectors as the cattle industry came to be much less rewarding. Ultimately, the discovery of significant petroleum deposits (Spindletop particularly) initiated a financial boom that became the driving pressure behind the economy for much of the 20th century. Texas established a diversified economy and advanced industry throughout the mid-20th century. Since 2024, it has the second-highest number (52) of Fortune 500 business headquartered in the USA. With a growing base of market, the state leads in lots of sectors, consisting of tourist, agriculture, petrochemicals, power, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical scientific researches. Texas has led the U. S. in state export income considering that 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The Dallas–-- Ft Well worth metroplex and Greater Houston areas are the nation's fourth and fifth-most heavily populated metropolitan regions specifically. Its funding city is Austin. Because of its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Mistake, Texas consists of diverse landscapes usual to both the U. S. Southern and the Southwestern areas. A lot of population centers remain in areas of former pastures, meadows, forests, and the coastline. Traveling from east to west, surface varieties from seaside swamps and piney timbers, to rolling plains and rugged hills, to the desert and hills of the Large Bend.
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