Texas (TEK-səə ss, locally additionally TEK-siz; Spanish: Texas or Tejas) is one of the most populated state in the South Central area of the USA. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and a worldwide 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. Covering 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 Celebrity State for the solitary star on its flag, symbolic of its former status as an independent country, the Republic of Texas. Spain was the very first European nation to claim and control Texas. Adhering to a short-term colony regulated by France, Mexico regulated the land till 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas signed up with the United States 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. Complying with success by the USA, Texas stayed a slave state till the American Civil War, when it stated its secession from the Union in very early 1861 before officially signing up with the Confederate States on March 2. After the Civil War and the remediation of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of financial stagnation. Historically, five major industries shaped the economy of Texas prior to The second world war: bison, livestock, cotton, oil, and wood. Before and after the Civil Battle, the cattle market—-- which Texas pertained to control—-- was a significant economic driver and created the standard picture of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber grew to be major markets as the livestock market came to be less financially rewarding. Ultimately, the exploration of significant oil deposits (Spindletop particularly) launched an economic boom that ended up being the driving force behind the economic situation for much of the 20th century. Texas created a varied economic situation and high tech sector throughout the mid-20th century. As of 2024, it has the second-highest number (52) of Ton of money 500 firms headquartered in the USA. With an expanding base of sector, the state leads in lots of industries, including tourism, agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computer systems and electronic devices, aerospace, and biomedical scientific researches. Texas has actually led the U. S. in state export earnings given that 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The Dallas–-- Ft Worth metroplex and Greater Houston areas are the country's 4th and fifth-most populated metropolitan regions respectively. Its resources city is Austin. Due to its size and geologic attributes such as the Balcones Mistake, Texas has varied landscapes usual to both the U. S. Southern and the Southwestern areas. A lot of population centers remain in areas of previous pastures, meadows, woodlands, and the coast. Traveling from east to west, surface arrays from coastal swamps and piney timbers, to rolling levels and rugged hillsides, to the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.
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