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 coast on the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Treatment 268,596 square miles (695,660 km2) and with over 31 million locals since 2024, it is the second-largest state by area and population. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Celebrity State for the single celebrity on its flag, symbolic of its previous status as an independent nation, the Republic of Texas. Spain was the very first European country to case and control Texas. Complying with a short-lived colony managed by France, Mexico managed the land up until 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 led to the Mexican–-- American Battle in 1846. Complying with success by the USA, Texas remained a slave state up until the American Civil War, when it declared its secession from the Union in very early 1861 before formally signing up with the Confederate States on March 2. After the Civil Battle and the reconstruction of its depiction in the federal government, Texas went into an extended period of financial torpidity. Historically, 5 major sectors formed the economic situation of Texas before World War II: bison, cattle, cotton, oil, and hardwood. Prior to and after the Civil Battle, the livestock industry—-- which Texas came to dominate—-- was a significant financial chauffeur and created the conventional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber expanded to be major industries as the livestock sector ended up being much less financially rewarding. Ultimately, the exploration of significant oil down payments (Spindletop specifically) initiated an economic boom that became the driving pressure behind the economic situation for much of the 20th century. Texas established a varied economic situation and high tech industry throughout the mid-20th century. As of 2024, it has the second-highest number (52) of Ton of money 500 companies headquartered in the USA. With an expanding base of industry, the state leads in lots of markets, consisting of tourism, farming, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences. Texas has led the U. S. in state export income considering that 2002 and has the second-highest gross state item. The Dallas–-- Fort Worth metroplex and Greater Houston locations are the nation's fourth and fifth-most populated city regions respectively. Its resources city is Austin. Due to its dimension and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas includes diverse landscapes usual to both the U. S. Southern and the Southwestern regions. Many population centers remain in areas of former savannas, grasslands, forests, and the shoreline. Traveling from east to west, surface varieties from seaside swamps and piney timbers, to rolling levels and sturdy hillsides, to the desert and hills of the Huge Bend.
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