Texas (TEK-səə ss, locally likewise TEK-siz; Spanish: Texas or Tejas) is one of the most populous 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 an international 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 homeowners as of 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 previous condition as an independent nation, the Republic of Texas. Spain was the first European country to claim and control Texas. Complying with a temporary nest controlled by France, Mexico controlled the land up until 1836 when Texas won its freedom, coming to be the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas signed up with the USA of America as the 28th state. The state's addition set off a chain of occasions that led to the Mexican–-- American War in 1846. Following triumph by the United States, Texas continued to be a servant state until the American Civil Battle, when it stated its secession from the Union in early 1861 before officially joining 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 financial torpidity. Historically, 5 significant sectors formed the economic climate of Texas prior to The second world war: bison, livestock, cotton, oil, and wood. Prior to and after the Civil Battle, the livestock sector—-- which Texas concerned control—-- was a major financial motorist and produced the traditional photo of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber expanded to be major industries as the cattle market came to be much less financially rewarding. Eventually, the exploration of significant oil deposits (Spindletop specifically) initiated a financial boom that became the driving pressure behind the economic climate for much of the 20th century. Texas established a varied economy and high tech industry during the mid-20th century. Since 2024, it has the second-highest number (52) of Ton of money 500 companies headquartered in the USA. With an expanding base of market, the state leads in numerous industries, consisting of tourist, agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computer systems and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences. Texas has led the U. S. in state export revenue because 2002 and has the second-highest gross state item. The Dallas–-- Ft Well worth metroplex and Greater Houston locations are the nation's 4th and fifth-most populous urban areas respectively. Its capital city is Austin. Because of its dimension and geologic functions such as the Balcones Mistake, Texas contains diverse landscapes usual to both the U. S. Southern and the Southwestern regions. A lot of populace centers remain in areas of previous pastures, grasslands, woodlands, and the coast. Traveling from eastern to west, surface arrays from seaside swamps and piney timbers, to rolling plains and tough hillsides, to the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.
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