A giant among states, vast Texas was once a sovereign nation. Texas is second only to Alaska in area. It covers more territory than the total area of five Midwestern states--Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. There are 254 counties in Texas. Its largest county, Brewster, is about as big as Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Its smallest, Rockwall, is only 147 square miles (381 square kilometers) in area. For a time Texas had a peak mileage of more than 17,000 miles (27,358 kilometers) of main-track railroad, but the total has been declining ever since the 1930s.
Cotton, first raised on the Blackland Prairies, has long been the most important crop of Texas. Much of it is now grown on the Great Plains, an achievement made possible by the discovery of a sandy, water-laden subsoil beneath the area's dry surface. On the Rio Grande irrigation has given rise to a great fruit-growing belt, while along the Nueces River vegetable crops are harvested in an 11-month growing season. Texas leads the nation in beef production, an industry that began to flourish in 1866, when cowboys first drove wild longhorns north to market. Today scientifically bred cattle are raised on the plains.
Black gold, or crude oil, was found in Texas in the 19th century, but it was the discovery of the gigantic east Texas oil field in 1930 that revolutionized the agrarian state. Although much of the wealth of modern Texas stems from its widespread petroleum-bearing formations, industry has become increasingly diversified since the end of World War II.
The name Texas comes from a Caddo Indian word meaning friends or allies. The Spanish explorers pronounced the word tejas and gave this name to the area. The nickname Lone Star State comes from the single star in the Texas flag, which was officially adopted by the Republic of Texas in 1839. The Texas and Hawaii flags are the only state emblems that originally flew over recognized independent countries.
Texas lies in the south-central region of the United States. Its southwestern and southern boundary is formed by the Rio Grande. Across the river are the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas. On the southeast Texas borders on the Gulf of Mexico for 367 miles (591 kilometers). To the east are Louisiana and Arkansas, with the Sabine River forming the boundary with Louisiana for 180 miles (290 kilometers). To the north is Oklahoma, with the Red River providing the boundary line for 480 miles (772 kilometers). New Mexico is to the west. The Lone Star State is both longer and wider than any other state except Alaska. Its greatest length, from north to south, is 801 miles (1,289 kilometers)--a figure that includes the Panhandle, which extends north of the upper Red River for about 133 miles (214 kilometers). The state's greatest width is 773 miles (1,244 kilometers). Both of the overall distances are greater than the airline mileage between New York City and Chicago. The area of the state is 266,807 square miles (691,027 square kilometers), including 4,790 square miles (12,406 square kilometers) of inland water surface.
