Texas: map, geography, tourism, curiosities –

Texas (or andstate of texas) It is one of the 50 states that make up the United States. Its capital is the city of Austin. Also known as the Lone Star State, Texas is located in the south-central region of the country, where it is bathed by the Gulf of Mexico. It presents subtropical and semi-arid climates, being characterized by a relief of coastal plains and interior plateaus and mountains.

Texas is currently home to the second largest population in the country with over 29 million people. The state’s economy stands out as the second largest in the United States, based on oil production, industry and agricultural activity.

Read too: Florida — another state that is part of the United States territory

Topics of this article

summary about texas

• Texas is one of the states belonging to the United States.

• Its capital is the city of Austin.

• It was an independent republic between 1836 and 1846, becoming the 28th state of the United States on December 29, 1845.

• Located in the south-central region of the country, Texas is bathed by the Gulf of Mexico and has subtropical climates in the south and semi-arid in other areas.

• The Texan relief is formed by the extensive coastal plain and by mountains and interior plateaus covered by forests, steppes and desert areas.

• It is the second most populous state in the United States, with 29.1 million inhabitants. Of these, about 84% live in urban areas.

• Texas’s economy is the second largest in the country. Its pillars are oil exploration, farming and industry.

Don’t stop now… There’s more after the publicity 😉

Texas general data

• Official name: State of Texas.

• Gentile: texan.

• Territorial extension: 695,662 km².

• Location: south-central United States.

• Capital: Austin.

• Biggest city: Houston.

• Smallest city: Fernando Salinas.

• Climate: subtropical and semiarid.

• Government: representative democracy.

• Administrative division: 254 counties and 1,470 cities and towns.

• Language: English.

• Religions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism.

• Population: 29,145,505 inhabitants.

• Demographic density: 41.8 inhabitants/km².

• Human Development Index (HDI): 0.911.

• Coin: US dollar.

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $2.3 trillion.

• GDP per capita: $61,985.

• Gini: 0.482.

• Time zone: GMT-6 and GMT-7.

map of texas

texas geography

Texas is one of the 50 states that make up the United States. Its capital is the city of Austin. With an area that extends over 695.6 km² in the center-south of the country, Texas is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, where the Gulf of Mexico forms. Texas establishes a border of almost 2,000 km with Mexico, to the southwest, in addition to bordering four other states:

Next, check out the main physical characteristics of the territory of Texas.

→ Texas weather

Texas is known for the rapid alternation of atmospheric conditions, favoring the occurrence of opposite situations (cold, heat, rain, drought) in a short period of time. As for climate, there is a distinction between the climate subtropicalto the east, and the semiarid climateto the west.

In the east of the country, temperatures vary between 12°C and 30°C, with rainfall of up to 1,100 mm on the gulf coast. In other areas, the annual volume of rainfall is around 500 mm, while temperatures vary between minimums of 9°C in winter and maximums of up to 36°C.

→ texas relief

The Texan relief is formed by a broad coastal plainwhich represents approximately 40% of the state’s area, and also plateaus and mountains. The mountain formations are located in West Texas, where its highest point is: Guadalupe Peak, which is 2,667 meters above sea level. The average altitude in the state is 518 meters.

→ Texas vegetation

Texas’ natural landscape varies considerably between the Gulf Coast and the interior of the country. The further west, the sparser the vegetation becomes until you reach the Great Plain region, where part of the dchihuahua desert. In the more humid areas, the presence of mixed and temperate forestsBesides the coastal vegetationwhile the steppes are present in the central portion of the state.

→ Texas hydrography

The Rio Grande is the main waterway in Texas. It crosses the state from northwest to southeast, until it empties into the Gulf of Mexico, and is the natural border between the United States and Mexico in the Texas region. The Red River also serves as a natural boundary, forming part of the boundary between Texas and Oklahoma.

Texas Demographics

the texas It is the second most populous state in the United States.. According to information from the last demographic census carried out, the Texan population is 29,145,505 inhabitants, approximately 8.9% of the total population of the country. Considering the decade from 2010 to 2020, Texas is among the fastest growing states in the period, with a population increase of almost 16%. The state has large rural population, which is more than 5 million inhabitants. Texas’s urbanization rate, however, is 83.7%.

Check out the three most populous cities in Texas:

• Houston, with 2.3 million inhabitants;

• San Antonio, with 1.4 million inhabitants;

• Dallas, with 1.3 million inhabitants.

The capital, Austin, has 974,000 inhabitants. Taking the 2020 census data into account, all four of these cities make the list of the top ten largest urban areas in the United States.

Texas economy

the state of texas has the second largest economy in the United States, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 2.3 trillion dollars, which represents approximately 8.5% of the amount collected nationally. The GDP per capita, however, is in 15th place among all the states, although it exceeds the mark of 61 thousand dollars per year. Although it is the second richest state in the country, the share of Texans living in poverty corresponds to 14.2% of the state’s total population.

Agricultural activity is of great importance to the Texas economy.. The state is the largest US producer of cotton, placing the country in third place among the world’s main producers of this agricultural commodity. The primary activity also stands out in the production of corn and the creation and export of cattle and livestock products, such as milk and dairy products.

Texas is also the largest oil producer in the United States.. Data from 2021 show that the state produced more than 1.7 billion barrels, almost four times more than the second largest producer, which is New Mexico. In addition to the petrochemical industry, the secondary sector of the Texan economy is composed of branches such as aerospace, technology and information, biomedical research and the production of manufactured goods.

→ tourism in texas

Texas is a very busy tourist destination in the United States and annually attracts more than 200 million visitors from other states and about 80 million visitors from other countries.

The city of Houston, one of the rodeo capitals of the world, is among the top attractions in the state. It is also where the NASA Space Center is located, where it is possible to participate in events, learn about the facilities and even take guided tours through the environments where astronauts carry out their training.

Other important tourist attractions in the state are:

• The Alamo, historic fortress in San Antonio;

• Big Bend National Park;

• cities of Dallas and Fort Worth;

• Padre Island beaches;

• Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

See too: Ohio — the most industrialized state in the United States

Texas Infrastructure

the texas It is a state with a high rate of urbanization and a wide infrastructure network to serve the population.. It stands out mainly in the transport sector, being an important node for the branching of networks across the country, as it is located in the center of the US territory. The state has more than 500,000 km of highways and almost 17,000 km of railways, in addition to an extensive port area with free trade zones that favor international trade.

Texas energy production is currently the largest in the United States.. The state’s energy matrix is ​​formed by non-renewable sources, for the most part, given that the state leads the exploration and production of fossil fuels in the country. Another source used to generate energy, this time electricity, is wind. The wind energy generated in Texas corresponds to a quarter of the generation by that same source in the US territory.

texas government

In Texas, O Government system current is representative democracy. The executive branch of the state rests with the governor and lieutenant governor (or lieutenant governor), who are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. The Legislative Power is composed of two chambers: the Senate, formed by 31 seats, and the House of Representatives, formed by 150 seats. All governors of this state perform their duties in accordance with the Texas State Constitution, last ratified in 1876.

etymology of texas

The most widespread explanation about the origin of the name of this state is that the word Texas is derived from thecasa term in the Caddo Indian language meaning friends or allies. This word would have been used during a meeting between missionaries who settled in the state and members of that native people in the 18th century. However, some historians argue that long before that meeting, still in the 17th century, the word Tejas was already used to refer to the territories occupied by the Caddo indigenous people and was stamped on maps of the time.

Texas culture

The cultural traditions of Texas were constituted from the influence dthe numerous peoples that formed the state’s population over the years, becoming one of the main references when it comes to American culture. The state became known for the greatness (size) of objects, foods and elements, which is why it is common to hear the phrase: “everything is big/bigger in Texas”.

Elements that refer to cowboys and rodeos are characteristic of Texas, such as hats, boots and buckles. Country music is widely consumed in the state, along with typical foods such as meat and preparations that mix Mexican and American elements. The musical tradition of the state is not restricted to the country genre, being also known…