TEXAS

The Southwest. constituent state of the United States of America, lying in the south-central United States. It is bounded on the north by Oklahoma, on the east by Arkansas and Louisiana, on the southeast by the Gulf of Mexico, on the southwest by Mexico, and on the west by New Mexico. The capital is Austin. Spanish explorations into Texas, previously sparsely settled by American Indians, began in 1528, but not until 1685, when the French attempted to establish a colony at Matagorda Bay, did the Spanish take settlement in Texas seriously. The number of missions increased, and San Antonio (founded 1718) became the main settlement of Spanish Texas. In 1820 Moses Austin of Virginia secured permission to begin a colony in Texas. When Mexico became independent of Spain in 1821, it consented to the colonial venture under the leadership of Austin's son, Stephen. This colony was the beginning of the Anglo-American settlement of Texas. Texans, both Anglo-Americans and Mexicans, became disgruntled with Mexican rule, particularly after General Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna assumed the Mexican presidency in 1833. The Texans declared independence as the Republic of Texas in 1836 and defeated a Mexican military effort to retain the territory. After a 10-year struggle to remain a viable independent nation, Texas entered the United States in 1845 as the 28th state. Like other Southern states, Texas seceded in 1861 at the beginning of the American Civil War, forcing the ouster of its unionist governor, Sam Houston. Readmission to the Union came in 1869. The discovery of oil in 1901 transformed the state's economy. Texas is the largest of the U.S. states except for Alaska. The Coastal Plains stretch inland from the Gulf Coast and encompass about two-fifths of the state's land area. These flat, low prairies form a fertile crescent varying in width from 50 to 200 miles (80 to 320 km). At the Balcones Escarpment farther north, the Coastal Plains merge into the Great Plains, and there is hill country and tableland varying in elevation from 750 to 2,500 feet (230 to 775 m) above sea level. The North Central Plains in northern Texas are bordered on the west, in the Panhandle, by the High Plains, a flat, dry area with frequent sandstorms. The Trans-Pecos region, west of the Pecos River, contains the state's most rugged terrain and its highest peak, Guadalupe, 8,750 feet (2,667 m) above sea level. Generalizations about Texas weather on a statewide basis are almost meaningless. The Gulf Coast around Houston has an average annual temperature of 70 F (21 C) and rainfall of 45 inches (1,145 mm), whereas the Panhandle averages about 60 F (16 C) and about 20 inches (510 mm) of rainfall. The driest region is the Trans-Pecos country, and the wettest is the southeast. Southern areas have freezing weather only rarely. In Brownsville, the southernmost city, no measurable snow has fallen in the 20th century, but the northwestern corner of the state averages 23 inches (584 mm) of snowfall annually. Texas has a diverse population. Some 67,000 American Indians live in Texas, but this figure fails to account for the many families in the state who have some Indian ancestry. By far the largest minority group in the state is the Hispanic: more than one-fourth of the population is of Hispanic origin, nearly all of whom are Mexican-Americans. Blacks, who have been in Texas since the earliest European penetration, constitute about one-eighth of the population. Texas remains one of the fastest-growing states in the country. Between 1970 and 1990, its population growth rate was about two and a half times the national average. Texas is rich in natural resources. It is the leading cotton-producing state, and in total value of farm-crop production it consistently ranks high among the states. The state leads all others in the raising of beef cattle and sheep. Texas also has more than one-fourth of the nation's proved oil reserves, leads all other states in oil and natural-gas production, and is first in petroleum-refining capacity. Sulfur is also an important resource. The petrochemical industrial complex along the Gulf Coast is one of the largest in the country. The electronic and electrical-machinery industry, however, is the largest manufacturing employer. The manufacture of nonelectrical machinery and finished consumer products continues to grow. Improvements in water transportation have made Houston an international port, one of the largest in the nation in tonnage moved. The western part of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway runs from New Orleans (via Orange, Port Arthur, Galveston, and Corpus Christi) to Brownsville. Texas leads the nation in both road and rail mileage, and the DallasFort Worth airport is one of the largest in the country. Both Dallas and Houston have well-known symphony orchestras and theatres. The Houston Grand Opera Association is world famous, and the city has a major ballet company. The University of Texas at Austin houses the presidential library containing the papers of former president Lyndon B. Johnson. Texas has approximately 150 colleges and universities, about one-fourth of which are private or church-supported. Area 266,807 square miles (691,027 square km). Pop. (1994 est.) 18,291,000. constituent state of the United States of America. With the fourth longest seacoast among the 48 coterminous states and a large shipping industry to match, it occupies the south-central segment of the nation. Its 266,807 square miles (691,030 square kilometres) make it larger than any nation in Europe with the exception of Russia. Water delineates many of its borders: the Rio Grande carves a shallow channel that separates Texas from Mexico on the southwest; the Gulf of Mexico laps its crescent-shaped coast on the southeast; the Sabine River forms most of the eastern boundary with Louisiana, where by land it is bounded by Arkansas as well; and the wriggling course of the Red River on the north makes up two-thirds of the state's boundary with Oklahoma. The Panhandle section juts northward, forming a counterpart in the western part of Oklahoma, and New Mexico lies to the west. Austin is the state capital. The vastness and diversity of Texas, the largest state in the Union except for Alaska, are evident in nearly all aspects of its physical character, its history, and the economic and social life of its people. As an example, January temperatures in the Rio Grande valley have been known to register well over 90 F (32 C), while at the same time, nearly halfway to Canada, blizzards were blocking highways in the Panhandle section of the state. The image of Texas was that of a raw and lawless frontier when, in 1845, it surrendered its status as an independent republic to become the 28th state of the United States. This picture has altered drastically in the 20th century and now combines great agricultural wealth, major oil and natural gas production, high national rankings in industry and finance, huge urban centres that foster a cosmopolitan cultural life, and seemingly unending stretches of high prairie and range devoted to cattle and cotton. The name of the state derives from the Spanish name (from an Indian word meaning allies or friends) for an Indian group. Texas is commonly divided into East and West, although the dividing line between the two is ambiguous. Generally, though, East Texas has a wet climate and is characterized by cotton and ties to the Old South, while West Texas is dry and is characterized by cattle ranching and an affinity to the West. Additional reading A good overview is Terry G. Jordan, John L. Bean, Jr., and William M. Holmes, Texas: A Geography (1984). Stanley A. Arbingast et al., Atlas of Texas, 5th rev. ed. (1976), is comprehensive; while DeLorme Mapping Company, Texas Atlas & Gazetteer, 2nd ed. (1998), focuses on topographic maps. A. Ray Stephens, William M. Holmes, and Phyllis M. McCaffree, Historical Atlas of Texas (1989), utilizes maps to show the state's development. The state's geography and people are addressed in Federal Writer's Project, Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State (1940, reprinted as The WPA Guide to Texas, 1986); it is updated by Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State, new rev. ed., edited by Harry Hansen (1969). Robin W. Doughty, Wildlife and Man in Texas: Environmental Change and Conservation (1983), provides an excellent description of the relationship between Texans and the natural environment. Walter Prescott Webb and Eldon Stephen Branda (eds.), The Handbook of Texas, 3 vol. (195276), offers encyclopaedic information about individuals, institutions, and events of Texas history. Anthony Champagne and Edward J. Harpham (eds.), Texas at the Crossroads: People, Politics, and Policy (1987), discusses the issues and concerns challenging Texas. Excellent studies of the two largest minority groups in the state are Alwyn Barr, Black Texans: A History of Negroes in Texas, 15281971 (1973, reprinted 1982); and Arnoldo De Len, The Tejano Community, 18361900 (1982). Articles on Texas politics, social issues, people, and travel are found in Texas Highways (monthly); and Texas Monthly.Histories include Rupert N. Richardson, Ernest Wallace, and Adrian Anderson, Texas, 5th ed. (1988), the best one-volume state history; Joe B. Frantz, Texas, rev. ed. (1984); and T.R. Fehrenbach, Lone Star (1968, reissued 1985). Walter Prescott Webb, The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense, 2nd ed. (1965), is a thorough study of the state's best-known law enforcement body. Light Townsend Cummins and Alvin R. Bailey, Jr. (eds.), A Guide to the History of Texas (1988), includes historiographic and topical subject essays. Despite its title, Southwestern Historical Quarterly largely concentrates on the history of Texas. Ralph A. Wooster The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica