Texas ) is a state in the South Central Region of the United States. Texas shares borders with the states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Len, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, and has a coastline with the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast.
Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth largest in the U.S., while San Antonio is the second-most populous in the state and seventh largest in the U.S. DallasFort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country, respectively.Texas is nicknamed the “Lone Star State” for its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the state’s struggle for independence from Mexico.
Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains diverse landscapes common to both the U.S. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, and finally the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.
After the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.
Civil War the cattle industry, which Texas came to dominate, was a major economic driver for the state, thus creating the traditional image of the Texas cowboy.
