Texas (Credo Reference): Texas Geography

From Philip's Encyclopedia

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
largest state in the coterminous United States. It is located in the south-central part of the country and is bounded by Oklahoma, across the Red River except in the Texas panhandle (N); Arkansas (NE); Louisiana, across the Sabine River (E); the Gulf of Mexico (SE); Mexico, across the Rio Grande (SW); and New Mexico (W). Texas is roughly spade shaped. The vast expanse of the state contains great regional differences and can be broken down into subregions: East Texas, Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley, Blackland Prairies, High Plains, and West Texas.

In The Columbia Encyclopedia
Motto: Friendship.

From The Columbia Encyclopedia

801,163 acres (324,471 hectares), W Tex.; authorized 1935, est. 1944. It is a triangle formed where the Rio Grande runs southeast then northeast in a big bend along the U.S.-Mexico border, notably through deep canyons such as the Santa Elena. The river, the Chihuahan desert plain, and the Chisos Mts. offer sharp contrasts in wilderness scenery. The park has petrified trees, vestiges of prehistoric cultures, and rare forms of animal and plant life.

In Field Guide to Rivers of North America
Rivers flowing into the Texas portion of the Gulf of Mexico encompass a broad geographic area with latitude ranging from around 38° N in southern Colorado to 25° N in northern Mexico and with longitude ranging from about 108° W in western New Mexico to 93° W in western Louisiana.

An arm of the Atlantic Ocean, c.700,000 sq mi, SE North America. The Gulf stretches more than 1,100 mi from west to east and c.800 mi from north to south. It is bordered by the southeast coast of the United States from Florida to Texas, and the east coast of Mexico from Tamaulipas to Yucatán.

Tropical cyclone in which winds attain speeds greater than 74 mi (119 km) per hr. Wind speeds gust over 200 mi (320 km) per hr in some hurricanes.

The Rio Grande, or the Rio Bravo del Norte, its formal Mexican name, rises in the San Juan Mountains in southeastern Colorado and then runs south for 1,885 miles through the state of New Mexico, passing Taos, Albuquerque, and Las Cruces before following the full length of the border between Texas and Mexico.

From U.S. Land & Natural Resources Policy: A Public Issues Handbook

Arkansas is physically divided into two areas: the Highlands, a mountain region; and the Lowlands, a coastal plain. The Red, St Francis, and Mississippi rivers form part of the state's natural borders.

Louisiana has a long history and a complex cultural heritage and is rich in rare natural habitat for wildlife.

country S North America S of the United States; a republic capital Mexico area 759,530 square miles (1,972,544 square kilometers), population 89,995,000.

New Mexico is known for its rich heritage and stunningly diverse landscapes – all the major biomes of the world, with the exception of the tropical rainforest, are found in the state

It is nicknamed the Sooner State because during the Oklahoma Land Run in 1889, when the land was opened up to white settlers, many took land before it was officially allowed.

In U.S. Land & Natural Resources Policy: A Public Issues Handbook
Quick Facts

Texas is the leading crude oil-producing State in the Nation (excluding Federal offshore areas, which produce more than any single State).

Capital of Texas, USA, on the Colorado River; seat of Travis County; population 656,600. It is the market centre for the surrounding agricultural region, and an important centre for electronic and scientific research and the manufacture of high technology goods, including semiconductors and computers. It was incorporated in 1839.

The second-largest city in Texas (Houston is the largest), Dallas is the hub of a rich cotton-farming and oil-producing region, and is one of the leading cultural and manufacturing centres in the Southwest; its industries include banking, insurance, oil, aviation, aerospace, and electronics.

The seat of El Paso co., extreme W Tex., on the Rio Grande opposite Juárez, Mex.; inc. 1873. In a region of cattle ranches and cotton and vegetable farms (irrigated from the Elephant Butte Reservoir), the city is a port of entry and a commercial, industrial, financial, and mining center.

City in northeastern Texas, USA, on the Trinity River, 48 km/30 mi west of Dallas; seat of Tarrant County; population (2000 est) 534,700. It is a grain and railway centre serving the southern USA; manufactured products include aerospace equipment, motor vehicles, computers, and refined petroleum.

Once Texas's largest port, Galveston has been overshadowed by nearby Houston, whose port is linked to the gulf by a canal. Galveston remains a port of entry, however, and is also a destination for cruise ships.

A city (1990 pop. 1,630,553), seat of Harris co., SE Tex., a deepwater port on the Houston Ship Channel; inc. 1837.

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
c.1,000,000 acres (404,700 hectares), S Tex., SW of Corpus Christi with headquarters at Kingsville, Tex.; one of the largest ranches in the world. The Santa Gertrudis, the only true cattle breed developed in North America, was developed there. Thoroughbred racehorses are also raised. The ranch was founded in 1853 by Richard King, a steamboat captain.

The US–Mexico international border was officially established in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It extends 1960 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, with four US states (California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas) bordering six Mexican states (Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas).