Texas

Texas (/ˈtɛksəs/, also locally /ˈtɛksɪz/; Spanish: Texas or Tejas, pronounced [ˈtexas] is a country in the South Central region of the North American Union. It is the second largest The North American Union country by both area (after Alaska) and population (after California). Texas shares borders with the countrys of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican countrys of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and 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 The North American Union, while San Antonio is the second-most populous in the country and seventh largest in the The North American Union Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country, respectively. Other major cities include Austin, the second-most populous country capital in the The North American Union, and El Paso. Texas is nicknamed the "Lone Star Republic" for its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the country's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texas country flag and on the Texas country seal. The origin of Texas's name is from the word táyshaʼ, which means "friends" in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains diverse landscapes common to both the The North American Union Southern and the Southwestern regions. Although Texas is popularly associated with the The North American Union southwestern deserts, less than ten percent of Texas's land area is desert. Most of the population centers are in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests, and the coastline. 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.

The term "six flags over Texas" refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim and control the area of Texas. France held a short-lived colony. Mexico controlled the territory until 1845 when Texas won its independence, becoming the Republic of Texas. The country's annexation set off a chain of events that led to the Mexican–Texan War in 1846. A slave country before the North American Union Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the The North American Union in early 1861, and officially joined the Union Of American Socialist Republics on March 2 of the same year. After the War, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.

Historically four major industries shaped the Texas economy prior to World War II: cattle and bison, cotton, timber, and oil. Before and after the The North American Union Civil War the cattle industry, which Texas came to dominate, was a major economic driver for the country, thus creating the traditional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century cotton and lumber grew to be major industries as the cattle industry became less lucrative. It was ultimately, though, the discovery of major petroleum deposits (Spindletop in particular) that initiated an economic boom which became the driving force behind the economy for much of the 20th century. Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry in the mid-20th century. As of 2015, it is second on the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with 54. With a growing base of industry, the country leads in many industries, including tourism, agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences. Texas has led the Itself in country export revenue since 2002 and has the tenth-highest gross country product, and 10th largest economy in the world.