! #$ {bml txp.shg}

! #$ {bml tx3infop.shg}

{bmc 3nick_tp.shg} Nickname
{bmc 3pop_txp.shg} Population
{bmc 3bird_tp.shg} State Bird
{bmc 3flow_tp.shg} State Flower
{bmc 3tree_tp.shg} State Tree

! #$+ {bml tx4topp.shg}

Population
Pop. (1986 est.) 16,685,000, a 17.3% increase over 1980 pop.

! #$+ {bml tx4topp.shg}

State Capital
Austin.

! #$+ {bml tx4topp.shg}

Highest Point
Guadalupe Peak, 8,751 ft (2,667 m).

! #$+ {bml tx4topp.shg}

Lowest Point
Sea level.

! #$+ {bml tx4topp.shg}

Nickname
{ewl MVDIB12, MVDIB12, !TX_NICKP.DIB}Lone Star State

! #$+ {bml tx4topp.shg}

State Bird
{ewl MVDIB12, MVDIB12, !TX_BIRDP.DIB}Mockingbird

! #$+ {bml tx4topp.shg}

State Flower
BlueBonnet

! #$+ {bml tx4topp.shg}

 State Tree
{ewl MVDIB12, MVDIB12, !TX_TREEP.DIB}Pecan Tree

! #$K K + {bml tx3histp.shg}

{ewr MVDIB12, MVDIB12, !TX_HISTP.BMP}The Apache, Comanche, and other Indian tribes inhabited the area when the Spanish established (1682) their first settlement on the site of present-day El Paso. Settlers from the U.S. began arriving in large numbers after Moses Austin obtained (1821) a colonization grant. His son, Stephen F. Austin, established the first American settlement. The Texas Revolution erupted (1835) when American settlers routed Mexican troops and declared (1836) their independence, which they were forced to defend in battles such as that at the Alamo. The annexation of Texas by the U.S. in 1845 precipitated the Mexican War Texas fought on the side of the Confederacy during the Civil War. The discovery (1901) of the spectacular Spindletop oil field, near Beaumont, and of the E Texas oilfield in 1930 revolutionized the state's economy and resulted in continued prosperity.

! #$K K + {bml tx3landp.shg}

Texas, largest state in the coterminous U.S., located in the Southwest; bounded by Oklahoma (N), Arkansas and Louisiana (E), the Gulf of Mexico (SE), the Rio Grande, across which lies Mexico (S), and New Mexico (W).

Area, 267,338 sq mi (692,405 sq km).

{ewr MVDIB12, MVDIB12, !TX_LANDP.BMP}The topography rises gradually from east to west. The Gulf coastal plain, perpetually wet with heavy rains, gives way inland to the southern extension of the Great Plains. Farther west is the semiarid tableland of the Llano Estacado and the Davis and Guadalupe mountains. Almost 80% of the population lives in metropolitan areas. Houston, the largest city in Texas and the fifth largest in the U.S. (1980), is followed in size by Dallas, San Antonio, El Paso, Fort Worth, Austin, and Corpus Christi. The state's population (1986), the nation's third largest, is more than 20% Hispanic and that group has long had a significant influence on the state. In 1984 the state was over 85% white.

! #$K K + {bml tx3econp.shg}

{ewr MVDIB12, MVDIB12, !TX_ECONP.BMP}The economy is dominated by Texas's abundant energy resources; the state is the country's leading source of both petroleum and natural gas, as well as other minerals, including asphalt and sulphur. The profitable industrial sector is dominated by chemical manufacturing, in which Texas leads the nation, and petroleum refining, followed by the manufacture of nonelectrical machinery and food products. Only California surpasses Texas in value of agricultural output. Its agricultural products include cattle (in which Texas is the nation's leader), cotton, wheat, dairy products, sorghum, corn, and rice. Fishing thrives along the Gulf Coast. Tourism is important; Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks and Padre Island National Seashore are popular destinations.

! #$K K + {bml tx3govtp.shg}

{ewr MVDIB12, MVDIB12, !TX_GOVTP.BMP}The amended constitution of 1876 provides for a governor serving a four-year term. The legislature consists of a senate with 31 members elected to four-year terms and a house with 150 members serving two-year terms. Texas is represented in the U.S. Congress by 27 representatives and 2 senators and has 29 electoral votes.

! #$K K Mexican War

1846-48, armed conflict between the U.S. and Mexico.