Texas is the second most populous and the second
most extensive of the 50 states in the United States of America, and the
most extensive state of the 48 contiguous United States. Located in the
South Central United States, Texas shares an international border with
the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to
the south, and borders the US states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma
to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east.
Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the
United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and
seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater
Houston are the fourth and fifth largest United States metropolitan
areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin—the
state capital. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas
as a former independent republic and as a reminder of the state's
struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on
the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal today.
The term "six flags over Texas" came from the several nations that had
ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim
the area of Texas. France held a short-lived colony in Texas. Mexico
controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence,
becoming an independent Republic. In 1845 it joined the United States as
the 28th state. The state's annexation set off a chain of events that
caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state, Texas declared
its secession from the United States in early 1861, joining the
Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. After the
war and its restoration to the Union, Texas entered a long period of
economic stagnation.
The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning "friends" or
"allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the
region of their settlement in East Texas.
During the Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the
Nuevo Reino de Filipinas: La Provincia de Texas. Antonio Margil de Jesús
was known to be the first person to use the name in a letter to the
Viceroy of Mexico in July 20, 1716. The name was not popularly used in
daily speech but often appeared in legal documents until the end of the
1800s.
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