United States of America--part: Texas

How is the land laid out?

This area is divided into three of the continent's main geophysical divisions: the Basin and Range Province representing the Intermontane Plateaus (part of the Western Cordillera); the Interior Plains; and the West Gulf Coastal Plain representing the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Big Bend National Park, a tourist attraction,¹ is in the Mexican Highland, which is part of the Basin and Range Province. Padre Island National Seashore offshore from the West Gulf Coastal Plain is a tourist attraction.¹ The Interior Plains in Texas are divided between the northerly Osage Plains and the Great Plains further south. The latter are divided in Texas between the westerly Pecos Valley, Central Texas and the more southerly Edwards Plateau. The eastern part of that plateau is commonly called the Hill Country and includes tourist attractions like Enchanted Rock State Recreation Area.¹

The Basin and Range Province is a northwest to southeast stripe across southwestern Texas. The Interior Plains are represented by the Great Plains--in western and central Texas--and by the Central Lowland--in north central Texas. The Coastal Plain is in eastern and southern Texas.

The Arkansas River enters from Oklahoma and flows through the Coastal Plain.

The Rio Grande forms Texas's southern border, starting in the Basin and Range Province, crossing the Great Plains at its great bend, and ending in the Gulf of Mexico within the Coastal Plain.

Map

Who lives there?

This state is in the part of North America in which English-speakers and Christians are the majority.

See the list of cities of Texas.

There are important oil² and gas³ fields. Some that are not wholly in metropolitan counties are: Kelly-Snyder/ SACROC in Scurry County; Yates Oil Field in Pecos County; the Spraberry Trend (partly in rural counties beyond metropolitan Midland-Odessa); the Barnett Shale (partly in rural counties beyond the Fort Worth side of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area); the Haynesville-Bossier Shale (partly in rural counties beyond metropolitan Longview and metropolitan Nacogdoches); and the Hogoton-Panhandle Field (partly in Oklahoma, and partly in rural counties beyond metropolitan Amarillo).

Who was there before?

The Apache languages, part of the Athapascan group, were spoken in western Texas.

Also in western Texas Comanche, an Uzo-Aztecan language, was spoken. This group spread the religious use of peyote northward into Oklahoma, then "Indian Territory", where a variety of peoples adopted its sacred use. This gave rise to the Native American Church.

In the center of Texas was one isolate language group, the Tonkawa, and along the Texas-Lousiana border another, the Atakapa. These are sometimes grouped with many other languages including the Muskogean group to form a large assembly.

A Hokan language, Coahuiltec, was spoken on both sides of the lower Rio Grande.

A language isolate, the Karankawa was spoken on the Gulf coast farther southwest than Galveston Bay.

A Caddoan language, Wichita, was spoken near the Red River.

Smallpox and measles devastated indiginous populations in the late 18th century.

The Spanish invaded and took over the area. UNESCO honors the Spanish-era missions of San Antonio as a World Heritage Site. After Mexico became independent it invited to Texas English-speaking people who were willing to learn Spanish and convert to Catholicism. Some of these revolted against Mexico, partly due to the nation's opposition to slavery. Soon after the United States, favoring slavery, annexed the area. Texas remains heavily influenced by its Spanish heritage, and Mexican immigrants continue to arrive.

Around the area

Bar bottles in an old safe, El Capitan Hotel, Van Horn, Texas, United States of America

Footnotes