Texas is located in the South Central United States just north of the Mexican border. "Texas" comes from a Caddo word meaning "friends" or "allies." To the east lies Oklahoma, towards the west lies New Mexico, to the north lies Arkansas State and to the east, Louisiana. The population of Texas is 25.1 million. The total land area of the state is 268,820 square miles, making it the biggest state in the contiguous US. The city of Houston is the biggest city within the state of Texas, and the city of San Antonio is the second largest.
Known as the Lone Star State, the nickname serves as a reminder of the historic state struggle for freedom as an independent republic. The Texas State Flag and the Texas State Seal still bear the "Lone Star".
The state of Texas has a somewhat diverse landscape over its huge land area, with coastal swamps, piney woods, rugged hills and flat plains which extend from the desert and mountainous terrain of the Big Bend. Most people live within the cities built upon former grasslands, coastline and forests. The state of Texas has developed so quickly that indication of rapid development, such as urban sprawl, are afflicting its cities.
The Texas economy is likewise diverse. The fortunes of the state of Texas are tied to the fortunes of the petroleum industry because of the presence of oil. Haliburton, Exxon-Mobil, Valero, Marathon Oil and other key petroleum businesses are based within Texas State. Texas State has known petroleum deposits of roughly 5 billion barrels (25 percent of the country's known reserves). About 4.6 million barrels of oil each and every day can be processed by the refineries in Texas State. Baytown Refinery in Houston is the largest within the United States Texas also produces 25% of the nation's supply of natural gas.
The state has more farmland in acres compared to whichever other US state, leading all other states in the production of livestock like for instance sheep, goat and cattle. The state's most valuable farm product is cattle. Production of Cotton also defines Texas State. Furthermore, cereal crops and produce are grown here. The commercial fishing industry is somewhat strong. Texas State has numerous mineral resources and related companies produce cement, crushed stone, salt, lime, gravel and sand.
There are numerous high-tech industries within Texas State, with many being located within the Austin area (called "Silicon Hills") and the north Dallas area ("Silicon Prairie"). In addition, there are several high technology companies located in Texas State: Dell, Inc., Texas Instruments, Perot Systems, AT&T and Hewlett-Packard's biggest campus.
Texas State leads the way in alternative energy sources, like for instance wind power. Roscoe, Texas, is the site of the planet's biggest wind farm. Texas has the potential to become the biggest producer of solar power in the US. The agriculture and forestry trades of Texas State have enormous potential for the production of biomass for biofuels.