Texas is the extreme south-western state of the American Union. It extends farther south than any of the United States except Florida, and lies in 25° 51'—36° 30' N. lat. and 93° 27'—106° 43' W. long. Its very irregular boundary consists largely of natural lines formed by rivers and the Gulf of Mexico. Oklahoma and Indian Territory lie to the north, Arkansas and Louisiana to the east, Mexico and the Gulf to the south, and New Mexico to the west. Texas not only is the largest state in the Union, but forms, with its area of 265,780 sq. m., nearly 9 per cent. of the total area of the United States, exclusive of Alaska. It is as large as New England, the Middle Atlantic States, Ohio, and Illinois combined, or larger than either France, Austria-Hungary, or Germany, and more than twice as large as the British Isles. Its extreme length is about 900 miles, and its greatest breadth 750; the coast-line is 400 miles long. The surface of Texas is greatly diversified. From the low, flat prairie lands along the coast the land rises in a series of gradual elevations till it reaches the plateau and mountains of the distant west, where some of the peaks attain a height of 5000 feet above the sea. The coast is low and sandy. From the mouth of the Sabine River to that of the Rio Grande there extends a fringe of low islands and peninsulas, separated from the mainland by lagoons several miles in width. These islands are characterised by sand-dunes which rise about 20 feet above the beach. Padre Island, extending north from the mouth of the Rio Grande, is more than 100 miles in length. The alluvial coast-belt, extending from 25 to 60 miles inland, comprises both fertile lowlands and stretches of barren soil. In the waste portions there are extensive areas of cactus and thorny mesquite chaparrals. A white, sandy tract reaching south and west from Corpus Christi Bay to the Rio Grande is known as 'the desert.' Beyond this coast-plain lies a terrace of rich rolling land called the 'prairie belt.' In the eastern prairie sections there are extensive timber regions of live oak and deciduous forest trees, which cover an area greater than that of the state of Kentucky, not including two wide forest-belts called 'cross-timbers,' which extend southward from the Red River. To the north and west of the prairies the land rises and presents a rough, broken surface, with occasional bluffs. Much of the soil is fertile, and nearly all of it is excellently adapted for grazing. On the southern border of the plateau the elevation is about 1000 feet, but a height of 2000 feet is reached as the ascent continues toward the arid mesas of the Llano Estacado and the base of the Rocky Mountains, from which some outlying ridges extend into the state.
There is every variety of soil, from the fertile lands of the river-bottoms and prairies to the sterile sand of the southern desert. The coast-prairies have in general a sandy loam. In those of the interior there are heavier brown and black loams, while in the northern part of the state there are great areas of red lands. In the south and south-east, where fortunately much of the best land is located, the rainfall is ample, but the supply in the west and north-west is less reliable. However, it has been shown that even the Llano Estacado, or Staked Plains, which were once considered utterly uninhabitable, are capable of sup- plying plenty of water for irrigation by the use of artesian wells and windmills. The northern winds are usually dry, the rain comes almost entirely from the south-west, and the winter months are generally the driest. The best water-supply is found in the timber-lands. In a state extending through eleven degrees of latitude there is naturally found a considerable range of temperature. The climate on the coast-plains is semi-tropical, but is tempered by the winds from the Gulf. A dry, healthful climate prevails in the middle region, and the north experiences cool winters, with heavy snowstorms at times. The air of western Texas is so dry that meats are perfectly preserved in the open air without salt, and carcasses of dead animals on the plains emit no odour. A notable feature of Texas climate is the 'norther,' which is a sudden and extreme change of temperature produced by a rush of cold wind from the north. This unwelcome visitor arrives usually unannounced, except for the fact that its coming is frequently preceded by a spell of warm weather. It ordinarily remains for three days, and the fall in temperature is often as much as 30°. The drainage of Texas is received by the Gulf of Mexico. The Red and the Arkansas rivers convey the waters of the northern part of the state to the Mississippi. The other streams flow directly into the Gulf. The Red and Sabine rivers and the Rio Grande form parts of the boundary line. Within the state the most important rivers are the Trinity, the Brazos, and the Colorado. With the exception of the Rio Grande, the Brazos, and the Sabine, nearly all the streams discharge their waters by means of large estuaries, from which steep clay banks rise for some height to the level of the prairie above. Knowledge of the details of the geological structure of Texas is quite imperfect. The coast-plains and prairies are of recent alluvial formation. Beyond these is a broad strip of Tertiary deposits, and farther inland the country belongs to the Cretaceous period, except in the central regions, which are penetrated from the north by contiguous arms of Jura, Trias, and Permo-Carboniferous formations. Large beds of coal underlie portions of the state. The coal-measures are estimated to occupy an area of about 10,000 sq. m., besides which there are extensive beds of brown lignite. There are vast deposits of iron ore, and tin and other metals are also found. Building-stones of excellent quality occur in many districts, and the supply of lime, gypsum, and salt is inexhaustible.
Agriculture and stock-raising have been the leading occupations of Texas. Rather more than one-half of the entire area is practically uninhabited, but settlements are encroaching each year upon the unreclaimed districts, and the primitive methods of the cattle-ranges are rapidly disappearing. Texas is pre-eminently a cattle-breeding state. The abundance of suitable pasturage and the genial climate give it advantages over many other sections. The old custom of sending young cattle in enormous 'drives' into other states, where they were sold to be fattened, is becoming a thing of the past. The owners are more and more 'ripening' their own cattle, thereby securing better prices, and opening the way for manufacturing industries connected with the preparation of beef and hides, and for the direct export of beef abroad from Galveston and New Orleans. Texas ranks first in cattle-raising, and in the number of sheep, horses, mules, and swine it is almost without a rival. The breeds of all varieties of live-stock have been of late very much improved. Wool and dairy-produce are important staples. Since 1883, when its crop surpassed that of Mississippi, Texas has been the leading cotton state. Wheat is an important crop, and the other grains are extensively culti- vated. Sugar and rice yield abundant harvests along the coast, and fruits in great variety are produced in the southern sections. The principal sugar district is the 'sugar-bowl' in the Brazos delta. A fearful hurricane and high tide in September 1900 destroyed Galveston, devastating the country around; 4000 lives were believed to have been lost, and property ruined to the amount of 10,000,000. In 1901 very rich springs of petroleum were tapped in the district about Beaumont, 80 miles NE. of Houston. The largest towns are Austin (the capital), San Antonio, Dallas, Galveston, Houston, Fort Worth, Waco, Laredo, Denison, and El Paso. There is a large available fund for education, to which the proceeds of the sale of over 50,000,000 acres of land are to be added; this sum will be more, rather than less, than 100,000,000. The state supports several normal schools, and a state university at Austin.
The earliest settlements in Texas were made in 1685. The country formed part of the Spanish province of Mexico, which in 1822 threw off the yoke and became a republic. On December 20, 1835, Texas declared itself independent of Mexico, and in 1836 Houston (q.v.) was made president. In 1845 Texas, with an area of 375,000 sq. m., was annexed to the United States. All its territory except that now enclosed within its borders was ceded to the United States in 1850 for the sum of $10,000,000. Texas had maintained continued war with Mexico, and its annexation was the prime cause of the war between that country and the United States. The state seceded from the Union February 1, 1861, and re-entered it April 16, 1870. The growth of Texas has been phenomenal, and, though it ranks seventh among its sister commonwealths in population, it is in many aspects still in a transition period. There were less than 300 miles of railway in operation in 1870, and in 1899 about 9000. In 1870 Texas had a population of 818,579, in 1880 of 1,591,749 (393,384 coloured), and in 1890 of 2,235,523 (492,837 coloured).
See Histories of Texas by H. Yoakum (2 vols. 1856), W. C. Baker (1873), H. S. Theall (1879), and H. H. Bancroft (1885).