Galveston, a seaport of Texas, and third largest city of the state, is situated on Galveston Island, at the opening of the bay of the same name into the Gulf of Mexico, 214 miles ESE. of Austin by rail. The island is a low strip of land, some 30 miles long by 3 broad; the bay extends northward from the city to the mouth of the Trinity River, a distance of 35 miles, and has a breadth of from 12 to 18 miles. The city contains a Catholic cathedral, the Catholic University of St Mary, and the Texas Medical College; and it has several foundries, flour and planing mills, and machine-shops. Its harbour is the best in the state, protected since 1887 by a breakwater; and steamers make regular passages to New Orleans and the Gulf ports,
Havana, New York, and Liverpool. Cotton and cotton-seed oil form the great bulk of the foreign exports, which have a total annual value of $36,000,000. Galveston is the first port of the state, and third of the cotton ports of the world. In 1895 harbour-works deepening the access through the bar to 18 feet were in progress. Pop. (1850) 4177; (1870) 13,818; (1880) 22,848; (1890) 29,084.