Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Texas
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Facts & Stats
Images & Videos
Texas state flag Texas: seal The state bird of Texas is the mockingbird. Texas' state flower is the bluebonnet. Texas Texas: cattle grazing Physical features of Texas Rio Grande Texas: Guadalupe Peak Texas: Chisos Mountains
For Students
Rio Grande
Texas summary
Quizzes
Texas State Capitol building in Austin, Texas. United States
U.S. State Capitals Quiz
Extruded map of the United States of America with states borders on national flag background. (3-d rendering)
Guess the U.S. State by Its Neighbors
USA, United States watercolor map Illustration in rainbow colors
50 States, 50 Fun Facts Quiz
State capitol building in Austin, Texas.
USA Capitals and Nicknames Quiz
Close-up of a weathered, old American flag of the United States of America, used as a patriotic decoration on Fourth of July (Independence Day), Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and other national holidays.
U.S. State Nicknames Quiz
Related Questions
Read Next
Texas Rising (2015) Series about the Texas Revolution and the rise of the Texas Rangers. Wild West, starring: Trevor Donovan, Bill Paxton, Stephen Monroe Taylor
How Texas Rose
Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
President Kennedy address on Test Ban Treaty, White House, Oval Office, July 26, 1963. President John F. Kennedy, President Kennedy
11 Memorable Quotes from U.S. Presidential Debates
Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece
Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents
President's bingo. Guess and select to correct president based on images.
Britannica’s U.S. Presidents Bingo
Discover
Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece
Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents
pg 229Nazi parade features a banner proclaiming, "Death to Marxism."The possibility of a peaceful Germany after World War I was precluded entirely by the terms of the Versailles Treaty and theintransigent hostility of France and England. Stripped of indu
Were the Nazis Socialists?
Parsons Weems' Fable, oil on canvas by Grant Wood, 1939; in the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Catalog entry: The historian Mason Locke Weems, commonly known by his clerical title, Parson Weems, pulls back a curtain to point at 6-year-old George Washington. Bearing an adult head and holding an axe, George gazes blankly up at his father, Augustine, who questions his son while holding a partially cut cherry tree. All of this takes place in front of a 20th-century brick building, which Wood modeled after his own home in Iowa. The scene illustrates the fable of Washington and the cherry tree, which Weems invented in 1806 for the first president's biography. Wood playfully suggests the artifice of the tale here, presenting the story in the manner of a costumed stage play rather than a real event. Amid the action, two Black figures pick cherries in the background, a reference to Washington' slaveholding past and a reminder of of what often gets left out in historical mythmaking.
Did George Washington Really Say, “I Can’t Tell a Lie”?
Chapter 4 pg 42 - Chapter header of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Published in 1884 by The American Publishing Company
Periods of American Literature
Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.
10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish
In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.
6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters
Binary Computer Code, Binary Code, Internet, Technology, Password, Data
How Does Wi-Fi Work?

Texas: Facts & Stats

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Texas-state
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Texas is the latest school to cancel its spring game, a college tradition that appears to be fading • Feb. 20, 2025, 7:57 PM ET (AP)
A home game for San Antonio, a homecoming for Kevin Durant when Suns and Spurs meet in Austin • Feb. 19, 2025, 8:39 AM ET (AP)
KFC is leaving its ancestral home as parent company moves its corporate office to Texas • Feb. 18, 2025, 6:17 PM ET (AP)
Florida is rushing to enforce new immigration laws. Here's what to know • Feb. 18, 2025, 5:09 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As Lone Star State
Capital Austin
Population1 (2020) 29,145,505; (2024 est.) 31,290,831
Governor Greg Abbott (Republican)
Date Of Admission Dec. 29, 1845
U.S. Senators John Cornyn (Republican) • Ted Cruz (Republican)
State Nickname Lone Star State
State Motto "Friendship"
State Bird northern mockingbird
State Flower2 bluebonnet
State Song “Texas, Our Texas”
Seats In U.S. House Of Representatives 36 (of 435)
Time Zone Mountain (GMT − 7 hours) • Central (GMT − 6 hours)
Total Area (Sq Km) 695,662
Total Area (Sq Mi) 268,597
1Excluding military abroad.2Species not designated.

Photos and Videos

Texas state flag
Texas: seal
The state bird of Texas is the mockingbird.
Texas' state flower is the bluebonnet.
Texas
Texas: cattle grazing
Physical features of Texas
Rio Grande
Texas: Guadalupe Peak
Texas: Chisos Mountains
Discover the cultural diversity of the state of Texas
Why did Texas seek independence from Mexico?
Explore causes of the Texas Revolution
What happened at the Battle of the Alamo?
Learn about Texan Confederate commanders and the state's legacy of slavery
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic
Greg Abbott
Greg Abbott
American politician
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
president of United States
Rick Perry
Rick Perry
American politician
Sam Houston
Sam Houston
American lawyer and politician; president of Republic of Texas
Barbara Jordan
Barbara Jordan
American politician and educator
Starr, Belle
Belle Starr
American outlaw
Miriam Ferguson
American politician
Seguín, Juan
Juan Seguín
Tejano revolutionary and politician
Reagan, John Henninger
John Henninger Reagan
United States political leader
Stephen Austin
Stephen Austin
American pioneer
Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar
president of Republic of Texas
Jim Bowie, portrait by an unknown artist; in the Capitol Building, Austin, Texas
James Bowie
American soldier
Gilbert, Cass
Cass Gilbert
American architect
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
United States military officer
Ann Richards
Ann Richards
governor of Texas, United States
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Spanish explorer
Louis Juchereau de Saint-Denis
French-Canadian explorer

Related Places

United States
United States
skyline of Houston, Texas
Houston
Texas, United States
skyline of Dallas, Texas
Dallas
Texas, United States
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio
Texas, United States
Austin, Texas
Austin
Texas, United States
skyline of Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth
Texas, United States
El Paso
El Paso
Texas, United States
Galveston Bay
Galveston
Texas, United States
Brownsville
Texas, United States
Goliad: Presidio La Bahía
Goliad
Texas, United States
Amarillo
Amarillo
Texas, United States
Waco: McLennan County Courthouse
Waco
Texas, United States
Laredo
Laredo
Texas, United States
Lubbock
Lubbock
Texas, United States
Canyon: Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Canyon
Texas, United States

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Close-up of a weathered, old American flag of the United States of America, used as a patriotic decoration on Fourth of July (Independence Day), Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and other national holidays.
U.S. State Nicknames Quiz
Texas State Capitol building in Austin, Texas. United States
U.S. State Capitals Quiz
Extruded map of the United States of America with states borders on national flag background. (3-d rendering)
Guess the U.S. State by Its Neighbors
USA, United States watercolor map Illustration in rainbow colors
50 States, 50 Fun Facts Quiz
State capitol building in Austin, Texas.
USA Capitals and Nicknames Quiz
James Bowie fighting from his sick bed during the Battle of the Alamo, from the book, "The Lost Gold of Montezuma," 1898. (Whether Bowie was capable of fighting by then has been disputed.) Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.
Texas Revolution