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Oklahoma
Oklahoma, state in the western area of the south central United States. It is bordered by Colorado and Kansas on the north and Missouri and Arkansas on the east. South and west of Oklahoma is Texas, and on the western edge of Oklahoma's Panhandle lies New Mexico.
Oklahoma is a land of great diversity, a transitional state both physically and culturally. Topographically it varies from the wooded mountains of the more humid east to the sparse and dry country of the western plains. The changing landscape of Oklahoma is reflected in its economic activities, which range from the raising of wheat in western and central areas to the lumbering that is carried on in the Ouachita Mountains in the southeastern part of the state.
The name Oklahoma was derived by combining the Choctaw words for "red" and "people." Part of the state's area had been originally put aside for settlement of Native Americans and was known as Indian Territory. The other section of the state, Oklahoma Territory, was gradually opened for white settlement toward the end of the 19th century. Oklahoma earned its nickname, the Sooner State, from the fact that some land-hungry settlers, known as the Sooners, jumped the starting gun that was to open one section of the territory to settlers and rushed in to take land before they were legally entitled to do so.
Oklahoma was admitted to the Union on November 16, 1907, as the 46th state. Resulting from the combination of Indian and Oklahoma territories, the state retains marked features of its Native American heritage in the makeup of its population and the Indian place-names in the state. Oklahoma City is the state's capital and largest city.
Oklahoma covers 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq mi), including 3,188 sq km (1,231 sq mi) of inland water, and it ranks 20th in size among the 50 states. Along its southern border, Oklahoma measures 507 km (315 mi). The Panhandle, which is 269 km (167 mi) long, brings Oklahoma's northern border to 747 km (464 mi). From north to south the length ranges from 267 to 357 km (166 to 222 mi), except in the Panhandle, which measures only 55 km (34 mi). The mean elevation is 400 m (1,300 ft).
Oklahoma has mountainous lands as well as vast areas of level plains. Soils vary from rich black grassland soils to sterile blow sand, and vegetation ranges from sagebrush to grassland to dense forest. The climate varies from semiarid to humid.
Other cities in Oklahoma
Ardmore
Broken Arrow
Edmond
Guymon
Oklahoma City
Tulsa
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