Top 2 in Top 10 widest states in the United States.
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Area: 696,621 square kilometers or 268,581 square miles Texas is the second most populous state and the second largest by area of the 50 states of the United States of America, and the largest of the 48 contiguous states. of the United States. Geographically, Texas is located in the south-central region of the country, bordering the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas; Within the United States, Texas is bordered by New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest city in the state and the seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest metropolitan areas in the United States, respectively. Other major cities in Texas are El Paso and the capital, Austin. One industry that prospered after the Texas Civil War was cows. As the center of this industry for a long time, people associate Texas with the image of cowboys. The state's economic situation changed at the turn of the 20th century, and the discovery of oil inaugurated a period of economic boom in Texas. Along with strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy and high-tech industry in the mid-twentieth century. According to 2010 data, Texas ranks first among the states with Fortune 500 companies, tied with California. With a growing economy, Texas has become the leading state in the United States in many economic sectors, such as agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences . Texas has also led the nation in exports since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product.