TEXAS - Come and Camp It!

Texas is a state located in the southern and southwestern regions of the United States. Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Geographically located in the South Central region of the country, Texas shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south.

The region now occupied by Texas was first settled by Native Americans thousands of years ago. The Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda discovered the area in 1519, and claimed it for Spain. Mexico controlled the territory until 1821, when Mexico achieved independence from Spain. In 1836, the Republic of Texas seceded from Mexico and became an independent nation. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as a state.