Oklahoma

Nicknamed the "Sooner State," Oklahoma is located in the South Central region of the United States. It is bordered to the East by Arkansas and Missouri, to the North by Kansas, to the Northwest by Colorado, to the far West by New Mexico and to the South by Texas.

Oklahoma is part of the Southern Great Plains. It is the 20th largest state in America. The state is mostly plains that change from nearly flat in the west to rolling in the middle and eastern part of the state. Some hilly areas break up the plains. These hilly areas are the Wichita Mountains, Ouachita Mountains and the Arbuckle Mountains. Some other areas are the Ozark Plateau and the Black Mesa area.http://climate.mesonet.org/county_climate/Products/oklahoma_climate_overview.pdf

Despite the presence of a native population, Oklahoma was claimed by French explorers in the 1700s. The state remained under French rule until 1803, when the territory was purchased by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

Thousands of Native Americans, removed from their lands in Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, were transported to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. The land was designated "Indian Territory" by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. With an increasingly number of white settlers using the land, a state was eventually formed. On November 16, 1907, Oklahoma was formed from the former Indiana Territory. It was the 46th state to enter the union.

Oklahoma's economic base is supported by the production of natural gas, oil and food with the aviation, energy, biotechnology and telecommunications industries employing a large percentage of the population. Oklahoma boasts one of the fastest growing economies in the United States, ranking third in per capital income growth.