| Capital city | Oklahoma City |
| Biggest city | Oklahoma City |
| Surface | 181,195 km² |
| Population | 3,987,000 |
| Length of highway network | 2,278 km |
| First highway | 1953 |
| Abbreviation | OK |
Oklahoma is an American state on the border of the Midwestern and Southern United States. The state has 3.9 million inhabitants (2021), and has an area of 177,847 km², about five times the size of the Netherlands. Its nickname is the Sooner State. The capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.
Geography
Oklahoma is located on the Great Plains, and belongs to both the Midwest and the South of the United States. The state clockwise borders Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. Oklahoma measures up to 750 kilometers from west to east, thanks in part to the “Oklahoma Panhandle,” a western strip that shapes the state like a saucepan. The state measures a maximum of 350 kilometers from north to south. The capital Oklahoma City is centrally located in the state, the second city Tulsa is in the northeast.
The Red River forms part of the border with Texas, while the Canadian River flows through the middle. The Arkansas River flows through the northeast. Although Oklahoma is often associated as a monotonous flat state, the state has a relatively diverse landscape. In the southeast are the Ouachita Mountains, a forested low mountain range with peaks up to about 700 meters that rise above the valleys. However, this is not the highest point in Oklahoma. The landscape is flatter to the west, and is relatively densely forested east of Oklahoma City, and more barren to the west. The Oklahoma Panhandle is located in the High Plains, a barren steppe. The highest point in the state is located here, the 1,516 meter high Black Mesa.
Oklahoma is in the transition from a humid subtropical climate in the southeast and a drier continental climate in the northwest. Precipitation decreases to the west. The average maximum temperature in Oklahoma City is 10°C in winter and 34°C in summer. However, due to its location on the Great Plains, it can periodically get colder in winter, with blizzards and temperatures well below freezing. Oklahoma is nationally known for its location in Tornado Alley, an average of 62 tornadoes form each year in Oklahoma, including the largest tornado ever observed in 2013.
Economy
Oklahoma’s economy is based on energy, agriculture, and services. Most energy industry is located at Tulsa. Many oil pipelines converge near the town of Cushing, the price of oil in Cushing is the benchmark for the price of the West Texas Intermediate on the New York Stock Exchange. Government, education, and scientific institutions are important pillars of the Oklahoma City economy. Tinker Air Force Base in eastern Oklahoma City is the state’s largest single-location employer. The University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, just south of Oklahoma City. The National Weather Center is also located in Norman. Oklahoma is known for its tornadoes, so the Storm Prediction Center is located in Norman.
Demographics
Population of Oklahoma is distributed as followed:
| Name | Population |
| Oklahoma City | 688,000 |
| Tulsa | 411,000 |
| Norman | 128,000 |
| Broken Arrow | 116,000 |
| Lawton | 91,000 |
Oklahoma’s two largest cities are the capital Oklahoma City in the middle of the state and Tulsa in the northeast of the state. Other cities have little more than regional importance, such as Norman, Lawton, Stillwater and Muskogee. The state’s population grew very rapidly in the late 1800s, from 259,000 in 1890 to 2 million in 1920. However, population growth has leveled off since then, except for a peak in the 1970s. The countryside has a shrinking population, while the Oklahoma City conurbation in particular is still growing.
Oklahoma is a fairly white state, although the proportion of whites is shrinking, mainly due to the growth of Hispanics. However, the proportion of Hispanics in Oklahoma is still significantly lower than in neighboring Texas.
History
The first Europeans to visit what is now Oklahoma in 1541 were Spaniards. However, in the 18th century, the area was claimed by France but became part of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, doubling the size of the land. The area that is now Oklahoma originally belonged to the Arkansas Territory from 1819. In 1824 and 1829 the western part of Arkansas Territory was divested, which then became part of the United States as an ‘unorganized territory’. After the neighboring states all organized, the ‘Indian Territory’ was left between Texas, Kansas and Arkansas. This area had few permanent European settlements until the land was gradually opened up for settlement and cultivation in the second half of the 19th century. This resulted in a ‘ land run’, of which that of 1889 is the best known. Oklahoma’s nickname “Sooner State” stems from these land runs. Settlers who crossed the border earlier than the official time were called ‘sooners’. The land in Oklahoma was the last uncultivated land in the United States that was well suited to agriculture, which contributed to the explosive population growth in the late 1800s. The Oklahoma Panhandle in the west belonged to nothing for a long time, and was known as the ‘No Man’s Land’. In 1890 this was granted as part of the Oklahoma Territory. Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907. Settlers who crossed the border earlier than the official time were called ‘sooners’. The land in Oklahoma was the last uncultivated land in the United States that was well suited to agriculture, which contributed to the explosive population growth in the late 1800s. The Oklahoma Panhandle in the west belonged to nothing for a long time, and was known as the ‘No Man’s Land’. In 1890 this was granted as part of the Oklahoma Territory. Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907. Settlers who crossed the border earlier than the official time were called ‘sooners’. The land in Oklahoma was the last uncultivated land in the United States that was well suited to agriculture, which contributed to the explosive population growth in the late 1800s. The Oklahoma Panhandle in the west belonged to nothing for a long time, and was known as the ‘No Man’s Land’. In 1890 this was granted as part of the Oklahoma Territory. Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907. s Land’. In 1890 this was granted as part of the Oklahoma Territory. Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907. s Land’. In 1890 this was granted as part of the Oklahoma Territory. Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907.
Oil was discovered in Oklahoma in the early 20th century, which continued the explosive population growth in the early 20th century. Tulsa, in particular, grew to be the oil capital of the United States at the time. Tulsa and Oklahoma were nearly the same size for a long time, it’s been since the 1970’s that Oklahoma City became the dominant state in the state, where Tulsa’s population growth stagnated, it continued to grow in Oklahoma City. The state was hit hard by the ‘Dust Bowl’ in the 1930s and many residents moved to California. This also marked the end of Oklahoma’s explosive population growth. Oklahoma City became world famous in 1995 when a bomb attack on a federal building in the city killed 168 people.
