Oklahoma is a state in the south-central United States of America, north of Texas. The word Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw language: okla 'the man' and humma 'red', the composition means something like "The land of the red man". Oklahoma's nickname is The Sooner State. The background to this nickname were the pioneers who had settled the land purchased from the Indians by the US government before (sooner) the legal initial settlement period. The capital of Oklahoma is Oklahoma City.
Its informal nickname is The Sooner State (in 1889, the Indian
Territory was opened to settlers, and the lands were awarded to
those who first arrived, when the signal was given, from the
frontier and by wagon to claim them; they were called sooners,
"early").
Oklahoma is a major producer of natural gas,
oil and various foods. Oklahoma's economy is based on aviation,
energy, telecommunications and biotechnology. It is one of the
fastest-growing economies in the U.S., the third-ranked state in
per capita income, and the leader in gross national product
growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa are the main engines of the
state's economy, as they concentrate almost 60% of the
population in their metropolitan areas.5 The state of Oklahoma
has important powers in the administration of education and
health. In addition, its largest universities participate in
NCAA and NAIA sports competitions, while two of its athletics
clubs are among the most successful in the United States.
With small mountain ranges, prairies and forests to the
west, most of Oklahoma is located between the Great Plains of
the United States and the Highlands, a region especially prone
to adverse weather conditions. Oklahoma's population is
predominantly German, Irish, British, and of Native American
descent. More than 25 Native American languages are spoken in
Oklahoma, more than any other state.
It is located at the
confluence of three major cultural regions of the United States
and historically served as a route for transportation of
livestock, a destination for southern settlers, and a territory
for Native Americans. It is part of the Bible Belt, where
evangelical Christianity is widespread, making it one of the
most politically conservative states.
1 Oklahoma City – Capital of the state
2 Ardmore - regional center
in southern Oklahoma
3 Broken Arrow – Largest suburb of Tulsa.
4
Edmond – North neighbor of Oklahoma City, site of the University of
Central Oklahoma
5 Lawton - Adjacent to historic Fort Sill and the
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
6 Moore - Fast growing suburb south
of Oklahoma City
7 Norman - Home of the University of Oklahoma
8
Shawnee - Birthplace of Brad Pitt.
9 Stillwater - Home of Oklahoma
State University
10 Tulsa – Oklahoma's second largest city
Great Salt Plains State Park — northwest of Enid and near Jet. Mining
Selenite Crystals.
The Oklahoma Space Port (Clinton-Sherman
Industrial Airpark) — at Burns Flat
Gambling
Since 1988, Native Americans have been allowed to gamble
in their lands that are not under the control of the United States
government. In Oklahoma alone there are more than 80 casinos equipped
with slot machines (one-armed bandits) and gaming tables. All casinos
are located in Indian lands, most are run by tribes and have tobacco
shops nearby where you can buy cigarettes cheaper and tax free. You can
also find live entertainment at local event centers and card tournaments
at most casinos.
WinStar World Casino, Thackerville. largest
casino in the world, on the Texas border.
Mit dem Flugzeug
Will Rogers World Airport (IATA: OKC)
Flughafen Tulsa (IATA: TUL)
Mit dem Auto
I35 Dallas TX - Fort
Worth TX - Oklahoma City OK - Wichita KS
I40 Amarillo TX - Oklahoma
City OK - Fort Smith AR
I44 Wichita Falls TX - Oklahoma City OK -
Tulsa OK - Joplin MO
Oklahoma has six neighboring states:
Arkansas
and Missouri to the east,
Kansas to the north and Colorado to the
northwest. Oklahoma borders New Mexico to the west and
Texas to the
south.
Oklahoma has an area of 181,035 km² (20th ranked US
state).
Oklahoma is situated between the Great Plains and the Ozark Mountains
on the watershed of the Gulf of Mexico, and generally slopes from high
plains on its western boundary to low, swampy areas on its southeastern
boundary. Its highest and lowest points follow this trend, with its
highest peak, Mount Black Mesa, at 1,516 meters, situated in the corner
bordering New Mexico. The lowest point in the state is at the Little
River, at its southeastern boundary, which is 88 meters above sea level.
The state has four major mountain ranges: the Ouachita Mountains,
the Arbuckle Mountains, the Wichita Mountains, and the Ozark Mountains.
The American Highlands Region, which contains the Ozark Mountains and
the Ouachita Mountains, is the only major mountain region between the
Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians. A portion of the Flint Hills
extends across north-central Oklahoma. More than 500 rivers and streams
make up Oklahoma's water network, and it has about 200 lakes created by
dams. It has the largest number of reservoirs in the nation.
Oklahoma is among the most geographically diverse states and is one of
four states that are home to more than 10 different ecological regions.
It contains eleven within its borders, more per square kilometer than
any other state by a wide margin. Marked by differences in geographic
diversity between the western and eastern halves, eastern Oklahoma has
eight ecological regions, while the western half has three.
Most
of the state is located primarily in two watersheds, the Red River and
the Arkansas River, but the Lee River and Little River also have
important watersheds. In the northwestern part of the state, the high
semiarid plains harbor few natural forests, with flat landscapes,
intermittent canyons and plateaus such as the Crystal Mountains. The
plains are partially interrupted by small mountain ranges such as the
Antelope Hills and the Wichita Mountains in the southwest. Transitional
grasslands and forests cover the central part of the state. The Ozark
and Ouachita Mountains rise from west to east over the eastern third of
the state, which gradually increases in elevation eastward.
Oklahoma lies largely in the area of the Great Plains (Inner Plains). The Central Lowlands are occupied by the Osage Plains, a gently undulating plain broken only in a few places by rolling hills. The lowland region transitions to the highlands to the east. To the northeast are foothills of the Ozark Plateau. Rivers have dug deep gorges in this limestone massif. South of this plateau are the sandstone Ouachita Mountains. In the extreme southeast, the state shares part of the Gulf Coast Plain. To the west, the Central Lowlands merge into the Great Plains. Northeast Oklahoma is traversed by the Arkansas Valley, which includes the Arkansas River valley and surrounding plains. This area is very fertile and is considered one of the most important agricultural regions of the state.
Oklahoma's
waters drain primarily in an easterly direction via the Red River and
Arkansas River. The southern part of the state belongs to the catchment
area of the former river. The water flows through it into the
Atchafalaya River, from where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The main
tributary of the Red River is the Washita River. Northern Oklahoma is
part of the Arkansas River Basin. This flows into the Mississippi, so
that this part of the water is also drained via the Gulf of Mexico. The
major tributaries of the Arkansas are the Cimarron, Canadian, North
Canadian, and Neosho.
The majority of the lakes are man-made
reservoirs, of which about 200 exist. They were built for flood
protection, water supply, power generation and recreational purposes.
Lake Texoma is the Red River's only reservoir and, with a volume of more
than 3 km³, is the largest lake in this respect. In contrast, the
Eufaula Lake has the largest area with 400 km². Natural still waters are
limited to some oxbow lakes. In addition, in the semi-arid region of the
High Plains there are lakes with no outflow that dry up during periods
of low precipitation.
In the climatic conditions in Oklahoma, it can be observed that the
average rainfall – due to easterly winds that transport humid air from
the tropics towards the mainland, but are less dominant in the west –
from east to west[6] and the temperatures from south to north lose
weight. The south has a subtropical climate with mild winters and hot,
humid summers (effective climate classification: Cfa). Average
temperatures in the warmest area range from 7°C in January to 29°C in
July. To the north, the transition to the continental climate of the
Great Plains (Dfa) is slowly being felt: the summers are almost as warm
as in the south of the state, but the winters are considerably colder
with sometimes severe night frosts. Temperatures vary throughout the
year between 0 °C in January and 27 °C in July. The Northwest (Oklahoma
Panhandle) has a semi-arid steppe climate (BSk). Here the temperatures
range from 0 °C in January to 25 °C in July.
The record
temperatures are -35 °C (2011) and 49 °C (1936, 1943). Summers are
generally hot and long-lasting. Temperatures often rise to 35 to 40 °C
in the summer months. In contrast, years in which the mark of 100 °F
(approx. 38 °C) is not exceeded are very rare. The winters are
significantly shorter. Frost occurs an average of 60 days a year in the
southeast and 140 days in the northwest.
Oklahoma is repeatedly
hit by various natural disasters. Large parts of the state belong to
Tornado Alley. The tornadoes form when hot air from the south meets cold
air from the northern Rocky Mountains. This occurs most frequently in
spring in the months of March to June. A series of tornadoes in May 1999
caused particularly severe devastation. The top speed of the most
violent tornado near Oklahoma City was 517 kilometers per hour. Droughts
and earthquakes also cause problems.
The flora of Oklahoma includes an estimated 2500 species. Similar to
the climatic conditions, a transition from east to west can also be
observed here. In the humid east, forest areas with oak, hickory and
pine dominate. Examples of this landscape are the Ouachita Mountains and
the Ozark Plateau. The center of the state represents a transition to
the prairie landscape of the High Plains. In addition to the typical
prairie grasses, shrubs and smaller trees also occur. Westward, both the
length of the grasses and the variety of vegetation overall decrease. In
the Panhandle, short buffalo grass is the most common plant, while trees
grow only near water due to the dry conditions.
Oklahoma's fauna
has been heavily modified by humans. The bison, the wapiti and the
antelope were largely exterminated and now only live in nature reserves.
The black-footed polecat, red wolf, wolf and brown bear have completely
disappeared. Instead, the house mouse, brown rat, black rat, and nutria
made their way to the New World and finally to Oklahoma through human
influence.
The varied vegetation in the state has an impact on
wildlife. For red deer, otters, raccoons, mink, and gray squirrels, the
transition from forest to prairie is the western boundary of their
range. Animals typical of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains live in
western Oklahoma, including rabbits, ground squirrels, prairie dogs and
coyotes. The bird world is extremely rich in species. The most common
bird species are Meadowbird, Mockingbird, American Robin, Blue Jay, Crow
and Sparrow. Wild ducks are common in the Great Salt Flats of the north
of the state.
Oklahoma has 50 state parks, six national parks or protected regions, two protected national forests, and a network of nature preservation and conservation areas. 6% of the state's 40,000 km² of forests are public lands, including the western part of the Ouachita National Forest, the largest and oldest of the national forests in the southern United States. At 158 km², the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in north-central Oklahoma is the largest protected prairie area in the world and is part of an ecosystem that covers only 10% of its former area, which covered 14 states. Additionally, The Cibola National Forest covers 127 km² of grassland in southwestern Oklahoma. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is the oldest and largest of the state's nine national wildlife refuges, and was founded in 1901, encompassing 238 .8 km². Of the federally protected parks or recreational sites, the Chickasaw National Recreation Area is the largest, at 18 km². Other federally protected sites include the Santa Fe Trail and the Trail of Tears, trails National Historic Sites, and the Fort Smith Historic Sites, the Battle of Washita National Historic Site, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial, honoring the victims of the April 19, 1995, bombing in Oklahoma City.
The name Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw phrase okla humma, which literally means "red people." Choctaw Chief Allen Wright suggested this name in 1866 during treaty negotiations with the federal government regarding the use of Indian Territory, which provided for the entire Indian state to be controlled by the United States Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Joined. Equivalent to the word "Indian," okla humma, was a Choctaw language phrase used to describe Native Americans as a whole. Oklahoma later became the de facto name of the Oklahoma Territory. In 1890 this name was officially approved and two years later the area was opened to white settlers.
There is evidence that native peoples arrived in Oklahoma in the last
ice age, but the state's first permanent inhabitants created communities
with mound-type structures near the Arkansas border between AD 850 and
1450. C. Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado traveled through
the state in 1541, but French explorers claimed the area in the 1700s.
In 1764 it passed to Spain after the Treaty of Paris, as an integral
part of Spanish Louisiana remaining under their rule until 1800. During
this period the European presence was not noticeable beyond the visits
of some merchants and trappers. After a brief period of French
domination in 1803, along with the rest of the Louisiana Territory (New
France) it was acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase.
Thousands of Native Americans, including those who make up the Five
Civilized Tribes, were expelled from their lands in Mississippi,
Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, and moved to Oklahoma in the
1830s. The area, in which the tribes already lived Osage and Quapaw, was
designated as Indian Territory by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the
Indian Relations Act of 1834. Fifteen tribes received land in the
territory in 1830, but by 1890, more than 30 tribes had been assigned in
federal territories. In November 1868, in violation of the Treaty of
Medicine Lodge, troops commanded by General George Custer attacked a
town on the banks of the Washita River at night. Most of the inhabitants
were killed - 103 men and an unknown number of women and children, whom
Custer did not consider worthy of being counted.
In the period
between 1866 and 1899, Texas cattle ranches attempted to meet the food
demands of Eastern cities, and railroads in Kansas undertook to make
adequate deliveries. Cowboys established themselves as cattle drivers
and ranch caretakers, and drove their produce north, settling illegally
in Indian Territory. By 1881, four of the five major cattle routes ran
through the western border of Indian Territory. The increasing presence
of white settlers in Indian Territory led the United States Government
to enact the Dawes Act in 1887. , which divided tribal lands into
allotments for individual families, encouraging agriculture and private
homesteads among Native Americans, but ceding excess land to the federal
government. In the process, nearly half of the Indian lands within the
territory were opened to settlers from elsewhere and were partly
purchased by railroad companies.
Major land races, including the
Land Race of 1889, were held to allocate land to settlers when
territories were opened to colonization. Land was usually allocated to
settlers who arrived first. Those who broke the rules by crossing the
border into the territory earlier than permitted were called sooners, a
term that eventually became the state's official nickname. Negotiations
to convert the territory into a state began at the turn of the century.
xx, when the Curius Act abolished all tribal jurisdictions in Indian
Territory. Attempts to create an Indian state named Oklahoma, and a
later attempt to create an Indian state called Sequoyah, were
unsuccessful, but the Sequoyah State Convention of 1905 finally laid the
groundwork for the Oklahoma State Convention. which took place two years
later. On November 16, 1907, Oklahoma was established as the 46th state
of the Union.
The new state became an important focus of the
emerging oil industry, with the discoveries of oil wells, which fueled
the rapid growth of the economy and population of the cities. Tulsa was
temporarily known as the Oil Capital of the World for much of the 20th
century. Investments in oil fueled the state's economy in its early
years. In 1927, Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery, known as the Father of
Route 66, began a campaign to create Route 66. Using a stretch of
existing road between Amarillo (Texas) and Tulsa, part of the original
Route 66 was created. Avery spearheaded the creation of the US Highway
66 Association to oversee planning for the route, based in his hometown
of Tulsa.
During the 1930s, some parts of the state began to feel
the consequences of poor agricultural practices, when drought and high
winds hit. Known as the Dust Bowl, areas of Kansas, Texas, New Mexico,
and northwestern Oklahoma were harmed by long periods of low rainfall
and abnormally high temperatures. This drove thousands of farmers into
ruin, forcing them to move to more fertile areas of the western regions
of the United States. During the period from 1930 to 1950, the state's
population declined, falling by 6.9%. To stop this situation, enormous
efforts were made to conserve soil and water, creating flood control
systems and numerous dams. In the 1960s, more than 200 reservoirs were
created, the largest number in the country.
In 1995, Oklahoma
City became the scene of one of the worst terrorist attacks in United
States history. The Oklahoma City bombing took place on April 19, 1995,
when Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols detonated an explosive outside
the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people, including 19
children. Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death and executed by lethal
injection, while his partner, Terry Nichols, was found guilty of 161
counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without
the possibility of parole.
The state's economy is based on the aviation, energy, transportation
equipment, food processing, electronics and telecommunications sectors.
Oklahoma is a major producer of natural gas, aircraft, and food
products. The state ranks second in the nation in natural gas
production, and is the 27th most productive agriculture in the State,
5th in the ranking of wheat production. Six companies in the state are
on the Fortune 500 list and one more on the Fortune 1000, and it has
been evaluated as one of the most business-friendly states in the
country, with the 7th lowest tax burden in 2007. From 2000 to 2006,
Oklahoma's gross domestic product grew 50%, the fifth highest rate in
the nation. It had the highest GDP growth between 2005 and 2006, growing
from $122.5 billion to $134.6 billion. dollars, an increase of 10.8%,
and its gross domestic product per capita grew 9.7% from $34,305 in 2005
to $37,620 in 2006, the second highest rate in the nation.
Although oil has historically dominated the state's economy, a slump in
the energy industry in the 1980s led to the loss of nearly 90,000
energy-related jobs between 1980 and 2000, which severely damaged the
local economy. The petroleum industry accounted for 17% of Oklahoma's
economy in 2005, and the number of petroleum industry employees was
surpassed by five other industries in 2007.
As of early 2007, Oklahoma had a workforce of 1.7 million workers,
and total nonfarm employment hovered around 1.6 million workers. The
public sector provides the majority of employment, with 326,000 workers
in 2007, followed by the transportation and public services sector with
258,000 workers, and the education, business and industry sectors, with
191,000, 178,000 and 151,000 jobs respectively. Among the state's
largest industries, the aerospace sector generates $11 billion annually.
Tulsa is home to the largest airline maintenance base in the world,
providing global maintenance and engineering for the American Airlines
headquarters. In total, the aerospace sector represents more than 10% of
Oklahoma's industrial production, and is one of the top 10 states in
aerospace, engine manufacturing. Due to its position in the center of
the United States, Oklahoma is also among the leading logistics centers
of the states, and is a major contributor in climate-related research.
The state is one of the largest tire manufacturers in the United States
and has one of the fastest growing biotechnology industries in the
nation.
In 2005, Oklahoma's international manufacturing exports
were $4.3 billion, representing 3.6% of the state's economy. Tire
manufacturing, meat processing, petroleum and gas equipment
manufacturing and air conditioning are the largest manufacturing
industries in the state.
Oklahoma is the second largest producer of natural gas, the fifth
largest producer of oil, has the second largest number of drilling rigs,
and ranks fifth in oil reserves. While the state ranked fifth in
capacity of wind energy installed in 2005, is among the last states in
the use of renewable energy, 96% of its electricity is generated by
non-renewable sources in 2002, of which 64% is produced by coal and 32%
natural gas. However, since 1993, with the creation by the Oklahoma
Legislature of the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, more than $38
million has been spent restoring more than 7,800 oil wells. abandoned or
unused throughout the state. The state ranked 11th in total energy
consumption per capita in 2006, being one of the 10 states where the
cost of energy is lowest. As a whole, the petroleum energy industry
contributes $23 billion to Oklahoma's gross domestic product, and
Oklahoma employees associated with oil companies earn an average of 2
times the state's median wage. In 2004, In the State there were 83,750
commercial oil wells and a total of 750,000 wells, which produced
178,000 barrels of oil per day. 10% of the nation's natural gas supply
is produced in Oklahoma, with 47 trillion cubic meters.
Three of
the nation's largest private oil companies are located in the state, and
all six Oklahoma companies that appear on the Fortune 500 are
oil-related. In 2006, Tulsa-based Semgroup was No. 5 on Fortune's list
of the largest private companies, Tulsa-based QuikTrip was No. 46, and
Oklahoma City-based Love's Travel Shops was ranked No. It was ranked
132. The Tulsa-based companies ONEOK and Williams Company are the
largest companies in the state and are also the second and third largest
companies in the national ranking of the energy sector. Oklahoma
City-based Devon Energy is the nation's second-largest crude oil
company, while Kerr-McGee and Chesapeake Energy are sixth and seventh,
respectively, in the sector, and Oklahoma Gas & Electric is 25th among
the largest gas and electric service companies.
Agriculture is the 27th most productive in the country. Oklahoma is fifth in livestock production and fifth in wheat production. Approximately 5.5% of beef comes from Oklahoma, while the state produces 6.1% of the country's wheat, 4.2 % of pork products, and 2.2% of dairy products. The state had 83,500 farms in 2005, collectively producing $4.3 billion in animal products and about $1 billion from agriculture, with more than $6.1 billion added to the state's gross domestic product. Poultry and pigs are the second and third largest agricultural industries.
With an educational system composed of public school districts and
independent private institutions, Oklahoma had 631,337 students enrolled
in 1,849 public elementary, secondary, and vocational schools in 540
school districts in 2006. Oklahoma is among the states with the lowest
spending per student, only $6,614 per student in 2005, ranking 47th in
the nation, despite the fact that its total growth in spending on
education between 1992 and 2002 ranked 22nd. is among the best in
preschool education, and the National Institute of Early Childhood
Education did a first-ever evaluation in the United States regarding
standards, quality, and access to preschool in 2004, calling Oklahoma a
model. to continue in preschool. Although high school dropout rates
decreased by 29% between 2005 and 2006, Oklahoma is among the three
states in the nation with the most adults in high school, with 3.2 %
the school dropout rate. In 2004, the state ranked 36th in the country
in the relative percentage of adults with a high school diploma,
although at 85.2%, it has the highest rate among Southern states.
The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University are the
largest public institutions of higher education in Oklahoma, operating
through a main campus and other satellite campuses throughout the state.
The two universities, along with the University of Tulsa, are among the
best in the country for business studies, and the University of Oklahoma
and the University of Tulsa are among the top universities in the
country for academic qualifications. Oklahoma has 11 regional public
universities, including Northeastern State University, the second-oldest
institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River, also have
the only School of Optometry in Oklahoma and the largest number of
Native American students enrolled in the country, both in percentage as
in total number. Six universities in the state were placed on Princeton
Review's list of the top 122 regional universities in 2007, and three
institutes are also on the list of top-rated colleges. The state has 54
institutions technical postsecondary schools that operate with the
Oklahoma CareerTech program to specialize in the branches of industry
and commerce.
Oklahoma has minor league professional sports teams in football,
arena football, baseball, soccer, and hockey, located in Oklahoma City,
Tulsa, Enid, and Lawton. Likewise, Oklahoma City is the home of the
Oklahoma City Thunder, an NBA basketball team. In baseball they play in
the AAA and AA divisions of the minor leagues, hockey in the Central
Hockey League, and arena football in the af2 league with teams in
Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Oklahoma City is also home to the Oklahoma City
Lightning who play in the Women's National Football Association, and
Tulsa is home to the Tulsa 66ers, who play in the NBA Development
League, and the Tulsa Revolution, who play in the American Football
League. Indoor.77 Enid and Lawton have professional basketball teams in
the USBL and CBA.
The New Orleans Hornets of the National
Basketball Association became the first major sports franchise based in
Oklahoma when it was forced to relocate to the Oklahoma City Ford Center
for two seasons following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 78 Meanwhile, a
group of businessmen led by Clayton Bennett purchased the Seattle
SuperSonics team and moved it to Oklahoma City in 2008, thus creating
the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since 2010, the Tulsa Shock has played in the
WNBA.
College sports are very popular in the state. The Oklahoma
Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys are rivals in the NCAA's Big 12
Conference and excel in American football. The Cowboys also won two
national basketball championships. They have an average of more than
60,000 fans attending their football games, and the University of
Oklahoma football was ranked 13th in average attendance among US
universities in 2006, with an average of 84,561 people attending.
spectators at their home games. The two universities meet several times
each year to play games known as the Bedlam Series, which are some of
the largest sporting events in the state.
Meanwhile, the Tulsa
Golden Hurricane and the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles also compete in NCAA
DIvision I. In total, 11 Oklahoma colleges and universities compete
within the NCAA. Sports Illustrated magazine ranked the University of
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University first in the country in college
sports. In addition, 12 of the largest Small state universities and
colleges participate in the NAIA, mostly within the Sooner Athletic
Conference.
LPGA golf tournaments are held in the state, at Cedar
Ridge Country Club in Tulsa, and major PGA and LPGA championships have
been played at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oak Tree Country
Club in Oklahoma City , and Cedar Ridge Country Club in Tulsa. Rated
one of the best golf courses in the country, Southern Hills Country Club
has hosted four PGA Championships, including one in 2007, and three US
Opens, most recently in 2001. Rodeos are popular throughout the state,
and Guymon, in the panhandle, hosts one of the largest in the country.
Transportation in Oklahoma is supported by an interstate system of
highways, rail lines, airports, river ports, and public transportation
networks. Located along a major point on the United States interstate
network, Oklahoma has three interstate highways and four auxiliary
interstate highways. In Oklahoma City, Interstate 35 intersects
Interstate 44 and Interstate 40, forming one of the most important
intersections in the United States highway system. More than 19,000
kilometers of highways constitute the state's core network, including
state highways, ten toll roads. In 2005, Interstate 44 through Oklahoma
City was the busiest highway in Oklahoma, with a daily traffic volume of
131,800 vehicles. In 2007, the state had the nation's highest number of
bridges considered structurally deficient, with nearly 6,300 bridges in
poor condition, including 127 along its main highway system.
Oklahoma's largest commercial airport is Will Rogers World Airport, in
Oklahoma City, serving more than 3.5 million passengers in 2005. Tulsa
International Airport is the state's second largest commercial airport,
serving more than 3 million. of annual passengers. Between these two
airports, thirteen major Oklahoma airlines operate. In terms of
traffic, Riverside-Jones Airport in Tulsa is the busiest airport in the
state, with 235,039 takeoffs and landings in 2006. In total Oklahoma
has more than 150 public-use airports.
Oklahoma is linked to the
national rail network with Amtrak's Heartland Flyer line and is the only
regional passenger rail line. It currently extends from Oklahoma City to
Fort Worth, Texas with a length of 332 kilometers, although in early
2007 the state government was seeking funding to take the line to Tulsa.
Two river ports operate in Oklahoma: the Port of Muskogee and the Port
of Tulsa of Catoosa. The only port that handles international
transportation is the Port of Tulsa of Catoosa. It is the most inland
river port in the country, transporting more than two million tons
annually. Both ports are located on the McClellan Kerr Navigation System
of the Arkansas River, which connects barge traffic from Tulsa and
Muskogee to the Mississippi River. , through the Arkansas and Verdigris
rivers, constituting one of the busiest waterways in the world.
According to Nielsen Media Research, Oklahoma City and Tulsa rank
45th and 61st among the largest media markets in the United States. The
state's third largest market is the Lawton-Wichita Falls, Texas, area,
which is located Television in Oklahoma began broadcasting in 1949 when
KFOR-TV (then WKY-TV) in Oklahoma City and KOTV-TV in Tulsa began
broadcasting within a few months of each other. Currently, all major
television networks in the United States have television stations in the
state.
The state has two major newspapers, The Oklahoman, based
in Oklahoma City, is the largest newspaper in the state and the 48th in
the country in circulation, with an average weekday readership of
215,102 and 287,505 readers on Sundays. The Tulsa World is the second
largest newspaper in Oklahoma and the 77th in the country, with an
average readership of 138,262 on weekdays and an average of 189,789
readers on Sundays. Oklahoma's first newspaper was founded in 1844, the
Cherokee Advocate. , and was published in Cherokee and English. In 2006,
there were more than 220 newspapers in the state, including 177 weekly
publications and 48 daily publications.
Two large public radio
networks broadcast in Oklahoma: Oklahoma Public Radio and Public Radio
International. Oklahoma Public Radio was the first public radio station
in Oklahoma, beginning broadcasting in 1955, and its programs have won
271 awards over the years. Public Radio International owns 10 stations
in the state, and offers more of 400 hours of programming. The state's
first radio station was KRFU Bristow, which moved to Tulsa and became
KVOO in 1927. As of 2006, there were over 500 radio stations in Oklahoma
with several local and national stations. .
In 2015, the state of Oklahoma had a population of 3,911,382 people,
of which:
72.6% are Caucasian (European or of European descent).
7.3% are African American.
10.1% are Latin Americans (among whom
Mexicans predominate).
2% are Asian.
7.3% are Native Americans.
The state has the second highest number of Native Americans,
estimated at 395,219 in 2002, as well as the second highest percentage
among all states. In 2006, 4.7% of Oklahoma residents were foreign-born,
compared to 12.4% for the nation. The population center of Oklahoma is
located in Lincoln County near the city of Sparks. In 2006 the state was
ranked 37th in per capita personal income, at $32,210, despite being the
third fastest growing state in per capita income in the country and
consistently ranked among states on the cost index. lower life. Nichols
Hills, a suburb of Oklahoma City, ranks first in Oklahoma for per capita
income at $73,661, although Tulsa County has the highest average. In
2006, 6.8% of Oklahomans were under 5 years old, 25.9% were under 18
years old, and 13.2% were 65 years old or older. Women amounted to 50.9%
of the population.
The population of Latino origin is the fastest
growing, due to the high growth rate of Hispanic families and illegal
immigration.
Oklahoma had 549 towns in 2006, including three cities with more than
100,000 residents and 40 with more than 10,000. Two of the 50 largest
cities in the United States are in Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and Tulsa,
and 58% of Oklahomans They live in their metropolitan areas, or in the
economic and social influence zones defined by the United States Census
Bureau as a metropolitan area. Oklahoma City, the state capital and
largest city, had the state's largest metropolitan area in 2007, with
1,269,907 residents, and the Tulsa metropolitan area had 905,755
residents. Between 2005 and 2006, the suburbs of Tulsa, Jenks, Bixby,
and Owasso led the state in percentage population growth, with growth
percentages of 47.9, 44.56, and 34.31, respectively.
In
descending order of population, Oklahoma's largest cities in 2007 were:
Oklahoma City (537,730), Tulsa (382,870), Norman (102,830), Broken Arrow
(88,310), Lawton (87,540), Edmond ( 76,640), Midwest City (55,160),
Moore (49,280), Enid (46,510), and Stillwater (44,820). Of the ten
largest cities, only three are outside the Oklahoma City and Tulsa
metropolitan regions, and only Lawton has a metropolitan area of its
own, according to the United States Census Bureau, although the Fort
Smith, Arkansas metropolitan area is extends within the boundaries of
the state.
Under Oklahoma law, municipalities are divided into
two categories: cities, which are defined as having more than 1,000
residents, and towns, which have fewer than 1,000 residents. Both have
legislative, judicial, and public power within their borders, but cities
can choose between a council of mayors, municipal council, or mayor as
forms of government, while towns operate through a system of elected
officials.
Oklahoma is part of a geographic region characterized by the spread
of biblical beliefs, in Christianity, Protestantism and the evangelical
church known as the "Bible Belt", which encompasses the southeastern
United States, the area is known for its conservative society and
politics.
Tulsa, the state's second largest city, is home to Oral
Roberts University, is considered the pinnacle of the region, and is
known as one of the belt buckles of the Bible.
The vast majority
of Oklahoma's religious adherents -- 98% -- are Christians, making up
approximately 70% of the population. The faithful belong to 73 major
affiliations distributed among 5,854 congregations, ranging from the
Southern Baptist Convention, with 1,578 churches and 967,223 members, to
the Holy Orthodox Church in North America, with 1 church and 6 members.
The churches with the most members in the state are the Southern
Baptist Convention with 967,223 members, the United Methodist Church,
with 322,794 members, the Catholic Church, with 168,625, the American
Assemblies of God, with 88,301, and the Churches of Christ, with 83,047.
In 2000 there were around 5,000 Jews and 6,000 Muslims, with 10
congregations in each group.
In 2018, Oklahoma's religious
affiliations by percentage are:
Protestants - 71%
Catholics - 8%
Other religions - 2%
No religion - 19%