Oklahoma is one of the 50 states of the United States of North America. The state is located in the Southern region of the US and has 3,791,508 inhabitants (2011). THE capital is Oklahoma City and the standard abbreviation for the state is OK.
Oklahoma is bordered to the north by the states of Kansas and Colorado, to the east by Missouri and Arkansas, to the south by Texas and to the west by New Mexico.
The central part of Oklahoma lies entirely within the Osage Plains. This is an undulating prairie landscape that turns northwest into the ‘Panhandle’ into the Great Plains and foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Black Mesa is the highest point in the state at 1,517 meters.
The Ozark Mountains are located in northeast Oklahoma and the Ouachita Mountains in the southeast. These are heavily forested mountains separated by the Arkansas River.
The salt flats in the vicinity of Cherokee are protected as a nature reserve because of their special bird world.
Lakes and Rivers
Oklahoma belongs entirely to the Mississippi River Basin. All of the state’s rivers eventually flow eastward.
The main rivers are the Red, the Arkansas and the South Canadian. The Red forms much of the Texas border.
Oklahoma has no large natural lakes. Of the more than 200 reservoirs, Eufala Lake, Grand Lake O’the Cherokees, and Lake Texoma are large in size.
Climate and holidays
The climate in Oklahoma is influenced on the one hand by the mild climate of the Gulf of Mexico, and on the other by the continental climate of the Great Plains. There are also very large local differences in climate.
The state is hit by tornadoes an average of 54 times a year.
Oklahoma has interesting state parks and wildlife sanctuaries, including the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge and Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, which include bison.
Cities Oklahoma
Besides the capital Oklahoma City are a number of major cities in the state of Oklahoma: Tulsa, Norman, Broken Arrow, Lawton, Edmond, Moore, Midwest City, Enid, Stillwater.
Oklahoma counties
According to countryaah.com, the American state of Oklahoma is administratively subdivided into 77 counties.
Oklahoma
The American state of Oklahoma borders the states of Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas and New Mexico. The capital of the southern state is Oklahoma City.
Santa Fe National Historic Trail
In 1607, a Spanish settlement named Santa Fe was founded in the state of New Mexico, which became the capital of the colony. Today, Santa Fe, located at the foot of the Sangre de Christo Mountains, is the state capital, and you can still see the old and original houses built of red clay, called adobe. The city thus partially resembles an old Indian pueblo. Although some of the houses are newly built, they still have their typical shape and appearance.
The Spanish colonizers tried to convert the local Indian population to the Christian faith. However, they did not succeed very well, some accepted it, but most of them rejected it and prepared a revolt. Under the leadership of leader Popé, the Indians eventually pushed the Spanish into Mexico. In 1680, the Indians even seized Santa Fé and killed around 3,500 settlers during the so-called Pueblo Revolt. The Spanish came to power again only 12 years later and remained here until 1821, when Mexico deprived them of the colony.
However, Santa Fe became famous in the past as the terminus of a trade route called the Santa Fe Trail. It stretched 800 miles between the states of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Missouri. Since the city of Santa Fe was located far from other cities, moreover, it was separated by mountains and desert, this journey was very dangerous for its participants. They were often attacked by local Indian tribes. However, despite these problems, the route became an important trade route.
Around 1821, thousands of fully loaded wagons with a variety of American goods passed through here. Huge profits then rolled in the opposite direction. In 1846, the American-Mexican War broke out and the United States began to strictly control the economy of New Mexico. The Mexicans could not handle the onslaught of American expansion, and New Mexico became an American territory in 1848. In 1912, it was joined to the Union as the 47th state.
Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail
The original inhabitants of Arkansas, Oklahoma and other areas of North America were the Cherokee Indians, whose culture was among the most advanced in this part of America. The members of this tribe were mainly engaged in agriculture and their culture was so developed that they even had their own writing. At the beginning of the 19th century, these Indians were granted the status of a sovereign nation that had its own rights and obligations and was completely self-sufficient.
In 1838, during the administration of President Andrew Jackson, they were all forcibly removed to Oklahoma. The route they had to take involuntarily was called the Trail of Tears. It was an arduous march for a new home to an unknown landscape, to nowhere, during which more than 5,000 members of the tribe perished. Thanks to this inhumane act, the USA was able to seize more territory and greatly expand its land.
Those who were more fortunate managed to flee to the mountains and find a peaceful place to live. Their descendants live today in the number of several thousand individuals on the Qualla Indian Reservation. Here you will find an informational tourist center where you can get to know the life of simple Indians who achieved great cultural and general education for their time, and for which they paid in the end. There is even an Indian Village in the Oconaluftee area today.
