Origin of state name : Derived from the caddo word tavshas, meaning "allies" or "friends."

Nickname : the lone star state.

Capital : Austin.

County : 254 counties

Location : 30.305N, 97.750W

Entered union : 29 december 1845 (28th).

Song : "Texas, our texas."

Motto : Friendship.

Flag : At the hoist is a vertical bar of blue with a single white five-pointed star; two horizontal bars of white and red cover the remainder of the flag.

Bird : Mockingbird.

Fish : Guadalupe bass.

Flower : Bluebonnet.

Tree : Pecan.

Plant : Prickly Pear Cactus.

Grass : Sideoats Grama.

Dish : chili.

Gem : Topaz.

Stone : Petrified Palmwood.

Seashell : Lightning whelk.

Sport : Rodeo.

Population : 22,859,968 as on 2005

Agriculture : Cattle, cotton, dairy products, nursery stock, poultry, sorghum, corn, wheat.

Industry : Chemical products, petroleum and natural gas, food processing, electric equipment, machinery, mining, tourism.