About Oklahoma

Oklahoma is located in the south-central area of the United States. It shares its borders with Kansas and Colorado on the North, Texas to the South, Arkansas and Missouri to the East, and New Mexico and Texas on the West.

From the Ouachita Mountains in the East, to the Great Plains of the Oklahoma Panhandle, the land is as diverse as its people. Its fertile soil supports several million acres of commercial forests in the eastern mountain regions, as well as grazing land for cattle across the state. The prairie land of the northern region produces wheat and the southwestern part of the state produces cotton.

Oklahoma was originally settled by Native Americans. The Five Civilized Tribes – Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole – have played a major role in the development of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma’s first commercial oil well was drilled in 1897, transforming one-street towns into cities almost overnight. While oil remains an important industry in Oklahoma, aerospace industries, education and manufacturing are now also quite influential in the state’s economy.

Transportation in Oklahoma includes a major toll-road system, international air services and rail services. Land-locked Oklahoma also has access to the Gulf of Mexico through a series of locks and dams on the Arkansas River.

Nine major universities and numerous smaller schools, junior colleges and vocational technical schools serve the state.

To learn more about Oklahoma, please visit the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.