Texas is the second-largest state in the United States. Only Alaska is bigger. Texas makes up about seven percent of the total land area of the United States. Sometimes the vast distances between cities pose problems for Texans. The relative location of Texas has been one of the most important factors in the state's development. It lies in the south-central part of the United States near the Gulf of Mexico, and it borders the country of Mexico.

Texas has a number of different landforms and an abundance of natural resources. The southernmost point in Texas lies on a mostly level plain. Northward from the Brownsville area, the land slowly rises and begins to gently roll. Cutting across Texas in a great curving arc is the Balcones Escarpment, a long cliff formed millions of years ago by a giant earthquake. The Balcones Escarpment marks the beginning of the "Hill Country," a region in Texas that is a plateau covered with small trees and brush. The land gradually gets flatter and higher in the northwest. West Texas has mountains.

Texas rivers are sometimes called "wrong-way" rivers because they carry water from the dry northwestern part of the state, where water is needed, to the southeastern part, which normally has plenty of water. Of the state's nearly 200 major lakes, all but one were formed when these rivers were dammed. Lake water is used for irrigation and city needs, but Texans also rely heavily on aquifers.

The rich soil of Texas is one of its most valuable resources. Huge areas are used for farming and ranching. More land is used in Texas for grazing animals than for any other purpose. The state's most important mineral resources are petroleum and natural gas, valued at $17 billion per year.

Texas's location in the middle latitudes results in mild winters throughout much of the state. However, Texas is subject to periods of cold weather, and violent storms sometimes occur from the mixing of cold and warm air. The middle part of Texas broils in the summer sun. The location of southeastern Texas relative to the Gulf of Mexico gives that part of the state cooling ocean breezes and moisture in summer and warming breezes in winter. The high elevations of the western part of the state result in cooler temperatures there.