Oklahoma Facts and Figures

Population: 3,258,000

Area: 69,919 square miles (Oklahoma ranks 18th in size in the United States).

Cities: Oklahoma' s two most populous cities are Oklahoma City, with 463,201 - residents, and Tulsa, with 374,851. The next largest cities are Norman, population 87,290 and Lawton, population 86,028.

Highest Point: Black Mesa in the Panhandle, 4,973 feet.

Lowest Point: East of Idabel in southeast Oklahoma, 287 feet.

Geography: Oklahoma has more man-made lakes than any other state, with over one million surface acres of water and 12,000 miles of shoreline. Oklahoma's four mountain ranges include the Ouachitas, Arbuckles, Wichitas and Kiamichis. Forests cover approximately 24 percent of Oklahoma. Oklahoma has 12 distinct eco- systems, from tallgrass prairie to cypress swamps to sand dunes. Only one state has more, Texas with 13 eco-systems.

Products: Oklahoma ranks forth in the nation in the production of all wheat; fourth in cattle and calf production; fifth in the production of pecans; sixth in the production of peanuts and eighth in peaches.

Name: The name Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw Indian words "okla," meaning "people," and "humma" meaning "red." The name literally means "red people."

Native America: Ok1ahoma has the second largest Native American population of any state. Many of the more than 252,000 (8 % of the total population) American Indians living in the state are descended from 67 tribes who inhabited Indian Territory. Tribal headquarters for 39 tribes are in Oklahoma. The city of Tulsa ranks second in the United States for total number of American Indian residents with more than 48,000. Oklahoma City ranks fourth in the nation with more than 45,000 American Indian residents.

African Americans: The history of African Americans in Oklahoma is a story unlike any to be found in the United States. African Americans came to the region as cowboys, settlers, gunfighters and farmers. By Statehood in 1907, African Americans outnumbered both Indians and first-and second-generation Europeans. They created more all-black towns in Oklahoma (28) than in the rest of the country, produced some of the country's greatest jazz musicians and led some of the nation's greatest civil rights battles. Many arrived in the 1830s as slaves for the Five Civilized Tribes. They traveled with the tribes over the tragic Trail of Tears from the eastern United States to what was then known as Indian Territory (eastern Oklahoma).

For more information about Oklahoma, contact the Oklahoma Travel and Tourism Division, 15 N. Robinson, Suite 801, Oklahoma City, OK 73102. Phone: 405/521-2406; Fax: 405-521-3992; or visit www.travelok.com.