Oklahoma

+[Flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Oklahoma)

+[Seal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Seal_of_Oklahoma)

+**Oklahoma** ([/ˌoʊkləˈhoʊmə/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English) [ⓘ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:En-us-Oklahoma.ogg) [*OH-klə-HOH-mə*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key);[\[25\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma#cite_note-27) [Choctaw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choctaw_language): *Oklahumma*, pronounced [\[oklahómma\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA))[\[26\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma#cite_note-28) is a landlocked [state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._state) in the [South Central](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Central_United_States) and [Southwestern](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_United_States) region of the [United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States).[\[27\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma#cite_note-regdiv-29) It borders [Texas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas) to the south and west, [Kansas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas) to the north, [Missouri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri) to the northeast, [Arkansas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas) to the southeast, [New Mexico](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico) to the west, and [Colorado](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado) to the northwest. Partially in the western extreme of the [Upland South](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upland_South), it is the [20th-most extensive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area) and the [28th-most populous](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population) of the 50 United States. Its residents are known as Oklahomans and its capital and largest city is [Oklahoma City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City).

+The state's name is derived from the [Choctaw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choctaw_language) words [*okla*](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/okla#Choctaw), 'people' and *humma*, which translates as 'red'.[\[28\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma#cite_note-cno-30) Oklahoma is also known informally by its [nickname](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_and_territory_nicknames), "The Sooner State", in reference to the [Sooners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sooners), [American settlers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_pioneer) who staked their claims in formerly American Indian-owned lands until the [Indian Appropriations Act of 1889](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Appropriations_Act#1889_Act) authorized the [Land Rush of 1889](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Rush_of_1889) opening the land to settlement.

+With ancient mountain ranges, prairie, [mesas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesa), and eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the [Great Plains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Plains), [Cross Timbers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_Timbers), and the [U.S. Interior Highlands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Interior_Highlands), all regions prone to severe weather.[\[29\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma#cite_note-Oklahoma_Terrain-31) Oklahoma is at a confluence of three major American [cultural regions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_area). Historically, it served as a government-sanctioned [territory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_States) for American Indians moved from east of the Mississippi River, a route for cattle drives from Texas and related regions, and a destination for Southern settlers. There are currently 25 [Indigenous languages spoken in Oklahoma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Indigenous_languages_of_Oklahoma).[\[30\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma#cite_note-languages-32) According to the 2020 U.S. census, 14.2 percent of Oklahomans identify as [American Indians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States), the highest Indigenous population by percentage in any state.[\[31\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma#cite_note-33)

+Oklahoma, "The Sooner State," is a land where vast [Prairies](/wiki/Prairies) meet rolling hills, shaped by a rich tapestry of [Native Culture](/wiki/Native_Culture). It lies at the crossroads of the American South and West, known for its strong spirit and diverse landscapes.

+## See also

+- [United States](/wiki/United_States)

+- [Great Plains](/wiki/Great_Plains)

+- [Oil Industry](/wiki/Oil_Industry)