The US state of Oklahoma is located in the South Central region of the nation. Based on the 2010 census, Oklahoma has an estimated 3,751,351 residents, with a land area totaling 177,847 km2 or 68,667 square miles. The state of Oklahoma ranks as the 20th most crowded state. The state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, that means "red people", and is known informally by its nickname, The Sooner State. Formed by the combination of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory on the 16th of November, 1907, the state of Oklahoma was the 46th state to enter the union. Its people are known as Oklahomans or, informally, "Sooners" or "Okies", and its largest and capital city is the city of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma has an economic base in the sectors of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology; and is a major producer of agriculture, natural gas and oil. In the nation, the state of Oklahoma has amongst the fastest growing economies, ranking the state near the top in gross domestic product growth and per capita income growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma's primary economic anchors, with nearly 60 percent of Oklahomans living within their metropolitan statistical areas.
With prairies, eastern forests and small mountain ranges, the majority of of the state of Oklahoma lies within the US Interior Highlands and the great Plains, a region especially prone to severe climate. As well as having a prevalence of Irish, German, Scottish, English and Native American ancestry, over 25 Native American languages are spoken in the state of Oklahoma, the most of any state. It is located on a confluence of three major American cultural areas and historically served as a destination for southern settlers, a route for cattle drives, and a government-sanctioned territory for Native Americans. Part of the Bible Belt, widespread belief in evangelical Christianity makes it amongst the most politically conservative states, even if the state of Oklahoma has more voters registered with the Democratic Party than with whichever other party.
Based in the sectors of energy, aviation, food processing, transportation equipment, telecommunications and electronics, Oklahoma is an important producer of aircraft, food and natural gas. The state of Oklahoma ranks 2nd in the nation for production of natural gas, and is the 27th-most agriculturally productive state, ranking 5th in production of wheat. Two Fortune 1000 companies and four Fortune 500 companies are are located in the state of Oklahoma, and it has been rated amongst the most business-friendly states within the nation, with the 7th-lowest tax burden in 2007. During the year 2010, Oklahoma City-based Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores ranked 18th on the Forbe's list of largest private businesses, Tulsa-based QuikTrip ranked 37th, and Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby ranked 198th in 2010 report. From 2006 to 2010, Oklahoma's gross domestic product grew from $131.9 billion to $147.5 billion, a jump of 10.6 percent. The gross domestic product per capita of Oklahoma was $35,480 in 2010, that was ranked 40th among the states. Though oil has historically dominated Oklahoma's economy, a collapse in the energy industry during the 1980s resulted in the loss of just about 90,000 energy-related jobs between 1980 and 2000, severely damaging the local economy. Oil accounted for 17% of Oklahoma's economic impact during the year 2005, and employment within the state's oil industry was outpaced by five other businesses in the year 2007.