29th December: Texas Admission Day

On this day in 1845, Texas became the 28th US State. Here are 10 things you may not know about Texas:

1. Many of the facts listed about Texas refer to its huge size. It is the second largest US state (Alaska is bigger), the second most populous (California has more people). Texas is bigger than every country in The EU.
2. Because of its sheer size, there's plenty of room to spread out - and so Texas has a number of things that are the biggest - the world's biggest car park (at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport); a ranch that is bigger than the state of Rhode Island and the world's biggest Rose garden.
3. The people are big, too. 31% of the population is obese. That is more obese people than there are people of any size living in Minnesota.
4. Texas has belonged to six different nations: Spain (1519-1821), France (1685-1690), Mexico (1821-1836), the Republic of Texas (1836-1845), the United States (1845-1861 and 1865-present) and the Confederate States of America (1861-1865). Texas has had six capital cities: Washington-on-the Brazos, Harrisburg, Galveston, Velasco, West Columbia and Austin.
5. Texas is the only state to have entered the union through a treaty rather than by annexation.
6. Its entry agreement contains a clause permitting Texas to split into as many as five states if it wanted to. While splitting Texas has occasionally been talked about, it has never really been seriously considered. One reason for this may well be that there would be a massive dispute over which of the new states could claim the Alamo.
7. The State Mascot is the Armadillo.
8. The state motto is "Friendship". The name of the state comes from the Hasinai Indian word for friends, "Tejas". Ironically, the white settlers wiped out the Hasinai tribe in Texas.
9. Approximately 90% of the world’s recoverable Helium is in the ground under Amarillo.
10. Putting graffiti on someone else's Cow is a no-no in Texas - this offence is technically still punishable by death.