Geography of Oklahoma

Introduction to Geography of Oklahoma

Oklahoma, one of the states of the United States. It is bounded by Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, and New Mexico. The Red River forms most of its southern border. With a total area of 69,903 square miles (181,049 km2), it is the 20th largest state.

Oklahoma's shape suggests a ragged-edged meat cleaver. The long, narrow section extending westward from the northwest corner is called the Panhandle.

Physical Geography

Oklahoma has generally flat to gently rolling land, with scattered highlands and low mountains in the southern and eastern portions of the state.

Oklahoma's Panhandle is within the Great Plains region of the western United States. It has the state's greatest overall elevation and its highest point, Black Mesa, which reaches 4,973 feet (1,516 m) above sea level. In general, elevations decrease eastward across the state.

Central Oklahoma is part of the Central Lowlands region of the United States. In the Oklahoma portion of this region, the terrain is generally rolling to level, except in the Wichita Mountains in the southwest and the Arbuckle Mountains in the south-central part of the state.

Much of eastern Oklahoma is occupied by the scenic hills of the Ozark Plateau in the northeast and the Ouachita Mountains in the southeast. Eastern Oklahoma's highest point, about 3,000 feet (900 m), is in the Ouachitas. In the extreme southeastern part of the state is a small portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the United States.

The lowest point in the state—287 feet (87 m) above sea level—is here.

Oklahoma has no major natural lakes, but has several rivers of considerable length. The major lakes are man-made reservoirs impounded by dams on these rivers, the largest reservoirs being Eufaula, Texoma, Lake o' the Cherokees, Robert S. Kerr, Oologah, and Keystone.

All of Oklahoma is in the drainage basin of the Mississippi River. Both of the major rivers—the Red and the Arkansas—enter the Mississippi. The chief tributaries of the Arkansas are the Canadian, the North Canadian, and the Cimarron. Those of the Red River are the North Fork and the Washita. The rivers in the west are long, but wide, shallow, and slow-moving. They are subject to destructive flash floods in spring and summer, and often run dry in the dry season. In the east the rivers are generally shorter, but swifter and deeper.

In general, Oklahoma has a continental climate, with warm, humid summers and cool, dry winters. However, tropical influences from the Gulf of Mexico make southeastern Oklahoma warmer and wetter than the rest of the state. Temperatures and precipitation decrease from southeast to northwest across the state. January temperatures average about 43° F. (6° C.) in the southeast and about 35° F. (2° C.) in the Panhandle. July temperatures for the same areas average 83° F. (28° C.) and 81° F. (27° C.), respectively. Precipitation, mostly rain, is about 50 inches (1,270 mm) in the southeast, while in the Panhandle it averages about 15 inches (380 mm).

In the western plains area rainfall is light and any increase or decrease can cause disasters such as flash floods or prolonged droughts. The worst of these was the long drought of the 1930's that turned western Oklahoma into a “dust bowl.” The state is also subject to tornadoes.

Grasses are the native vegetation of most of Oklahoma. The Panhandle supports short grasses and shrubs, such as buffalo grass and sagebrush. From the Panhandle eastward to about the center of the state, tall-grass prairies once predominated but have been replaced largely by farmland. A landscape of grassy tracts interspersed with areas of shrubs and woods prevails in most of the rest of Oklahoma.

The southeastern portion of the state sup ports markedly different plant life. Found here are hardwood and pine forests. Red and white oak, hickory, and loblolly and short-leaf pine are the primary trees. Pines are especially prevalent in the Ouachitas.

Economy

Until about the 1950's, Oklahoma's economy was based primarily on agriculture and mining. Since that time, service industries and manufacturing have become a major part of the state's economy.

Community, business, and personal services form Oklahoma's leading service industry group. These services include private health care and equipment rental companies. The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City is one of the nation's leading medical facilities. Also, companies that rent oil field equipment are important to the state.

Manufacturing activities have become more diversified in the past several decades. The making of transportation equipment, machinery, fabricated metal products, rubber and plastic products, and processed foods are prominent industries, both in terms of employment and in terms of value added by manufacture. The major part of the state's production of manufactured goods comes from the Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas.

About three-fourths of the state's land area is in farms. The raising of beef cattle, carried on throughout the state, is the chief agricultural activity. Cattle make up the vast majority of all the livestock raised and by value are the most important agricultural product. Dairying and the production of eggs are also significant.

Wheatis the principal crop—both in area planted and by value—and Oklahoma is one of the nation's top producers of this commodity. Other important crops include cotton, peanuts, soybeans, and animal feeds, such as hay and sorghum.

Oklahoma is among the leading states in total value of mineral production. It is a major producer of petroleum and natural gas, which together account for most of the value of the state's total mineral output. Central Oklahoma is the leading petroleum-producing area; the western part of the state leads in natural gas production. Coal is also produced in substantial amounts. Nonfuel minerals produced in sizable quantities include helium, stone, sand and gravel, clay, and gypsum.

About one-fifth of the state's land area is in forests. Most of the commercial-quality forests are in the eastern and southeastern parts of the state.

Much of Oklahoma's transportation network is in the central part of the state, with Tulsa and Oklahoma City the focal points for most traffic. The state is served by three Interstate highways and several toll highways, called turnpikes. Oklahoma is also served by several major railways. International airports are at Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Tulsa and Muskogee are Oklahoma's chief ports.

The People

Oklahoma's population density is 50.2 persons per square mile (19.4 per km2), roughly two-thirds that of the United States as a whole. Nonwhites—primarily blacks, the largest group, and Indians—make up about 16 per cent of the total population. Oklahoma, which became the home of the Five Civilized Tribes in the middle of the 19th century, has a large part of the nation's Indian population. About 70 tribes are represented, the largest being the Cherokee, the Choctaw, the Cree, the Chickasaw, and the Seminole. The majority of the Indians live among the general population. There is one Indian reservation in Oklahoma.

Education

Oklahoma's superintendent of public instruction, an elected official, is chief of the state department of education and serves for a term of four years. There is a county superintendent for each county.

A compulsory attendance law was enacted in 1907. The present law requires children from ages 7 to 16 to attend school.

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education consists of nine citizens appointed by the governor for nine-year terms to coordinate the administration of the state's public junior colleges, colleges, and universities.

The first school in what is now Oklahoma was Wheelock Academy, an Indian school opened by Presbyterian missionaries in 1832.

The University of Oklahoma at Norman was established when Oklahoma became a territory in 1890. Its Health Sciences Center is in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma State University, a land-grant college, was founded in 1890. The main campus is in Still-water. Branches are the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Tulsa; Oklahoma State University Technical Branch, Okmulgee; and Oklahoma State University Technical Branch, Oklahoma City.

Government

Oklahoma is governed under its original constitution of 1907 and later amendments. The constitution provides for direct legislation through the initiative and referendum.

The executive branch is headed by the governor, who is elected for four years and may serve an unlimited number of terms, but no more than two consecutive terms. Other state officials include the lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, auditor and inspector, insurance commissioner, and superintendent of public instruction—all elected for four years. The secretary of state is appointed by the governor. The legislature consists of a senate of 48 members and a house of representatives of 101 members.

Senators are elected to four-year terms, representatives to two-year terms. The legislature meets annually.

The judiciary is headed by a supreme court of nine justices. Other courts include a court of criminal appeals, court of civil appeals, district courts, and municipal courts.

Oklahoma is divided into 77 counties. It sends two senators and five representatives to the U.S. Congress.