Oklahoma

Information and Tourism

Oklahoma is a southern US state that offers typical southern state hospitality. It is hard to disentangle the real state from the one portrayed in a certain smash-hit 1940s' musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, in which cowboy Curly McLain has a fine romance with a beautiful Oklahoman farm girl. Putting such rural idyll to one side, today, over half the state's residents - known familiarly as 'Okies', live in cities such as Oklahoma City or Tulsa.

The state of Oklahoma forms part of the Bible Belt, an area that is closely associated with a conservative brand of Christianity, founded in particular on Evangelical Protestantism. In fact, Tulsa, is known as one of the 'buckles of the Bible Belt'.

The name Oklahoma is Choctaw for 'red people'. Today, the state still has the largest Native American population of any US state. It is home to 39 federally recognized Native American nations, and more than 25 Native American languages are spoken here. Annual powwows and ceremonial events are still a common sight.

Forests and lakes cover a vast area. A network of state parks and protected regions help to conserve the wildlife and natural resources of the state. Interestingly, it has the largest protected area of tallgrass prairie in the world. Through it runs Route 66, the infamous highway that you can't help but associate with life-changing road trips.

Back in the 1960s, Tulsa was known as the 'Oil Capital of the World'. It is a nickname that is sometimes used today, although more from a sense of nostalgia than anything else. That said, Oklahoma is still one of the top producers of natural gas and crude oil in the US.

Oklahoma Information and Fast Facts

• Country: USA
• Population: approximately 3.8 million
• Capital city: Oklahoma City
• Biggest city: Oklahoma City
• Language: American English
• Area: 70,000 square miles / 181,200 square kilometers
• Number of man-made lakes: 200+

	WORLD GUIDES TO OKLAHOMA
	World Guide to Oklahoma City, OK, USA Oklahoma City, the largest city Oklahoma (OK) state, became the capital in 1910. The city contains countless must-see attractions, including the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and an enormous Native American festival.
	World Guide to Tulsa, OK, USA Tulsa is situated in Oklahoma (OK), on the northeastern side of the state, adjacent to the scenic Arkansas River. The second-largest city in Oklahoma, Tulsa is a charming city, full of 1920s Art-Deco architecture and stylish buildings.

Map of Oklahoma