Oklahoma (“land of the red man”) has a relatively high proportion of the Indian population and oil reserves in relation to all US states.
According to Acronymmonster, Oklahoma is a medium-sized state in the central south of the United States, the capital is Oklahoma City which is also the largest city in Oklahoma.
Name, location and residents of Oklahoma
The name of the state comes from the language of the Choctaw Indians and means “land of the red man”. Oklahoma is bordered by Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas. Around 3.9 million people live on 181,035 square kilometers (as of 2019), making Oklahoma one of the medium-sized US states in terms of both area and population. A special feature of Oklahoma is the relatively high proportion of people of Indian origin. With more than nine percent (as of 2019), they are more represented in Oklahoma than in most other US states. 39 different Indian ethnic groups live here and maintain their traditions and customs.
Brief overview of the history of Oklahoma
The United States saw the area where Oklahoma is today as worthless and assigned it to some Indian tribes at the beginning of the 19th century. The forced relocation of around 50,000 people from the fertile woodlands to the barren area, which is designated as an Indian territory, went down in history as the “Trail of Tears”. Despite a government ban, more and more whites came and settled in the area. The Indian Territory was declared Oklahoma Territory at the end of the 19th century. After oil was found in the region, the influx of whites increased, and Tulsa temporarily became the “oil capital of the world”. In November 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state to join the union.
Oklahoma today
In terms of the GDP per capita prosperity indicator, Oklahoma ranks 29th of all US states (as of 2018). Mining is an important industry. Coal, limestone and granite are mined, and natural gas is also extracted. Oil revenues make up about a quarter of Oklahoma’s total GDP. Politically, Oklahoma is considered a conservative state in which the Republicans traditionally dominate. It was not until the late 1960s that Oklahoma was one of the last US states to lift the ban on “mixed marriages”.
Largest Counties in Oklahoma by Area
According to Countryaah, the biggest counties in Oklahoma are listed as below:
| Ranking | County | Area |
| 1 | Osage County | 5,830 km2 |
| 2 | Texas County | 5,276 km2 |
| 3 | McCurtain County | 4,797 km2 |
| 4 | Cimarron County | 4,753 km2 |
| 5 | Beaver County | 4,698 km2 |
| 6 | Le Flore County | 4,108 km2 |
| 7 | Pushmataha County | 3,618 km2 |
| 8 | Pittsburg County | 3,383 km2 |
| 9 | Woods County | 3,333 km2 |
| 10 | Caddo County | 3,310 km2 |
| 11 | Woodward County | 3,217 km2 |
| 12 | Ellis County | 3,183 km2 |
| 13 | Roger Mills County | 2,958 km2 |
| 14 | Grady County | 2,852 km2 |
| 15 | Comanche County | 2,769 km2 |
| 16 | Garfield County | 2,740 km2 |
| 17 | Harper County | 2,691 km2 |
| 18 | Kiowa County | 2,629 km2 |
| 19 | Washita County | 2,600 km2 |
| 20 | Grant County | 2,593 km2 |
| 21 | Dewey County | 2,590 km2 |
| 22 | Custer County | 2,556 km2 |
| 23 | Atoka County | 2,533 km2 |
| 24 | Lincoln County | 2,484 km2 |
| 25 | Major County | 2,479 km2 |
| 26 | Creek County | 2,476 km2 |
| 27 | Blaine County | 2,406 km2 |
| 28 | Kay County | 2,380 km2 |
| 29 | Bryan County | 2,354 km2 |
| 30 | Kingfisher County | 2,339 km2 |
| 31 | Beckham County | 2,336 km2 |
| 32 | Canadian County | 2,331 km2 |
| 33 | Stephens County | 2,271 km2 |
| 34 | Tillman County | 2,258 km2 |
| 35 | Alfalfa County | 2,246 km2 |
| 36 | Carter County | 2,134 km2 |
| 37 | Muskogee County | 2,108 km2 |
| 38 | Garvin County | 2,095 km2 |
| 39 | Hughes County | 2,090 km2 |
| 40 | Jackson County | 2,080 km2 |
| 41 | Pottawatomie County | 2,041 km2 |
| 42 | Choctaw County | 2,005 km2 |
| 43 | Craig County | 1,971 km2 |
| 44 | Jefferson County | 1,966 km2 |
| 45 | Cherokee County | 1,945 km2 |
| 46 | Logan County | 1,930 km2 |
| 47 | Delaware County | 1,919 km2 |
| 48 | Noble County | 1,896 km2 |
| 49 | Latimer County | 1,870 km2 |
| 50 | Pontotoc County | 1,865 km2 |
| 51 | Oklahoma County | 1,836 km2 |
| 52 | Okmulgee County | 1,805 km2 |
| 53 | Payne County | 1,777 km2 |
| 54 | Rogers County | 1,748 km2 |
| 55 | Sequoyah County | 1,746 km2 |
| 56 | Mayes County | 1,699 km2 |
| 57 | Johnston County | 1,671 km2 |
| 58 | Greer County | 1,655 km2 |
| 59 | Cotton County | 1,650 km2 |
| 60 | Seminole County | 1,637 km2 |
| 61 | Okfuskee County | 1,619 km2 |
| 62 | McIntosh County | 1,606 km2 |
| 63 | Haskell County | 1,494 km2 |
| 64 | Adair County | 1,492 km2 |
| 65 | McClain County | 1,476 km2 |
| 66 | Pawnee County | 1,476 km2 |
| 67 | Tulsa County | 1,476 km2 |
| 68 | Nowata County | 1,463 km2 |
| 69 | Wagoner County | 1,458 km2 |
| 70 | Harmon County | 1,393 km2 |
| 71 | Cleveland County | 1,388 km2 |
| 72 | Coal County | 1,342 km2 |
| 73 | Love County | 1,334 km2 |
| 74 | Ottawa County | 1,220 km2 |
| 75 | Murray County | 1,083 km2 |
| 76 | Washington County | 1,080 km2 |
| 77 | Marshall County | 961 km2 |