Oklahoma (IPA: /o.klho.m/) is a state located in the south-central region of the United States of America. Its nickname is the "Sooner State", and is part of a region commonly known as the American "Heartland." Oklahoma City is the state's capital and largest city. The Congressional Quarterly and Census reports place Oklahoma in the Southern United States. However, since Oklahoma is near the geographic center of the U.S., the regional influences add to Oklahoma's unique character.
Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union on November 16, 1907. The state's name comes from the Choctaw words okla meaning people and homma meaning red, literally meaning "red people"[3] and was chosen by Allen Wright, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation during the 1866 treaty negotiations.[4][5]
Oklahoma has an diverse history as a frontier state, a destination for freed slaves, and as the heart of the oil boom in the early 20th century. As Indian Territory, the state was the new home for thousands of American Indian settlers who traveled the Trail of Tears with forced removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeastern United States. Situated along the routes of cattle drives and a destination for white settlers during the Oklahoma Land Runs, the state developed a combination of Western and Native American heritage that played a large part in its cultural development. The Gilcrease Museum, located in Tulsa, is home to the largest, most comprehensive collection of American Western art and artifacts in the world.[6] Today, the state contains more native American tribal headquarters than any other state, as well as the nation's largest American Indian population.[7]
