TEXAS

Natural and Man-made Wonders
The State Capitol,        Austin


The tidewater coastline of Texas stretches 624 miles along the Gulf of Mexico and contains more than 600 historic shipwrecks.

The tallest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak at 8,751 feet.

The Capitol in Austin, built of Texas pink granite, opened May 16, 1888. The dome of the Capitol stands seven feet higher than that of the nation's Capitol in Washington, D.C.

The Governor's Mansion, built in 1856, is the oldest remaining public building in downtown Austin.

The largest body of water completely within the boundaries of Texas is Sam Rayburn Reservoir in East Texas, which covers 113,400 acres.

Texas has four national forests (Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine and Sam Houston), two national parks (Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains), one national seashore (Padre Island), one national preserve (the Big Thicket), two national recreation areas (Amistad and Lake Meredith) and one national monument (Alibates Flint Quarries).

With more than 267,000 square miles, Texas is as large as all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois combined.