Quiz challenge
Which state sits north of Texas and west of Arkansas?
Select an answer to continue.
The correct answer is D) Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is the state that sits directly north of Texas and directly west of Arkansas.
Understanding the geographic boundaries of the United States reveals fascinating spatial relationships across the South Central region. Maps show intricate state borders shaped by nineteenth-century political treaties, natural river systems, and territorial surveys. When examining the region surrounding the Great Plains and the Gulf Coast, several states intersect in ways that can challenge even seasoned geography enthusiasts. Pinpointing a specific state based on its cardinal directions relative to neighboring states requires a clear visual mental map of how Texas, Arkansas, and the surrounding territories align.
The correct answer
D) Oklahoma
Oklahoma is the state that sits directly north of Texas and directly west of Arkansas.
Oklahoma shares an extensive southern border with Texas that extends across hundreds of miles, defined in large part by the winding course of the Red River. Along its eastern border, Oklahoma touches both Arkansas and Missouri, placing it directly to the west of Arkansas. Oklahoma boasts a highly recognizable geographic silhouette featuring a slender western panhandle that stretches across the High Plains to touch New Mexico and Colorado. Formed in 1907 through the combination of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory, the state serves as a geographic bridge connecting the American South, the Great Plains, and the Southwest.
More context
The borders defining Oklahoma and its neighboring states carry rich historical and geographic significance. The long southern border between Oklahoma and Texas relies heavily on the Red River, a waterway first designated as an international boundary in the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 between the United States and Spain. Boundary disputes regarding which bank or channel of the Red River marked the legal dividing line persisted for decades, resulting in multiple United States Supreme Court cases throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Oklahoma's eastern boundary with Arkansas was established through federal treaties that carved out territory for Indigenous nations during the nineteenth century. Perhaps the most famous geographic feature of the region is the Oklahoma Panhandle, a three-county strip originally known as No Man's Land. When Texas entered the Union in 1845 as a slave state, federal law prohibited slavery north of latitude 36°30'. To maintain its status, Texas ceded the strip of land lying north of that parallel. For several decades, this narrow strip remained unattached to any state or territory until Congress assigned it to Oklahoma Territory in 1890. Today, Oklahoma borders six different states—Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico—making it a vital crossroads of the American interior.
Quick facts
- Oklahoma was admitted to the Union on November 16, 1907, as the 46th U.S. state.
- The Red River forms most of the 500-plus-mile border separating Oklahoma and Texas.
- Oklahoma's panhandle was originally known as No Man's Land because it sat outside any official state or territorial jurisdiction.
- Oklahoma shares borders with six states: Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Sources
- Oklahoma State Profile and QuickFacts — U.S. Census Bureau Oklahoma shares geographic borders with Texas to the south, Arkansas to the east, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northeast, New Mexico to the west, and Colorado to the northwest.
- USGS Topographic Maps and Regional Geographic Data — U.S. Geological Survey The Red River defines a major portion of the geographic boundary separating Oklahoma and Texas.
