Oklahoma is bordered by the state of Texas on the
south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the
east, New Mexico on the west, and Colorado on the northwest. It is the
20th-most extensive and the 28th-most populous of the 50 United States. The
state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning "red
people". It is also known informally by its nickname "The Sooner
State", in reference to the non-Native settlers who staked their claims on
land before the official opening date of lands in the western Oklahoma
Territory or before the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889, which increased
European-American settlement in the eastern Indian Territory. Oklahoma
Territory and Indian Territory were merged into the State of Oklahoma when it
became the 46th state to enter the union on 16 November 1907. Its residents are
known as Oklahomans (or colloquially "Okies"), and its capital and
largest city is Oklahoma City.
A major producer of natural gas, oil, and agricultural
products, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy,
telecommunications, and biotechnology. Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as
Oklahoma's primary economic anchors, with nearly two-thirds of Oklahomans
living within their metropolitan statistical areas.
With ancient mountain ranges, prairie, mesas, and
eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the Great Plains, Cross Timbers, and
the U.S. Interior Highlands, a region prone to severe weather. More than 25
Native American languages are spoken in Oklahoma, ranking third behind Alaska
and California.
Oklahoma is on a confluence of three major American
cultural regions and historically served as a route for cattle drives, a destination
for Southern settlers, and a government-sanctioned territory for Native
Americans.
The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags
of our nation and Greetings series and the stamp commemorating the 100th
anniversary of statehood. I sent the envelope to the post office in the capital
Oklahoma City to be postmarked. It arrived back in three weeks with a perfect
datestamp inside a transparent cover to protect it from the sorting machine.
Date sent: 6 June 2017
Date postmark: 19 June 2017
Date received: 27 June 2017
Number of days: 21
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