Oklahoma lies in the south-central region of the United States.The state shares a border with Kansas to the north, Texas to the south and west, and Arkansas to the east. Missouri lies to the northeast of Oklahoma, with Colorado to the northwest and New Mexico to the west.‘Oklahoma’ is a Choctaw Indian word that is derived from the Choctaw Indian words ‘okla’ (people) and ‘humma’ (red). Oklahoma sits 1,300 ft (396 m) above sea level. Oklahoma City is the largest city in the state and has much to offer for history buffs, including the Honey Springs Battlefield and the Oklahoma City National Museum and Memorial. Oklahoma also features many significant rivers and grassland for cattle grazing.If you liked this article on Oklahoma geography facts, be sure to check out our articles on France geography facts and Japan geography facts too!The Topography Of The Oklahoma RegionOklahoma is a land of fertile flat plains, sandstone ridges, narrow valleys, and rolling hills. The average elevation of Oklahoma is 1,300 ft (396 m) above sea level. The land surface slopes down to the east and southeast at an average of about 9 ft per mi and can be seen ranging from 4 ft per mi in eastern and central Oklahoma to about 15 ft per mi in the Oklahoma Panhandle.Situated in the northwest part of the Panhandle, the Black Mesa sits at 4,973 ft (1515 m) and is the highest elevation point of Oklahoma. The lowest elevation point of the county is near the southeastern corner of Oklahoma at 287 ft (87 m), where the Little River, a tributary of the Red River, flows into the Arkansas river valley.Although the geography of Oklahoma features many mountainous and hilly areas throughout the state, the three major mountain ranges are located in south-central Oklahoma. These ranges are the Wichita Mountains, the Arbuckle Mountains, and the Ouachita Mountains.The Wichita Mountains are situated in southwestern Oklahoma and span Jackson, Greer, Comanche, and Kiowa counties. Mount Pinchot, sitting at 2,475 ft (754 m), is the highest peak of the Wichita Mountains.The Arbuckle Mountains span the Pontotoc, Johnston, and Murray counties and are located in south-central Oklahoma. The average elevation is 1,410 ft (430 m), with the highest peak being the West Timbered Hills in western Murray County, at about 1,419 ft (432 m).The Ouachita Mountains are situated in southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. The average elevation is 2,753 ft (839 m), with the highest peak being the Rich Mountain at 2,666 ft (812 m).The Glass Hills is a range of low hills in north-central Major County, with the highest elevation point being about 1,585 ft (483 m). The Sandstone Hills Region has an elevation range extending from 250-400 ft (76-121 m) in north-central Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, early oil development began in the Sandstone Hills region, with some parts covered with Post Oak and Blackjack forests.The Ozark Plateau region in Oklahoma spans Adair and Cherokee and includes parts of the Mayes, Muskogee, Ottawa, Sequoyah, Wagoner, and Delaware counties. The elevation range of the Ozark Plateau ranges from 650-1,640 ft (198-500 m) above sea level.The Gypsum hills are situated in central Kansas, just north of the Oklahoma borders, and consist of a series of canyons, mesas, buttes, and rolling hills. They have an average elevation of 1,824 ft (556 m), with the highest peak being Mount Nebo at a height of 2,441 ft (744 m).Oklahoma is home to more than 200 lakes that span over one million surface acres. Oklahoma’s lakes provide a perfect place for watersports, including swimming, boating, and fishing. Some of the major lakes in Oklahoma are Lake Texoma, Lake Hudson, Gibson Lake, Lake Murray, Lake Hefner, Keystone Lake, Eufaula Lake, Lake Thunderbird, and Arcadia Lake. Eufaula Lake is the largest lake in Oklahoma, with 105,500 surface acres and 600 mi (966 km) of stunning shoreline.The Flora And Fauna Of The Oklahoma RegionThe distribution of vegetation within Oklahoma reveals a clear east-to-west dispersal. Grasses are found here in abundance, with forested hills, arid plains, subtropical forests, and rolling prairie plains. The Black Mesa area in northwest Oklahoma is full of bright red and yellow cactus blossoms, while eastern Oklahoma has a lot of deciduous hardwoods. Precipitation and surface geology can play a significant role in the distribution of vegetation in the high plains of Oklahoma.There are extensive forests in eastern Oklahoma, particularly in the Ozark Plateau and the Ouachita Mountains. Oak, pine, and hickory forests are pretty common in this area. However, in central Oklahoma state, the woodlands of the Cross Timbers region and the hickory and oak forests in the high plains form a transition zone with the prairie plains.There are various types of grass in Oklahoma, such as buffalo, grama, bluestem, and sand lovegrass, and the distribution of the grasslands also showcase a distinct east-to-west spread. Tallgrass prairie is found in eastern and central Oklahoma, while the western part has mixed-grass prairie. Shortgrass prairie can be found in the extreme northwestern region of the Oklahoma Panhandle.The mixed-grass prairie on the high plains of Oklahoma sees a variety of woody vegetation, ranging from mesquite grasslands, shinnery oak, redberry juniper woodlands, and sand sage shrublands. You can find front-range vegetation such as pinyon pine in the easternmost extent of the Rocky Mountains and the northwest corner of Cimarron County. Shortlobe oak, ashe juniper, and black dalea blossom are found in the Arbuckle Mountains of southern Oklahoma, while the Gypsum hills produce mesquite and redberry juniper.Oklahoma’s rich vegetation includes nearly 2,500 different plant species, with varieties of grasses, legumes, and sunflowers making up most of the vegetation. In almost every Oklahoma county, you can find Indian grass, side oats grama, big bluestem, switchgrass, and little bluestem. The most common varieties of sunflowers are goldenrods, bitterweed, ragweeds, asters, Barbara’s button, and broomweed. Scurf pea, vetch, prairie clovers, and locoweed are some of the common species of legumes found in Oklahoma.Oklahoma also boasts several unique plant species. For example, a common shrub named seaside alder grows in northern Georgia, Delaware, and the Blue River basin of Oklahoma. In the Wichita and Quartz mountains, you can see a species of oak known as plateau live oaks and sugar maples grow in isolated canyons of the Caddo and Comanche counties.Preserved Lands Of The Oklahoma RegionOklahoma territory was once an associated consolidated territory of America that existed from May 2, 1890, to November 16, 1907. The land was then incorporated with the Indian Territory under a new Constitution and admitted as an official state of America as Oklahoma.The Indian Territory is an evolving land area marked and set apart by the United States government. The government has earmarked these land areas for the sole purpose of relocation of the Native Americans, who hold aboriginal title, to form an independent and sovereign state of their own.With time, the Indian Territory has been reduced to primarily only Oklahoma. The headquarters of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation is in the Okmulgee county of Oklahoma. Serving as the seat of tribal government, it spans the McIntosh, Rogers, Okfuskee, Creek, Mayes, Seminole, Okmulgee, Hughes, Tulsa, Wagoner, and Muskogee counties of Oklahoma.The reservation status of the Muscogee Nation was affirmed by the Supreme Court decision in 2020, in the Sharp v. Murphy case, where the apex court of the land withheld the land reservation of the Muscogee Nation and therefore pronounced that they retain jurisdiction over tribal citizens in the concerned Oklahoma counties.The Climate Of The Oklahoma RegionThe climate of Oklahoma ranges from semi-arid in the western parts to humid subtropical in the east.You can expect frequent daily and seasonal variations in the weather, except in the summer months when the temperature remains consistently humid and hot in Oklahoma. Located in a humid subtropical zone, the north and central parts of the state face a humid climate, while the western regions have a semi-arid climate. The summers are humid and sweaty in Oklahoma, while the winters are windy and cold. Over the year, the temperature ranges from 3o-94 F (-1-34 C) but rarely falls below 17 F (-8 C) or above 102 F (38 C).Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our Oklahoma geography facts, then why not take a look at Ireland geography facts or Cuba geography facts.
Oklahoma lies in the south-central region of the United States.
