State profile: Texas

The Lone Star State was built on cattle, cotton and oil and cherishes its independence.

Its independent spirit is symbolised by the State Capitol building - its dome is exactly one foot higher than that on the United States Capitol - and encompassed in the well-worn phrase "Don't mess with Texas."

George Bush was governor here before he became president, and this state will be safe for him again in 2004. All major state offices are now held by Republicans, a sharp switch since the 1960s, at which point post-Civil War resentments still held sway and made most of the South a Democrat-only zone.

In the 1990s Texas overtook New York as the second most populous state in America and its growth rate is almost 10 points above the national rate. It is now the most experienced place in the world at extracting oil and natural gas and it is home to firms such as Texas Instruments and computer giants Compaq and Dell.

KEY FACTS Population: 20,851,820 (ranked 2 among states) Rick Perry (R) Electoral College votes: 32

Despite an economic downturn at the beginning of the 1990s, when oil prices collapsed and defence spending was cut, Texas created more jobs than any other US state in the last decade. The Texas gulf coast has more than half the total chemical and petroleum production in the US.

The racial discrimination and segregation which blighted Texas for so long now seem to be a thing of the past, although there is still a huge gap between the rich and poor.

2003 CONGRESS House of Representatives: 17 Democrat, 15 Republican Senate: 2 Republican

Behind the gleaming oil refineries and computer centres of central Dallas and Houston lurk areas like the 15th District in southern Texas that rank among the poorest in the nation. Four of the 20 counties in the US with the lowest household income are located in Texas.

President Bush used to say "what Texans dream, Texans can do", and the Texan approach to social problems is very different to that of other big states. It has very low taxes, a small public sector, minimal welfare provision and the highest execution rate of any state in the nation.

VOTING RECORD 2000: Bush 59%, Gore 38% 1996: Dole 49%, Clinton 44% 1992: Bush 41%, Clinton 37%, Perot 22%

The state has also nurtured and profited from its relationship with Mexico, a stark contrast to California's Latin relationship. Today, 44% of US exports to Mexico are from Texas and the two cultures are increasingly intertwined.