- published: 30 Jun 2016
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Texas /ˈtɛksəs/ (Spanish: Texas or Tejas [ˈtexas]) is a state in the United States of America. It is the second most populous and second largest state by area in the US. Geographically located in the south central part of the country, Texas shares an international border with Mexico to the south and borders the states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km2) and a growing population of over 27.5 million residents (July 2015).
Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest United States metropolitan statistical areas, respectively. Other major cities include Austin (the state capital) and El Paso. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas as a former independent republic, and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texan state flag and on the Texan state seal. The origin of the state name, Texas, is from the word, "Tejas", which means 'friends' in the Caddo language.
Christopher Whitelaw "Chris" Pine (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor. The son of actor Robert Pine, he is known for his role as James T. Kirk in the reboot Star Trek (2009) and its sequels Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Star Trek Beyond (2016) and has also appeared in films including The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), Just My Luck (2006), Smokin' Aces (2007), Unstoppable (2010), This Means War (2012), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), as Jack Ryan in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), and as Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods (2014).
Pine was born in Los Angeles, California. His father, Robert Pine (born 1941), is an actor who co-starred on CHiPs as Sergeant Joseph Getraer, and his mother, Gwynne Gilford (born 1946), is a former actress who is now a practicing psychotherapist. He has an older sister, Katie. His maternal grandmother, Anne Gwynne (née Marguerite Gwynne Trice), was a Hollywood actress, and his maternal grandfather, Max M. Gilford (born Max Goldfarb), was an attorney who was elected president of the Hollywood Bar Association. Pine's maternal grandfather was from a Russian Jewish family, while his other ancestry is English, Welsh, German, and French.