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Oklahoma is a state located in the southern Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands regions of the United States, and is part of a region commonly known as the American "Heartland." It is one of the six states on the Frontier Strip. Bounded on the east by Arkansas and Missouri, on the north by Kansas and northwest by Colorado, on the far west by New Mexico, and on the south and near-west by Texas.
Oklahoma's four main mountain ranges include the Ouachitas, Arbuckles, Wichitas, and the Kiamichis. In addition to several smaller ranges, Oklahoma also notably encompasses a portion of the Ozarks. Forests cover approximately one quarter of Oklahoma's land area. The state's highest peak, 4,973 feet Black Mesa, resides in the far northwestern corner of the panhandle near the town of Kenton. The lowest elevation in the state is in the far southeastern corner, near Idabel, at 324 feet. Oklahoma also has what is officially considered the highest hill in the world, Cavanal Hill, at 1,999 feet; this is considering the fact that a "mountain" is anything 2,000 feet or higher. It is located in Poteau, Oklahoma. With 200 man-made lakes, Oklahoma has more man-made lakes than any other state and boasts over one million surface-acres of water and 2,000 more miles of shoreline than the Atlantic and Gulf coasts combined. Lake Eufaula is the largest lake in the state, covering 102,000 surface acres of water.
Oklahoma has a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. Dry, sunny weather generally prevails throughout the state. Precipitation varies from an average of 15in annually in the panhandle to over 50in in the southeast. Snowfall averages 9 in a year in Oklahoma City, which is also one of the windiest cities in the US, with an average annual wind speed of 12.3 mph.
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