Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, is located in southeastern Texas and in the upper part of the Gulf of Mexico plain, 80 kilometers away from the Gulf of Mexico and 49 feet (14.94 meters) above sea level.
The Greater Houston area (including 6 surrounding counties) covers an area of ??8778.31 square miles and has a population of approximately 4.22 million (estimated figure at the end of 1995); the Houston urban area covers an area of ??596.11 square miles and has a population of over 1.63 million (1992 U.S. Bureau of Statistics
number).
Mainly composed of whites, blacks, and Mexicans, the Mexican population has grown rapidly in recent years.
Houston has a subtropical climate, with an average annual temperature of 2O.7°C and an average annual rainfall of 1.224 mm.
Summer is hot and humid, with temperatures above 33°C lasting 94 days.
The annual sunshine period is 188 days, and there are many hurricanes from July to November every year.
On April 2, 1986, Houston became a sister city with Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China. More than 150 years ago, the Houston area was the residence of the Kalenkowa Indian Tribe.
In 1836, the real estate developers Allen Brothers purchased 2,690 hectares of land to develop and build the city. They named the city after Sam Houston, the then President of the Republic of Texas, and Houston got its name.
From 1837 to 1840, Houston was the capital of the Republic of Texas.
In 1845, Texas was annexed to the United States and became a state.
At the beginning of this century, oil was discovered in the Houston area, and capitalists flocked there. The Houston economy quickly developed around the oil industry.
In 1914, the city of Houston dug an 80-kilometer shipping channel connecting the Gulf of Mexico and established the Port of Houston.
In the 1940s, pharmaceutical and medical industries developed rapidly, and a medical center that would become very famous in the future was established.
After World War II, the petrochemical industry and oil refining industry developed rapidly on both sides of the coastal shipping lanes.
In the early 1960s, the Johnson Space Center, the largest aerospace center in the United States, was established in Houston.
In the 1970s, world oil prices skyrocketed, and Houston became the "Energy Capital of the World" with favorable conditions.
However, due to the U.S. economic recession in 1980, falling oil prices and other reasons, Houston's economy suffered a serious setback, and the unemployment rate was once as high as 10%.
Since then, the city of Houston has been committed to changing the single oil industry and developing towards diversification, allowing its economy to recover and develop in the 1980s.
After entering the 1990s, despite the economic downturn in other parts of the United States, Houston's economic growth momentum continued unabated and it has gradually become one of the high-tech centers in the United States.
In 1994, the gross product value of the Greater Houston area was US$137.306 billion, of which the service industry, manufacturing, retail industry, transportation industry and mining accounted for more than 75%.
Houston ranks 7th in the United States in manufacturing and 11th in retail. In 1997, the region provided 1.76 million jobs.
Houston is a major center for big business.
Among the 5OO largest companies in the United States, 15 are headquartered in Houston (including 5 of the 5OO largest companies in the world).
Many other large companies also have their U.S. headquarters in Houston.
In addition, according to "Happiness" magazine in 1995, three of the 100 fastest-growing companies used Houston as their home base.
These rankings are based on sales and profit growth in recent years.
In 1994, Houston's manufacturing output value reached US$21.875 billion, accounting for 15.9% of the Greater Houston area's GDP.
The main products include chemicals, gasoline, non-electric machinery, oil field equipment, food and metal products, etc.
Houston is the center of the U.S. petroleum and petrochemical industries.
It is in a leading position in mining, processing, transportation, market development, services, supply and technology.
A pipeline thousands of miles long connects more than 200 chemical plants, refineries, salt processing plants and distilleries along the Texas Gulf Coast.
According to statistics, 932,000 tons of primary plastic products were exported through the Port of Houston in 1994.
28 of the 100 largest energy companies in the United States are headquartered here, and there are more than 5,000 companies engaged in energy-related businesses.
Houston is also a very important international financial and trade center. Nearly 40 of the world's 50 largest banks have established branches or representative offices here.
The Houston area has a good investment and business environment.
There are currently 20 major companies on the Fortune 500 list.
Its land transportation is very convenient, with 14 main railway lines radiating outwards, making it one of the busiest railway freight centers in the United States.
Freeways extend in all directions, and two major interstates intersect here.
Houston's three airports make up the fourth largest airport system in the United States.
Bush International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the southern United States. 24 passenger companies and 11 cargo companies operate here. Passenger routes connect 110 domestic stations and 50 international stations in 22 countries in the five major states.
The Port of Houston is the largest port in the United States for import and export trade and an important gateway for U.S. foreign trade. Its total port throughput ranks first in the United States.
One of the financial centers.
The Greater Houston area brings together 629 commercial banks, 220 credit institutions, 659 mortgage institutions and 905 securities trading institutions.
In 2001, the services sector accounted for one-fifth of the region's GDP ($230.4 billion).