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." The Congressional Quarterly and Census report place Oklahoma in the Southern United States. However, since Oklahoma is near the geographic center of the U.S., the regional influences add to Oklahoma's unique character. Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union on November 16th, 1907. The state's name comes from the Choctaw words okla meaning people and homma meaning red, literally meaning "red people" and was chosen by Allen Wright, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation between 1866 and 1870.

It is a state with a colorful history, including its days as a frontier state, it being a destination of recently freed slaves looking for opportunity and equality, and being at the heart of the oil boom in the early 20th century. Most notably, Oklahoma has the nation's largest American Indian population. In honor of its large American Indian population, and for tourism purposes, Oklahoma is called "Native America." Oklahoma's early history is forever tied to the Trail of Tears, which was the forced removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeastern United States to present-day Oklahoma. As a testament to the state's western and American Indian heritage, Oklahoma (Tulsa) is the home of the world-renowned Gilcrease Museum, which houses the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of American Western and American Indian art, artifacts, manuscripts, documents, and maps.