Texas is the second-largest state in the United States, with an area of 261,797 square miles (678,050 km2) and a population of 27.47 million in 254 counties. This covers an area 773 miles (1,244 km) wide by 790 miles (1,270 km) long. Due to its location and size, it is a part of a large number of unique geological regions, including the piney woods of East Texas, the plains in the Panhandle, the mountains in far West Texas, and hundreds of miles of coastline.