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33 OKLAHOMA The State of Oklahoma encompasses an area of approximately 70,000 square miles. Elevations vary from about 366 feet above mean sea level at the Arkansas River at the Oklahoma-Arkansas state line, to some 4,000 feet at the western tip of the Panhandle. The Arkansas and Red River systems comprise the two major watersheds. The northern two-thirds of the State is drained by the Arkansas River and its tributaries, while the southern one- third is a part of the Red River system. Both the Arkansas and Red Rivers, as well as many of their important tributaries, originate outside Oklahoma, flow easterly and southeasterly across Oklahoma into the State of Arkansas and thence to their confluence with the Mississippi and Atchafa1aya Rivers. Both streams and many of their important tributaries are consequently interstate streams and, as such, are subject to both state and interstate jurisdictional problems. As a result of its expanse and location, the State's climate differs greatly throughout, varying from semi-arid in the west to humid in the east. Land also varies enormously with respect to agricultural possibilities. This is due partly to the diversity and quality of the soils and partly to great differences in climatic conditions. In general, the westerly portion of the State contains an abundance of fertile lands but is handicapped by rainfall deficiences, while the easterly portion which enjoys an abundance of rainfall suffers from a shortage of farm lands. From statehood, in 1907, to 1930 the population of the State increased. During this period agriculture was the State's most important industry, followed by mining and manufacturing in that order. In the early thirties and thereafter, agriculture became less important as a source of employment because mechanization replaced the need for labor. This drying up of an important source of basic employment resulted in a sharp decline in the rate of growth of many areas, although some areas replaced the basic employment loss in agriculture with other types, particularly manufacturing, and continued to grow. During the two decades from 1930 to 1950, the State as a whole lost 6.8 percent of its population although urban centers have shown a consistent gain. Because of the failure to, fill the gap created by the decline in 'agricultural employment, Oklahoma became one of the areas where employment and population nearly stabilized at a time when the population of the nation was steadily growing. In recent years, however, there have been some successful efforts to counteract the,dec1ine in agricultural jobs with more manufacturing and governmental employment so the State's population began increasing again. The most important industries in the State from the view- point of percent of total output, were manufacturing, government, and mining. In the future, manufacturing is expected to become even more important in Oklahoma's production complex.