Corpus Christi

City and port in southeastern Texas, USA, at the mouth of the Nueces River on Corpus Christi Bay, 210 km/130 mi southeast of San Antonio; seat of Nueces County; population (2000) 277,500. Its port is linked to the Gulf of Mexico via the Aransas Pass. The main industries here are oil refining, fabricated metals, electronic equipment, commercial fishing, and the processing and shipping of agricultural products.

Corpus Christi was founded as a small trading post in 1839, and was incorporated as a city in 1852. It was used as a military base by Gen Zachary Taylor during the Mexican-American War (1845-48); during the American Civil War it was blockaded by US gunboats, and was eventually captured by Union troops in 1864. The city is the site of the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station and Corpus Christi State University (1971).