Harris County

Administrative district of southeastern Texas; area 4,491 sq km/1,734 sq mi, population (1990) 2,818,200. On the Gulf Coastal Plain, it is drained by the Buffalo Bayou, the San Jacinto River, and tributaries. Houston, the largest city in Texas, is its seat. The city and its industrial, commercial, and residential suburbs now occupy most of what was once an agricultural region on which rice, cotton, vegetables, and timber were cultivated, and cattle reared. Oil, gas, and sulphur are major local products. Tourism and Gulf Coast fishing and shipping are also important sources of revenue.