休斯敦（HOUSTON）位于德克萨斯州东南部，加尔维斯顿湾西北岸平原上，通过长80公里的通海运河与墨西哥相连。为美国南部最大城市。20世纪初随着石油和天然气的开发逐渐发展这新兴“石油城”，以石油和石化工业为主体的工业体系随之形成。炼油能力居世界首位，被称为“世界石油之都”。全国2/3的乙烯和1/2的合成橡胶均在此生产。休斯顿还是美国宇航中心，国家宇航局在此设立航天中心和约翰逊空间研究中心，有“宇宙城”之称。休斯顿系一人工港，目前是美国最大的石油和小麦输出港，港口吞吐量低于新奥尔良和纽约港。 Port History In 1836, the Battle of San Jacinto won Texas independence, and Santa Anna was captured by Sam Houston’s Texican troops. Nearby, the Port of Houston grew slowly due to yellow fever epidemics, but it soon it became a cotton-shipping port. The Port of Houston was a haven for Confederates running Union naval blockades during the U.S. Civil War. Union troops captured nearby Galveston Island briefly. The Port of Houston’s first dock was built in 1840, and Buffalo Bayou was widened and deepened in the 1870s. Completion of the Houston Ship Channel in 1914 brought oil refineries in the 1920s and 30s. By 1980, the port was the third largest in the U.S., handling over 80 million tons of foreign, coastal, and canal shipping each year. Port Commerce Authorized in 1927 by the Texas Legislature, the autonomous Port of Houston Authority operates the port. In 2004, the port authority celebrated the ship channel’s 90th anniversary. In 2005, the port authority completed a 5-1/2-year plan to deepen the channel from to 45 feet and widen it to 530 feet. Today, the Port of Houston is first in the country for foreign tonnage, second in total tonnage, and tenth in the world in total tonnage. Over 200 million tons of cargo passed through the Port of Houston in 2006, and more than 7 thousand vessels called that year. In 2006, the Port of Houston handled more than 1.6 million TEUs in containerized cargo, and the value of foreign trade was over $100 billion. Cruising and Travel Scheduled to open in 2008, the new Bayport Cruise Terminal will offer unique experiences for cruise travelers who want efficient world-class services before and after their cruise. The Port of Houston terminal will provide the finest modern traveler-friendly amenities available. On the western shore of Galveston Bay, Bayport Cruise Terminal is close to restaurants and hotels and close to both Houston airports, making it an ideal place to disembark.