The Texas barrier islands are a chain of barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico along the Texas Gulf Coast. The islands enclose a series of estuaries along the Texas coast and attract tourists for activities such as recreational fishing and dolphin watching. The seven barrier islands, listed from northeast to southwest, are Galveston Island, Follet's Island, Matagorda Island, San José Island, Mustang Island, Padre Island, and Brazos Island.
Padre Island is the world's largest barrier island, with a length of 113 miles (182Â km). Since 1962 Padre Island has been divided in two by the dredging of the Port Mansfield Channel roughly 30 miles (48Â km) north of the south end of the island, which separated it into portions referred to as South Padre Island and North Padre Island.