  We study the non-uniform nuclear matter using the self-consistent
Thomas--Fermi approximation with a relativistic mean-field model. The
non-uniform matter is assumed to be composed of a lattice of heavy nuclei
surrounded by dripped nucleons. At each temperature $T$, proton fraction $Y_p$,
and baryon mass density $\rho_B$, we determine the thermodynamically favored
state by minimizing the free energy with respect to the radius of the
Wigner--Seitz cell, while the nucleon distribution in the cell can be
determined self-consistently in the Thomas--Fermi approximation. A detailed
comparison is made between the present results and previous calculations in the
Thomas--Fermi approximation with a parameterized nucleon distribution that has
been adopted in the widely used Shen EOS.
