Missouri (U.S. state)

State of Missouri
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Show Me State, Cave State, and Mother of the West
Motto(s): Salus populi suprema lex esto (Latin) Let the good of the people be the supreme law
State song(s): "Missouri Waltz"
Official language	English
Spoken languages	English 93.9% Spanish 2.6% German 0.4% Missouri French
Demonym	Missourian
Capital	Jefferson City
Largest city	Kansas City
Largest metro	Greater St. Louis
Area	Ranked 21st
• Total	69,704 sq mi (180,533 km2)
• Width	240 miles (390 km)
• Length	300 miles (480 km)
• % water	1.17
• Latitude	36° 0′ N to 40° 37′ N
• Longitude	89° 6′ W to 95° 46′ W
Population	Ranked 18th
• Total	6,093,000 (2016 est.)
• Density	87.1/sq mi  (33.7/km2) Ranked 30th
• Median household income	$59,196 (22nd)
Elevation
• Highest point	Taum Sauk Mountain 1,772 ft (540 m)
• Mean	800 ft  (244 m)
• Lowest point	St. Francis River at Arkansas border 230 ft (70 m)
Before statehood	Missouri Territory
Admission to Union	August 10, 1821 (24th)
Governor	Eric Greitens (R)
Lieutenant Governor	Mike Parson (R)
Legislature	Missouri General Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. Senators	Claire McCaskill (D) Roy Blunt (R)
U.S. House delegation	Lacy Clay (D) Ann Wagner (R) Blaine Luetkemeyer (R) Vicky Hartzler (R) Emanuel Cleaver (D) Sam Graves (R) Billy Long (R) Jason T. Smith (R) (list)
Time zone	Central: UTC −6/−5
ISO 3166	US-MO
Abbreviations	MO, Mo.
Website	www.mo.gov

Missouri state symbols
The Flag of Missouri
The Seal of Missouri
Living insignia
Amphibian	American bullfrog
Bird	Eastern bluebird
Fish	Channel catfish
Flower	White hawthorn
Grass	Big bluestem
Horse breed	Missouri Fox Trotter
Insect	Western honey bee
Mammal	Missouri Mule
Tree	Flowering Dogwood
Inanimate insignia
Dance	Square dance
Dinosaur	Hypsibema missouriensis
Food	Dessert: Ice cream
Fossil	Crinoid
Gemstone	Beryl
Instrument	Fiddle
Mineral	Galena
Motto	Salus populi suprema lex esto (Latin)
Rock	Mozarkite
Soil	Menfro
Song	"Missouri Waltz"
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2003
Lists of United States state symbols

External video

Missouri, Westminister College Gymnasium in Fulton, Missouri

Missouri is a state in the Midwestern United States. With over six million residents, it is the 18th most populous state. The largest urban areas are St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia. The capitol is in Jefferson City on the Missouri River. The state is the 21st most extensive. In the South are the Ozarks, a forested highland, providing timber, minerals, and recreation. The Mississippi River forms the eastern border of the state.

Humans have inhabited the land now known as Missouri for at least 12,000 years. The Mississippian culture built cities and mounds, before declining in the 1300s. When European explorers arrived in the 1600s they encountered the Osage and Missouria nations. The French established Louisiana, a part of New France, and founded Ste. Genevieve in 1735 and St. Louis in 1764. After a brief period of Spanish rule, the United States acquired the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Americans from the Upland South, including enslaved African Americans, rushed into the new Missouri Territory. Many from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee settled in the Boonslick area of Mid-Missouri. Soon after, heavy German immigration formed the Missouri Rhineland.