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Missouri (U.S. state)

State of Missouri
Flag of Missouri State seal 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"
Map of the United States with Missouri highlighted
Official language English
Spoken languages
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
Flag of Missouri.svg
Seal of Missouri.svg
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
Missouri state route marker
State quarter
Missouri quarter dollar coin
Released in 2003
Lists of United States state symbols
External video
Westminster College gym from NE 1.jpg
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.


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