Missouri is a state in the Midwestern United States.
It is bordered by Iowa on the north and by Arkansas and Tennessee on the south, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee border Missouri on the east and Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma border Missouri on the west.
As of July 2018, the population of Missouri was estimated to be about 6.14 million. It is the 18th most populous state in the United States.
Missouri is the 21st largest state in the United States in terms of total area with 180,530 square kilometers (69,704 square miles).
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the fifteenth most populous city in the state. The city is named for Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States.
Missouri a state near the geographical center of the United States, has three distinct physiographic divisions:
• a north-western upland plain or prairie region part of the Interior Plains’ Central Lowland
• a lowland in the extreme southeast bootheel region of Missouri, part of the Atlantic Plain known as the Mississippi Alluvial Plain or the Mississippi embayment
• the Missouri portion of the Ozark Plateau which lies between the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and the Central lowland.
Taum Sauk Mountain in the Saint Francois Mountains is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Missouri at 540 meters (1,772 feet). The topography of Taum Sauk is that of a somewhat flat ridge rather than a peak.
Two of America’s most important rivers flow through the state; the Mississippi River [photo below] forms its entire eastern border, and the Missouri River slices the state almost in half.
Major lakes in Missouri include Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake, Stockton Lake, Clearwater Lake, Lake Wappapello, Truman Reservoir, and Bull Shoals Lake.
Missouri has 6 national park and 40 state parks.
Mark Twain National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the southern half of Missouri. The park was established on September 11, 1939. It is named for author Mark Twain, a Missouri native. The MTNF covers 12,419 square kilometers (3,068,800 acres).
Lake of the Ozarks is a large reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. The lake has a surface area of 220 km (254,000 acres) and 1,150 miles (1,850 km) of shoreline. The lake’s serpentine shape has earned it the nickname “The Magic Dragon”, which has in turn inspired the names of local institutions such as The Magic Dragon Street Meet.
The Gateway Arch is a 192-meter (630-foot) monument in St. Louis in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the world’s tallest arch and the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere. It is also the tallest stainless steel monument in the world. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, it is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and has become an internationally famous symbol of St. Louis.
Silver Dollar City is a theme park in the US state of Missouri. Opened on May 1, 1960 the park is an 1880s-themed experience that fits Branson’s vision as a family-friendly vacation destination with down-home charm.
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, also known as the Saint Louis Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in the Central West End area of St. Louis, Missouri. Completed in 1914, it is the mother church of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the seat of its archbishop, currently Robert James Carlson. The cathedral is named for Saint Louis and was designated a basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
The history of Missouri begins with settlement of the region by indigenous people during the Paleo-Indian period beginning in about 12,000 BC.
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.
Statehood for Missouri came following a compromise in 1820 that allowed slavery.
Missouri became the 24th state to join the Union on August 10, 1821.
During the Civil War, Missourians were split in their allegiances, supplying both Union and Confederate forces with troops.
By the 21st century manufacturing was fading, as service industries grew, especially in medicine, education and tourism.
Missouri nickname is the “Show Me State”, which appears on its license plates. The ‘Show Me State’ expression may have began in 1899 when Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver stated, “I’m from Missouri and you’ve got to show me.”
It is also nicknamed “The Cave State” because it has more than 6,400 known caves.
Kansas city is believed to have more fountains than any city in the world except Rome, Italy. With more than 200 fountains, Kansas city is nicknamed the city of fountains.
Missouri is home to the most destructive tornado in U.S. history on Wednesday, March 18, 1925.
St. Louis, Missouri hosted the the first Olympic Games ever held outside of Europe. Chicago, Illinois originally won the bid to host the 1904 Olympics, but the organizers of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis began to plan for its own sports activities, threatening to eclipse the Olympic Games unless they were moved to St. Louis.
Missouri is home to the biggest mammal in North America, the American bison.