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Missouri
Missouri, state in the central United States. Missouri is bordered on the north by Iowa, on the west by Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, on the south by Arkansas, and on the east by the Mississippi River, which separates it from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois. The name of the state is taken from the Missouri River and is an Algonquian name for a group that lived near the mouth of the river. The state's most famous city, St. Louis, lies near the convergence of two great inland water routes, the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers. Jefferson City is Missouri's capital. Kansas City is the largest city.
Located in the geographic heart of the nation, Missouri is one of the foremost agricultural states in the country and is one of the most important manufacturing states in the Midwest. Midwestern in its grain and cornfields, Southern in its cotton fields, Western in its cattle raising, and Eastern in its manufacturing, Missouri is today more than ever the Center State, as it is sometimes known, and a major transportation crossroads.
When it was admitted to the Union as the 24th state on August 10, 1821, Missouri was the nation's western frontier. Soon, however, it became known as the Gateway to the West, because of the great overland routes that led from Missouri to California and Oregon. Still another nickname was added to the list in 1899, when Congressman Willard D. Vandiver said: "I come from a country that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri. You've got to show me." After that, Missouri became known as the Show Me State.
Missouri ranks 21st in size among the 50 states. Its area of 180,533 sq km (69,704 sq mi) includes 2,119 sq km (818 sq mi) of inland water. The state's distances at their maximum are 587 km (365 mi) from east to west and 513 km (319 mi) from north to south. The mean elevation is about 240 m (about 800 ft).
Other cities in Missouri
Arnold
Blue Springs
Boonville
Branson
Bridgeton
Cameron
Cape Girardeau
Chesterfield
Columbia
Joplin
Kansas City
St Charles
St Louis
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