Kansas
state of the United States of America / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kansas (pronounced /kæn'zəs/)[10] is a state in the Midwestern United States. The name of the state comes from the Kansa Native Americans, whose name comes from a Siouan-language phrase meaning "people of the south wind".[11] The land that would become Kansas was bought in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Kansas's capital is Topeka, and its biggest city is Wichita.
Kansas | |
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Nickname(s): | |
Motto(s): | |
Anthem: "Home on the Range" | |
Country | United States |
Before statehood | Kansas Territory |
Admitted to the Union | January 29, 1861 (34th) |
Capital | Topeka |
Largest city | Wichita |
Largest county or equivalent | Johnson |
Government | |
• Governor | Laura Kelly (D) |
• Lieutenant Governor | David Toland (D) |
Legislature | Kansas Legislature |
• Upper house | Senate |
• Lower house | House of Representatives |
Judiciary | Kansas Supreme Court |
U.S. senators | Jerry Moran (R) Roger Marshall (R) |
U.S. House delegation | 1: Tracey Mann (R) 2: Jake LaTurner (R) 3: Sharice Davids (D) 4: Ron Estes (R) (list) |
Area | |
• Total | 82,278[3] sq mi (213,100 km2) |
• Land | 81,759[3] sq mi (211,754 km2) |
• Water | 520[3] sq mi (1,346 km2) 0.6[4]% |
• Rank | 15th |
Dimensions | |
• Length | 213[5] mi (343 km) |
• Width | 410[5] mi (660 km) |
Elevation | 2,000 ft (610 m) |
Highest elevation | 4,041 ft (1,232 m) |
Lowest elevation | 679 ft (207 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,940,865 |
• Rank | 36th |
• Density | 34.9/sq mi (13.5/km2) |
• Rank | 40th |
• Median household income | $56,422[7] |
• Income rank | 27th[8] |
Demonym | Kansan |
Language | |
• Official language | English[9] |
Time zones | |
Majority of state | UTC– 06:00 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC– 05:00 (CDT) |
Greeley, Hamilton, Sherman, and Wallace counties | UTC– 07:00 (Mountain) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC– 06:00 (MDT) |
USPS abbreviation | KS |
ISO 3166 code | US-KS |
Traditional abbreviation | Kan., Kans. |
Latitude | 37° N to 40° N |
Longitude | 94° 35′ W to 102° 3′ W |
Website | portal |
Kansas state symbols | |
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Living insignia | |
Amphibian | Barred tiger salamander |
Bird | Western meadowlark |
Flower | Wild sunflower |
Grass | Little bluestem |
Insect | Western honey bee |
Mammal | American bison |
Reptile | Ornate box turtle |
Tree | Plains cottonwood |
Inanimate insignia | |
Soil | Harney silt loam (unofficial) |
State route marker | |
State quarter | |
Released in 2005 | |
Lists of United States state symbols |
Kansas was first settled by Americans in 1827 when Fort Leavenworth was built on the Missouri River. In the 1850s, more people came to live in Kansas. This was also when people were fighting about slavery. People were allowed to move to Kansas in 1854 because of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. When this happened, anti-slavery Free-Staters from New England and pro-slavery people from Missouri quickly came to Kansas. They wanted to decide whether Kansas would become a free state or a slave state. Because of this, a lot of fighting happened, and it was known as Bleeding Kansas. The anti-slavery people won. On January 29, 1861,[12][13] Kansas entered the Union as a free state--the thirty fourth state admitted to the United States.
Kansas is in a region known as America's Breadbasket. Like other states in this area, Kansas makes a lot of corn, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat;[14][15] they make one-fifth of all wheat grown in the United States.[16] Kansas has other industries too, including aviation and communications. Kansas has an area of 82,278 square miles (213,100 square kilometers), which is the 15th-biggest state by area. Kansas is also 34th most-populous of the 50 states because 2,913,314 people live there. People who live in Kansas are called Kansans. Mount Sunflower is Kansas's highest place at 4,039 feet (1,231 meters).[17]
The terrain of Kansas consists of prairies, minimal forests, with much land being farmed for grain crops. All of Kansas is in the Great Plains.