Missouri

For the river, see Missouri River.

Missouri is one of the 50 states in the United States. Its capital is Jefferson City. Its largest cities are Kansas City and Saint Louis. Some other cities are Columbia (which is where the University of Missouri is), and Springfield.

Missouri
State
State of Missouri
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  Show Me State, Cave State, and Mother of the West
Motto:  Salus populi suprema lex esto (Latin) Let the good of the people be the supreme law
Anthem: "Missouri Waltz"
Map of the United States with Missouri highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Missouri Territory
Admitted to the Union	August 10, 1821 (24th)
Capital	Jefferson City
Largest city	Kansas City
Largest county or equivalent	St. Louis
Largest metro and urban areas	Greater St. Louis
Government
• Governor	Mike Kehoe (R)
• Lieutenant Governor	David Wasinger (R)
Legislature	General Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	Supreme Court of Missouri
U.S. senators	Josh Hawley (R) Eric Schmitt (R)
U.S. House delegation	6 Republicans 2 Democrats (list)
Area
• Total	69,715 sq mi (180,560 km2)
• Land	68,886 sq mi (179,015 km2)
• Rank	21st
Dimensions
• Length	300 mi (480 km)
• Width	241 mi (390 km)
Elevation	800 ft (244 m)
Highest elevation (Taum Sauk Mountain[1])	1,772 ft (540 m)
Lowest elevation (St. Francis River at Arkansas border)	230 ft (70 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,160,281[2]
• Rank	19th
• Density	88.2/sq mi (34.1/km2)
• Rank	30th
• Median household income	$53,578[3]
• Income rank	38th
Demonym	Missourian
Language
• Official language	English
• Spoken language	English 93.9% Spanish 2.6% German 0.4% Missouri French
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
USPS abbreviation	MO
ISO 3166 code	US-MO
Traditional abbreviation	Mo.
Latitude	36° 0′ N to 40° 37′ N
Longitude	89° 6′ W to 95° 46′ W
Website	mo.gov

Missouri state symbols
Flag 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[4]
Food	Dessert: Ice cream
Fossil	Crinoid
Gemstone	Beryl
Instrument	Fiddle
Mineral	Galena
Rock	Mozarkite
Soil	Menfro
Song	Missouri Waltz
Other	Paw-paw (fruit tree)[5]
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2003
Lists of United States state symbols

Missouri officially became a state on August 10, 1821. Missouri has also been called the "Mother of the West", the "Cave State", and the "Show Me State".^[6]

Missouri's edges touch a total of eight states: Iowa lies to the north; to the east, across the Mississippi River, are Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee; Arkansas lies to the south; and on the west are Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska (Kansas and Nebraska are across the Missouri River).

History

Native Americans first settled in Missouri before the arrival of Europeans.

In Columbia, 2018, the Columbia Board of Education voted unanimously to change the name of Robert E. Lee Elementary School to Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary School.^[7]

Related pages

• List of counties in Missouri