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Kansas

This article is about the US State. For other uses of Kansas, see Kansas (disambiguation)

Kansas

(In Detail) (Full size)

State nickname: The Sunflower State

Other U.S. States

Capital Topeka

Largest City Wichita

Largest Metropolitan Area Kansas City

Area
- Total
- Land
- Water
- % water Ranked 13^th
213,283 km²
212,093 km²
1,190 km²
0.56%

Population
- Total (2000)
- Density Ranked 32^nd
2,688,418
13/km²

Admittance into Union
- Order
- Date
34^th
January 29, 1861

Time zone Central : UTC-6/-5
Mountain: UTC-7/-6
counties are Central except for 4 counties on western border

Latitude
Longitude 37°N to 40°N
94°38'W to 102°1'34"W

Width
Length
Elevation
-Highest
-Mean
-Lowest 340 km
645 km

1,231 meters
610 meters
207 meters

ISO 3166-2: US-KS

Kansas, derived from the Siouan word Kansa meaning "People of the south wind", is a midwestern state in the United States. The U.S. postal abbreviation for the state is KS and the state flower is the sunflower.

USS Kansas was named in honor of this state.

History

Main Article: History of Kansas

Kansas, as part of the Louisiana Purchase, was annexed to the United States in 1803 as unorganized territory. Kansas then became part of the Missouri Territory until 1821. Then the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 1854 established the US territories of Nebraska and Kansas.

Fort Leavenworth was the first community in the area around 1827. To travellers enroute to Utah, California, or Oregon, Kansas was a waystop and outfitting place. On March 30, 1855 "Border Ruffians" from Missouri invaded Kansas during the territory's first election and forced the election of a pro-slavery legislature.

Kansas became the 34th state of the Union on January 29, 1861. Civil War veterans constructed homesteads in Kansas following the war. On February 19, 1861 it became the first U.S. state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.

Law and Government

The State Capital is Topeka.

The Governor of the State is Kathleen Sebelius (Democrat) and the two U.S. Senators are Sam Brownback (Republican) and Pat Roberts (Republican).

See also: List of Kansas Governors

Geography

Main Article: List of Kansas counties

Kansas is bordered by Oklahoma on the south, Missouri on the east, Nebraska on the north, and Colorado on the west. It is located equidistant from the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. The geographic center of Northamerica is located in Osborne County. This spot is used as the central reference point for all maps produced by the government.

Economy

The 1999 total gross state product of Kansas was $81 billion placing Kansas 31^st in the nation. Its Per capita Income is $27,816. The agricultural outputs of the state are cattle, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, hogs and corn. The industrial outputs are transportation equipment, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel, petroleum and mining.