Kansas

Kansas

File:Us-ks.gif (In Detail) (Full size)
State nickname: The Sunflower State
Other U.S. States
Capital	Topeka
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water  - % water	Ranked 13th 213,283 km² 212,093 km² 1,190 km² 0.56%
Population  - Total (2000)  - Density	Ranked 32nd 2,688,418 13/km²
Admittance into Union  - Order  - Date	34th 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 sun flower.

USS Kansas was named in honor of this state.

History

The Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 1854 which established the US territories of Nebraska and Kansas.

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. 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: List of Kansas Governors

Geography

See: 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.

Demographics

The population is 2,688,418, as of 2000. The largest city is Wichita.

Important Cities and Towns

Wichita ("The Air Capital") Overland Park - a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas. Kansas City, Kansas is the smaller Kansas City. Topeka (State Capital)

Olathe Lawrence (Site of The University of Kansas) Shawnee Salina Manhattan (Site of Kansas State University) Hutchinson

Education

Colleges and Universities

Baker University Barclay College Benedictine College Bethany College Bethel College Central Christian College Emporia State University Fort Hays State University Friends University Haskell Indian Nations University Hesston College Kansas State University Kansas Wesleyan University Manhattan Christian College McPherson College Mid-America Nazarene College

Newman University Ottawa University Pittsburg State University Saint Mary College Southwestern College Sterling College Tabor College University of Kansas University of Kansas Medical Center Washburn University Wichita State University

Professional Sports Teams

• Wichita Wranglers (minor league baseball)

Miscellaneous Information

There is also a 1970s American rock and roll band named Kansas. See Kansas (band).

External Links

• http://www.state.ks.us
• ["Kansas Is Flatter Than a Pancake"]