Missouri Information

Here is some general information about Missouri:

Recommended Reading

State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols: A Historical Guide

This guide contains information about the symbols, mottoes, flowers, trees, birds, songs, and even license plates for each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories.

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Name
Offical Name	State of Missouri
Nicknames	The Show Me State
Abbreviations	MO, US-MO
Origin of Name	"River of the big canoes" in Algonquian Indian language

Government
Official Language	None
Admission to Union	10 August 1821
Time Zone	Central
Official Web Site	www.mo.gov

Population
Capital	Jefferson City
Largest City	Kansas City
Population	5,595,211 (as of 2000 census)
Economy	Agriculture: beef, soybeans, pork, dairy products, hay, corn, poultry and eggs, wine Industry: mining (limestone, lead, coal, Portland cement, crushed stone), tourism, services

Geography
Area	69,709 square miles (180,693 km²)
Major Rivers	Missouri River, Osage River, Mississippi River
Major Lakes	Clearwater Lake, Lake Wappapello, Table Rock Lake, Lake of the Ozarks
Highest Point	Taum Sauk Mountain - 1,772 feet (540 meters)
Bordering States	Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas
Bordering Country	None
Bordering Body of Water	Gulf of Mexico

Symbols
Flag
Motto	"Salus populi suprema lex esto" - Let the good of the people be the supreme law
Song	Missouri Waltz
Animal	Missouri Mule
Aquatic Animal	Paddlefish
Bird	Bluebird
Horse	Missouri Fox Trotter
Insect	Honeybee
Fish	Channel Catfish
Amphibian	American Bullfrog
Fossil	Crinoid
Flower	Hawthorn
Fruit	Norton Cynthiana Grape
Tree	Flowering Dogwood
Nut Tree	Eastern Black Walnut Tree
Rock	Mozarkite
Mineral	Galena
Musical Instrument	Fiddle
Dance	Square Dance