|
Discover Kansas: Facts
Kansas was the 34th state in the USA; it became a state in 1861. Kansas was the 34th state in the USA; it became a state on January 29, 1861.
Origin of the Name Kansas - Kansas was named for Konza (also called Kansa or Kaw) Indians who lived in the area.
State Nickname - Sunflower State
State Motto - "Ad astra per aspera" - To the stars through difficulties
State Song - Home on the Range
Kansas' official flag was adopted in 1927. The flag has a blue field, the word "KANSAS," the sunflower (Kansas' state flower), and the state seal of Kansas. The seal pictures rich Kansas farmland, a farmer plowing, covered wagons, Native Americans hunting bison, a rising sun, a steamboat (representing commerce) on the water (beneath the sun and the mountains), 34 stars (since Kansas was the 34th state in the USA), and the state motto, "AD ASTRA PER ASPERA," meaning "To the stars through difficulty," in Latin.
State Abbreviation - KS
State Capital - Topeka
Largest City - Wichita
Area - 82,282 square miles [Kansas is the 15th biggest state in the USA]
Population - 2,688,418 (as of 2000) [Kansas is the 32nd most populous state in the USA]
Major Industries - agriculture (wheat and other grains), aircraft manufacturing, automobile manufacturing
Major Rivers - Kansas River, Republican River, Smoky Hill River, Arkansas River, Missouri
Major Lakes - Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Cheney Reservoir, Waconda Lake
Highest Point - Mt. Sunflower - 4,039 feet (1,231 m) above sea level
Lowest Point - Verdigris River - 680 feet (270 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma
Dinosaur Fossils Found in Kansas - Claosaurus, Hierosaurus, Nodosaurus, Silvisaurus
State Bird
Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
State Animal
Buffalo (Bison bison)
State Reptile
Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata)
State Amphibian
Barred tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum mavortium)
State Insect
Honeybee
State Flower
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
State Tree
Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
State Soil
Harney series
|