Kansas

State of Kansas

Flag of Kansas Seal of Kansas Nickname(s): The Sunflower State Motto(s): Ad astra per aspera
Official language(s)	none
Capital	Topeka
Largest city	Wichita
Area	Ranked 15th
- Total	82,277 sq mi (213,096 km²)
- Width	211 miles (340 km)
- Length	417 miles (645 km)
- % water	0.56
- Latitude	37°N to 40°N
- Longitude	94°38'W to 102°1'34"W
Population	Ranked 33rd
- Total (2000)	2,688,418
- Density	32.9/sq mi  12.7/km² (40th)
Elevation
- Highest point	Mount Sunflower 4,039 ft  (1,232 m)
- Mean	2,000 ft  (600 m)
- Lowest point	Verdigris River 679 ft  (207 m)
Admission to Union	January 29, 1861 (34th)
Governor	Kathleen Sebelius (D)
U.S. Senators	Sam Brownback (R) Pat Roberts (R)
Time zones
- most of state	Central: UTC-6/-5
- 4 western counties	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Abbreviations	KS US-KS
Web site	www.kansas.gov

Kansas is a Midwestern state in the Central United States. The state is named after the Kansas River that flows through it, which in turn derived its name from the Siouan word Kansa meaning "People of the south winds." The capital is Topeka and the largest city is Wichita.

Located in the heartland of the country, Kansas is home to the geographical center of the contiguous United States. Historically home to large numbers of Native Americans who hunted buffalo there, the state was first settled by white Americans in the 1850s. Beginning in 1854, abolitionists from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri rushed to the territory to determine if Kansas would become a free state. Known as Bleeding Kansas, the state was a hotbed of violence and chaos in its early days as these forces collided. On January 29, 1861 Kansas entered the Union as a free state. After the Civil War, the population of Kansas exploded after waves of immigrants turned the prairie into productive farmland. Today, Kansas is one of the most productive agricultural states, leading the nation in wheat production.