The name Missouri originates from Sioux Indians of the state called the Missouris. The Smithsonian Bureau of American Ethnology states that Missouri means town of the large canoes. Other authorities say the original Indian syllables from which the word came mean wooden canoe people, he of the big canoe, or river of the big canoes.

Bordered By Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska

Total Area (Rank) 69,709 sq mi (21st)
Greatest Distance E-W 308 mi
Greatest Distance N-S 284 mi
Geographic Center 20 miles southwest of Jefferson City
Highest Point (Rank) Taum Sauk Mountain; 1,772 ft (41st)
Lowest Point Saint Francis River; 230 ft
Mineral Resources lead, clay, barite, limestone, marble, granite, sandstone, coal, iron, oil, natural gas, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, silica sand, silver, tungsten, zinc

Population (Rank) 6,044,171 (18th)
Largest Cities Kansas City (459,787), Saint Louis (319,294), Springfield (159,498), Independence (116,830), Columbia (108,500), Lee's Summit (91,364), Saint Joseph (76,780), Saint Charles (65,794), Saint Peters (52,575), Blue Springs (52,575)

Capital Jefferson City
Local Administration 114 counties

Major Industries manufacturing, farming, trade, tourism, services, government, mining
Principal Manufactures transportation equipment, food products, chemicals and chemical products, pharmaceuticals
Agricultural Products soybeans, corn; cattle, hogs, poultry; dairy products, eggs

First Explored By Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet in 1673
First Permanent Settlement Sainte Genevieve, by settlers from Illinois, about 1735
Territorial Status Achieved 1812
Admitted to Union (Rank) August 10, 1821 (24th)

SEE ALSO
Iowa
Illinois
Kentucky
Tennessee
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Kansas
Nebraska
Kansas City
Father Jacques Marquette
Louis Joliet

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This page was last updated on May 19, 2017.