Kansas, located in the Midwestern region of the U.S.A., was the thirty-fourth state in America, joining the Union on January 29, 1861. It is the fifteenth largest and thirty-second most populous state in the U.S. The state capital is Topeka and the largest city is Wichita. Kansas' bordering states are Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The major rivers are Kansas River, Republican River, Smoky Hill River, Arkansas River and Missouri and the major lakes are Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Cheney Reservoir and Waconda Lake. Locals of the area are known as 'Kansans'. The area was a haven of violence during the 1830’s when abolitionists from New England and pro-slavery settlers from Missouri rushed there to see if Kansas would be a 'Free State' or a 'Slave State'. When Kansas entered the Union it entered as a 'Free State'. Kansas is one of the country’s largest agricultural states and leads the nation in wheat production most years.
Kansas’ name comes from the Kansas River, which runs through the state. The river was originally named after the Kansa tribe who initially inhabited the region. The nickname, 'Sunflower State' calls to mind the wild flowers of the plains of Kansas and the officially recognized state flower. Hence, the state flower is the Sunflower and the state bird is the Western Meadowlark. The official flag of Kansas, which was adopted in 1927, has a deep blue background. In the center of the flag is the state seal which illustrates rich Kansas farmland, a farmer plowing, covered wagons, Native Americans hunting bison, a rising sun, a steamboat on the water, 34 stars and the state motto, 'AD ASTRA PER ASPERA', meaning 'To the stars through difficulty'. On the top center of the flag is the state flower, the sunflower and on the center bottom written in yellow print, is the state name, ‘Kansas’.
Preceding European arrival in what is now Kansas, the land was inhabited by large numbers of nomadic Native Americans. The first European to set foot in present-day Kansas was Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, who explored the area in 1541.
Prior to the Louisiana Purchase, there was much conflict between France and Spain over some land in North America. Following the Louisiana Purchase, when much of this land came under the ownership of the United States, the dispute continued with America taking the former position of France in the dispute. During the Adam-Onis Treaty of 1819, America surrendered this land, which included southwest Kansas, to Spain.
One of the laws in the ‘Compromise of 1850’ was to adjust the borders of the state of Texas. The Texas borders were moved closer in and the remaining strip which had once been Texas was split into three portions and the land was shared amongst Utah, New Mexico and the third potion remained as an unorganized territory of the U.S. This unorganized territory was then split between southwestern Kansas, the Panhandle of present-day Oklahoma and a small part of southern Wyoming.
In 1827, Fort Leavenworth became the first permanent settlement of white Americans in the state that would soon become Kansas. Just over twenty years later, the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law establishing the U.S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas. With this new law, the borders of Kansas were extended all the way to the Continental Divide. When officially opened to settlement by the U.S. government in 1854, abolitionist Free-Staters from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri rushed to the territory to determine if Kansas would become a free state or a slave state. Some wanted to enforce the act of Slavery, of its neighboring state, Missouri. Others however, were very much against this. This caused much conflict between the settlers and led to the occurrence of the 'Bleeding Kansas'. The abolitionists eventually prevailed and on January 29, 1861, Kansas entered the Union as a free state. By the time much of the violence in the state had subsided.
Kansas' ranks eighth in the United States in both oil production and natural gas production. Its major industries consist of the agriculture of wheat and other grains, aircraft manufacturing and automobile manufacturing. The major agricultural outputs are wheat, corn, soybeans, sheep and salt. The industrial outputs are transportation equipment, commercial and private aircraft, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel, petroleum and mining. Interestingly, Eastern Kansas is part of the Grain Belt, an area of major grain production in the central United States. Today, Kansas is one of the most productive agricultural states, producing many crops, and leading the nation in wheat, sorghum and sunflower production most years.
The climate in Kansas is made up of three different climates; humid continental, semi-arid steppe, and humid subtropical. The humid continental climate, which usually occurs in the northeastern part of the state, features cool to cold winters and hot, often humid summers. The semiarid steppe climate occurs in the western third of the state. Its summers are often very hot, and generally less humid and the winters are highly changeable between warm and very cold. The humid subtropical climate is experienced in the far south-central and southeastern reaches of the state. It features hot, humid summers, milder winters and more precipitation than the rest of the state. Natural weather conditions in the state include thunderstorms, tornadoes and droughts. Interestingly, Kansas is the ninth or tenth sunniest state in the country of America.
Kansas is home to approximately 2.8 million people. The center of population of Kansas is located in Chase County. It is one of the slowest growing states in the country and has more than 6,000 ghost towns. The majority of the state is affiliated with the Christian religion. However, there are also many Protestants, Roman Catholics and Jews which inhabit the state.
The featured attractions in Kansas are: Killed Lincoln's Assassin-Lived in a Hole, Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Kansas Underground Salt Museum, Truckhenge, Shawnee Mission park, World's Largest Ball of Twine, Garden of Eden, Loose Park and Dalton Defenders Museum. Kansas also has some exciting outdoor recreation. Hiking and Biking, Camping and Auto Tours are just a few of the activities, which keep the tourists entertained.
Source:
Wikipedia
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