Kansas
-
Where is Kansas located in the United States?
Kansas is a state in the United States, bounded by Nebraska to the north, Missouri to the east, Oklahoma to the south, and Colorado to the west. It is located in the Great Plains of the North American continent. Topeka became the capital in 1861. The geographic center of the 48 contiguous United States is near Lebanon, Kansas, close to the Nebraska border.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is Kansas known for geographically?
Kansas, located in the Great Plains of the North American continent, is known for its varied topography, from the high plains in the west to the hilly, timbered areas in the northeast. The state's mean elevation is about 2,000 feet (610 meters), rising from 680 feet (210 meters) in the southeast to over 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) near the Colorado border.
The state has two principal rivers, the Kansas and the Arkansas, and a number of man-made reservoirs. Buffalo grass is native to the west and central regions, bluestem around the Flint Hills, and bluegrass in the east. Kansas is popularly known as the Sunflower State, as sunflowers grow in profusion.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is the capital city of Kansas?
The capital of Kansas is Topeka. Topeka is located on the Kansas River in the eastern part of the state and was founded in 1854 by antislavery colonists.
Topeka's economy is based on agriculture, manufacturing, and government services. It is home to Washburn University and other attractions such as the Topeka Zoological Park and the Kansas International Museum. The State House in Topeka is modeled after the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Kansas become a state?
Kansas became a state on January 29, 1861, but the road to statehood was paved with conflict. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 introduced popular sovereignty, allowing residents to decide on the slavery issue, which led to the "Bleeding Kansas" period (1854–1859). Free-soil and proslavery advocates clashed, resulting in violence and political chaos as each faction sought to control the territory and its future. The Lecompton Constitution, proposed in 1857, further fueled the struggle over slavery. The admission of Kansas as a free state furnished the newly formed Republican Party with an antislavery issue in the national election of 1860.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are the main industries and products of Kansas?
Kansas has a diverse economy significantly shaped by both agriculture and manufacturing. The state leads the U.S. in wheat and sorghum grain production and ranks high in wild hay, beef, and hogs. Kansas is also a leader in wheat milling and a top producer of processed beef.
The manufacturing sector produces camping gear, heating and air-conditioning equipment, snowmobiles, and military and general-aviation aircraft, with Wichita as a major center. Other manufacturing plants throughout the state produce items, such as baby and pet foods, prefabricated and mobile homes, greeting cards, tires, paint, and dishwashers. Additionally, Kansas is a top mineral-producing state, leading in helium production and producing portland cement, stone, clay, salt, sand, gravel, and bituminous coal.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What important historical events happened in Kansas?
Kansas has a rich history marked by significant events:
-
Early Exploration and Settlement: The first European explorers were Spanish, led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1541. The region became part of the U.S. in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. From 1830 to 1854, Kansas was designated as Indian Territory, serving as a relocation site for tribes from eastern lands.
-
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854): This act allowed residents to decide on the slavery issue, leading to conflict and the term "Bleeding Kansas".
-
Statehood (1861): Kansas entered the Union as a free state. During the Civil War, it suffered the highest casualty rate of any Union state.
-
Brown v. Board of Education: This landmark civil rights case originated in Topeka, challenging segregation in schools. The 1954 Supreme Court decision declared segregated education inherently unequal.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
News •
Kansas, constituent state of the United States of America. It is bounded by Nebraska to the north, Missouri to the east, Oklahoma to the south, and Colorado to the west. Lying amid the westward-rising landscape of the Great Plains of the North American continent, Kansas became the 34th state on January 29, 1861. In that year the capital was located in Topeka by popular election, outpolling nearby Lawrence by some 2,700 votes. The state’s name is derived from that of the Kansa, or Kaw, whose name comes from a Siouan-language phrase meaning “people of the south wind.”
The geographic center of the 48 coterminous United States is marked by a limestone shaft and a flag located in a pasture near Lebanon, Kansas, close to the Nebraska border. Some 40 miles (65 km) to the south is the magnetic, or geodetic, center of the terrestrial mass of North America; this is the reference point for all land survey in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
- Capital:
- Topeka
- Population1:
- (2020) 2,937,880; (2025 est.) 2,977,220
- Governor:
- Laura Kelly (Democrat)
- Date Of Admission:
- January 29, 1861
- U.S. Senators:
- Roger Marshall (Republican)
- Jerry Moran (Republican)
- State Nickname:
- Sunflower State
- Jayhawker State
- State Motto:
- "Ad Astra Per Aspera (To the Stars Through Difficulties)"
- State Bird:
- western meadowlark
- State Flower:
- common sunflower
- State Song:
- “Home on the Range”
- Seats In U.S. House Of Representatives:
- 4 (of 435)
- Time Zone:
- Mountain (GMT − 7 hours)
- Central (GMT − 6 hours)
- Total Area (Sq Km):
- 213,100
Kansas was once seen as the country’s agricultural heartland; some nine-tenths of the state’s land area is still used for agricultural purposes. Wichita, the state’s largest city, is known locally as the Air Capital of the World because of its longtime status as a major center of production for general-aviation aircraft. Tourism, financial services, and government are also major sectors of employment. Area 82,278 square miles (213,100 square km). Population (2020) 2,937,880; (2025 est.) 2,977,220.
Land
Relief
Kansas has been characterized as a featureless plain, but its topography is quite varied. The land rises slowly but steadily from some 680 feet (210 meters) above sea level along the Verdigris River in the southeast to just above 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) near the Colorado border; the state’s mean elevation is about 2,000 feet (610 meters). The far western section consists of high plains with few naturally occurring trees and appears flat and endless. Actually, these plains are creased with shallow gullies called draws, which are the product of millennia of erosion and are the locale of some of the state’s most striking geologic formations. Castle Rock, south of Quinter, consists of chalk spires rising high above the level plains. Monument Rocks, a few miles to the west, resemble sphinxes. Near Jetmore is Horse Thief Canyon, which has been likened to the Grand Canyon in miniature.
Under irrigation, southwestern Kansas has come to produce truck crops and sugar beets. Northeastern Kansas, once covered by the glacier that crept over most of the northern United States, is hilly and timbered, with many creeks and springs. The southeast, lying near the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, is rough and covered in parts with scrub oak. In south-central Kansas near Medicine Lodge are the Gypsum Hills, which resemble the mesas of the Southwest and are named for the gypsum found in them. In east-central Kansas the Flint Hills stretch from north to south; gentle, rolling, largely treeless, and covered with bluestem, they provide the only extensive unplowed tract of true prairie remaining in the United States.
Drainage
The principal rivers are the Kansas and the Arkansas. Tributaries of the Kansas are the Big Blue, the Republican, the Solomon, the Saline, and the Smoky Hill, all in northern Kansas. The Arkansas flows into the state from Colorado and winds through southwestern and south-central Kansas, continuing through Oklahoma and Arkansas to the Mississippi River. Tributaries of the Arkansas are the Cimarron, the Verdigris, and the Neosho (Grand).
Kansas has few natural lakes, but a large number of man-made reservoirs have been constructed throughout the state. Among the largest are Clinton Reservoir near Lawrence, Milford Reservoir west of Manhattan, and Wilson Reservoir in roughly the center of the state.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
How big is Kansas?
Soils
Millions of years ago much of Kansas was the floor of an inland sea. The land was built up by the deposit of soil and vegetable matter from streams feeding this sea. This residual soil, with heavy concentrations of limestone and gypsum, is among the most fertile in the world, and in it prehistoric fossils of great importance have been found.
Climate
Kansas has a temperate but continental climate, with great extremes between summer and winter temperatures but few long periods of extreme hot or cold. The annual average temperature is 55 °F (13 °C). The growing season ranges from mid-April to mid-September. Normal annual precipitation ranges from less than 20 inches (500 mm) in the west to more than 40 inches (1,000 mm) in the southeast, with a statewide average of slightly more than 25 inches (635 mm).
Plant and animal life
Buffalo grass is native in the west and central areas of the state, bluestem around the Flint Hills, and bluegrass in the east. Wildflowers of many kinds are found in all parts of the state, and sunflowers grow in profusion (Kansas is popularly known as the Sunflower State). The cottonwood, the state tree, grows throughout Kansas, while in the northeast there are many oak, walnut, and maple trees, as well as cedar and elm.
Western Kansas abounds in quail and pheasant and has the largest population of prairie chickens (grouse) in North America. Deer, once almost extinct, were protected by law for many years and have multiplied to the degree that hunting again has been allowed. Bison, which had nearly disappeared from Kansas, have increased in number and are raised on ranches and farms throughout the state. Several large herds are located on public preserves in the southwestern portion of the state.