Kansas

Images, Videos & Interactives

The Great Seal of the State of Kansas features a sunrise over mountains, a river with a steamboat, a settler plowing a field with horses, a log cabin, and covered wagons, with Native Americans hunting bison in the background. The motto Ad Astra Per Aspera appears above, and the outer ring reads Great Seal of the State of Kansas, January 29, 1861.

The western meadowlark is the state bird of Kansas.

The state flower of Kansas is the wild sunflower.

Political map of Kansas showing state and county boundaries, major cities, county seats, and the state capital, Topeka. Surrounding states-Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado-are labeled at the borders. An inset locator map at the bottom left highlights Kansas within the central United States.

Small farm buildings and fenced enclosures sit amid wide, rolling grasslands under a blue sky in Kansas.

Map of the United States highlighting the state of Kansas in orange at the center of the country, with the capital city Topeka labeled. Surrounding states and major geographic features such as the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Canada, and Washington, D.C. are also shown for context.

Map of Kansas showing major physical features, including rivers, lakes, and reservoirs such as the Arkansas, Kansas, and Smoky Hill rivers, as well as Milford Lake, Perry Lake, and Cheney Reservoir. The map highlights Mt. Sunflower, the state's highest point, and marks Kansas's borders with Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma. An inset locator map shows Kansas's position within the United States.

Map of the Midwestern United States showing state boundaries, major cities, state capitals, rivers, lakes, and notable physical features such as the Black Hills, Badlands, Sand Hills, Ozark Plateau, and Flint Hills. The map covers states including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, with the Great Lakes and major rivers labeled. An inset in the upper right highlights the Midwest region on a map of the entire U

Aerial view of the Arkansas River flowing through downtown Wichita, Kansas, with city buildings and a baseball stadium in the foreground.

At a Glance

Small farm buildings and fenced enclosures sit amid wide, rolling grasslands under a blue sky in Kansas.

Kansas: Media

state, United States

Videos

Monarch Butterfly Migration Explained

Monarch Butterfly Migration Explained

Learn about the monarch butterfly, including its annual migration to Mexico.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Rinus Baak/Dreamstime.com

Images

Kansas: flag

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The Great Seal of the State of Kansas features a sunrise over mountains, a river with a steamboat, a settler plowing a field with horses, a log cabin, and covered wagons, with Native Americans hunting bison in the background. The motto Ad Astra Per Aspera appears above, and the outer ring reads Great Seal of the State of Kansas, January 29, 1861.

State seal of Kansas

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The western meadowlark is the state bird of Kansas.

The western meadowlark is the state bird of Kansas.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The state flower of Kansas is the wild sunflower.

The state flower of Kansas is the wild sunflower.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Political map of Kansas showing state and county boundaries, major cities, county seats, and the state capital, Topeka. Surrounding states-Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado-are labeled at the borders. An inset locator map at the bottom left highlights Kansas within the central United States.

Map of Kansas

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Small farm buildings and fenced enclosures sit amid wide, rolling grasslands under a blue sky in Kansas.

Kansas grassland

Farm buildings on grassland, Kansas.

© MedioImages/Getty Images

Map of the United States highlighting the state of Kansas in orange at the center of the country, with the capital city Topeka labeled. Surrounding states and major geographic features such as the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Canada, and Washington, D.C. are also shown for context.

Kansas

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Kansas showing major physical features, including rivers, lakes, and reservoirs such as the Arkansas, Kansas, and Smoky Hill rivers, as well as Milford Lake, Perry Lake, and Cheney Reservoir. The map highlights Mt. Sunflower, the state's highest point, and marks Kansas's borders with Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma. An inset locator map shows Kansas's position within the United States.

Kansas

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of the Midwestern United States showing state boundaries, major cities, state capitals, rivers, lakes, and notable physical features such as the Black Hills, Badlands, Sand Hills, Ozark Plateau, and Flint Hills. The map covers states including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, with the Great Lakes and major rivers labeled. An inset in the upper right highlights the Midwest region on a map of the entire U

United States: The Midwest

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Aerial view of the Arkansas River flowing through downtown Wichita, Kansas, with city buildings and a baseball stadium in the foreground.

Arkansas River

Arkansas River at Wichita, Kansas.

© Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock.com

Two scarecrows with painted faces and straw hats stand in a large field of blooming sunflowers in Kansas.

Scarecrows

Scarecrows in field of sunflowers, Kansas.

© MedioImages/Getty Images

Grain elevators

Grain elevators

Grain elevators, Mingo, northwestern Kansas.

Grant Heilman/Grant Heilman Photography

Kansas farmland

Kansas farmland

Farmland near Alden, Kansas.

Grant Heilman Photography

The Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka features a large central dome and neoclassical architecture, surrounded by trees and city buildings under a blue sky.

State House

State House, Topeka, Kansas.

© Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock.com

Political map of Kansas showing county boundaries, county names, major cities, and county seats, with Topeka marked as the state capital. The map includes neighboring states-Nebraska to the north, Missouri to the east, Oklahoma to the south, and Colorado to the west-and a small locator map highlighting Kansas within the United States.

Kansas

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Bleeding Kansas

Bleeding Kansas

Clash between proslavery and antislavery groups in Fort Scott, Kansas Territory,...

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Constitutional convention in Kansas Territory, December 1855

Constitutional convention in Kansas Territory, December 1855

Constitutional convention in Kansas Territory, December 1855; from Leslie's Illustrated...

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Rock Island Railroad train at southern Kansas, 1893

Rock Island Railroad train at southern Kansas, 1893

Rock Island Railroad train at southern Kansas state line, 1893.

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Liberal, Kansas

Liberal, Kansas

Loose soil blown by dust bowl winds making large drifts on a farm near Liberal, Kansas,...

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. 8b27287)

Map of the United States showing the results of the 2000 presidential election by state, with states won by George W. Bush (Republican) shaded in red and states won by Al Gore (Democratic) in blue. Each state is labeled with its electoral vote count. Bush secured 271 electoral votes, while Gore received 266, as indicated in the legend.

United States: 2000 presidential election

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Interactives

United States size comparison tool with dropdown menus to select two states and a large black map of the US on a purple background.

Which State Is Bigger?

Choose two states from the drop-down lists to compare their sizes.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: