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Missouri
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Missouri: flag The Great Seal of the State of Missouri features two brown bears standing on either side of a circular shield divided into sections, with a crescent moon, a bear, and the U.S. coat of arms. The shield is surrounded by a belt with the motto United We Stand, Divided We Fall, and the outer ring reads The Great Seal of the State of Missouri. A helmet, laurel leaves, and a ring of stars appear above the shield. Missouri: state bird Missouri: state flower Political map of Missouri showing state and county boundaries, major cities, county seats, and the state capital, Jefferson City. Insets highlight the Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas. A small locator map in the corner shows Missouri's position within the United States. Aerial view of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, rising beside the Mississippi River with bridges and cityscape in the background. Physical map of Missouri highlighting major rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and dams, with state boundaries outlined. The map shows features such as the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, Lake of the Ozarks, and the Ozark Plateau, as well as insets for the Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas. A small locator map in the corner indicates Missouri'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 Ozark Mountains United States size comparison tool with dropdown menus to select two states and a large black map of the US on a purple background.
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Aerial view of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, rising beside the Mississippi River with bridges and cityscape in the background.
Missouri summary
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Missouri: flag
Missouri: flag

Missouri

state, United States
Also known as: Show Me State
Written by
Edwin J. Westermann
Emeritus Professor of History, University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Edwin J. WestermannAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Last updated
•History

Missouri, constituent state of the United States of America. To the north lies Iowa; across the Mississippi River to the east, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee; to the south, Arkansas; and to the west, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. With the exception of Tennessee, Missouri has more neighboring states than any other U.S. state. Bisecting the state is the Missouri River, flowing from Kansas City in the west, through the state’s capital, Jefferson City, in the center,...

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