Kansas

Kansas is a Midwestern US state in the geographic heart of the country, synonymous with the Great Plains, wheat fields and wide skies. Its capital is Topeka, while Wichita is the largest city. Nicknamed the Sunflower State, it is a leading producer of wheat and a center of aviation manufacturing.

Kansas slopes gently upward from the tallgrass prairie of the east to the high, dry plains of the west. It is largely flat and agricultural, crossed by the Arkansas and Kansas rivers, and lies within Tornado Alley. The climate is continental with frequent severe storms.

Kansas embodies Great Plains culture, with deep agricultural roots, a strong sense of community, and pride in college sports. Wichita is a hub of the aircraft industry, earning the nickname Air Capital of the World.

Home to the Kansa, Osage and other peoples, Kansas was a flashpoint over slavery in the 1850s, an era known as Bleeding Kansas, before entering the Union as a free state, the 34th, in 1861. The landmark Brown v. Board of Education case originated in Topeka.