Missouri

Missouri is a Midwestern US state at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, long known as the Gateway to the West. Its capital is Jefferson City, while Kansas City and St. Louis are its largest urban centers. Nicknamed the Show-Me State, it sits at the cultural crossroads of the Midwest and the South.

Missouri ranges from the rolling plains of the north to the forested Ozark Plateau in the south, with the two great rivers meeting near St. Louis. The terrain includes caves, springs and the Ozark highlands. The climate is humid continental to subtropical.

Missouri culture blends Midwestern and Southern influences, famous for Kansas City and St. Louis barbecue, jazz and ragtime heritage, and a strong sense of regional identity. Sports, river history and the Gateway Arch are points of pride.

Acquired in the Louisiana Purchase and home to the Osage and Missouria peoples, Missouri became the 24th state in 1821 under the Missouri Compromise. St. Louis served as a launching point for westward expansion, including the Lewis and Clark Expedition.