Kansas, derived from the Siouan word Kansa meaning "People of the south wind", is a midwestern state in the United States. The U.S. postal abbreviation for the state is KS and the state flower is the sun flower[?].
USS Kansas was named in honor of this state.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 1854 which established the US territories[?] of Nebraska and Kansas.
On March 30, 1855 "Border Ruffians" from Missouri invaded Kansas during the territory's first election and forced the election of a pro-slavery legislature.
Kansas became the 34th state of the Union on January 29, 1861. On February 19, 1861 it became the first U.S. state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
The State Capital is Topeka.
The Governor of the State is Kathleen Sebelius[?] (Democrat) and the two U.S. Senators are Sam Brownback[?] (Republican) and Pat Roberts[?] (Republican).
See: List of Kansas Governors
See: List of Kansas counties
Kansas is bordered by Oklahoma on the south, Missouri on the east, Nebraska on the north, and Colorado on the west. It is located equidistant from the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. The geographic center of Northamerica is located in Osborne County. This spot is used as the central reference point for all maps produced by the government.
The 1999 total gross state product of Kansas was $81 billion placing Kansas 31st in the nation. Its Per capita Income is $27,816. The agricultural outputs of the state are cattle, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, hogs and corn. The industrial outputs are transportation equipment, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel, petroleum and mining.
The population is 2,688,418, as of 2000. The largest city is Wichita.
There is also a 1970s American rock and roll band named Kansas. See Kansas (band).
