Kansas area. Population and religion

Kansas State
State of Kansas
Nickname	"Sunflower State" "Wheat State"
Motto	"To the stars through difficulties"
Official language	English
Spoken languages	English
Capital	Topeka
The largest city	Wichita
By area	15th state
Total area	213,096 km²
Width	645 km
Length	340 km
% water surface	0,56
By population	34th state
Total population	2 904 021
Density	13.5 people/km²
Highest point	Mount Sunflower (1232 m)
Before statehood	Kansas Territory
Joining the Union	January 29, 1861 (34th)
Administration website	http://www.kansas.gov

Kansas(eng. Kansas, State of Kansas) - one of the US states located in the Midwest. Name from the Kanza Indian tribe. For thousands of years, Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Native American tribes. In the east of the state, the Indians lived in villages along river valleys, and in the west they led a semi-nomadic lifestyle and hunted bison. Kansas became part of the United States in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase from France; the first American settlers began arriving in the 1830s; the pace of development accelerated significantly in the 1850s, at the height of the political struggle over slavery.

In 1854, the Kansas and Nebraska Act was passed, which created the Kansas Territory and opened it to settlement. And since, according to this law, the population had to decide for itself whether slavery was permissible, radical supporters and opponents of slavery poured into Kansas, who immediately began an armed conflict. This event went down in history as “Bleeding Kansas.” On January 29, 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state. After Civil War the population grew rapidly as waves of immigrants settled the prairies and turned them into productive farmland. Today, Kansas is one of the most productive agricultural states, producing abundant wheat, corn, sorghum and soybeans.

Name

The name of the state of Kansas comes from the name of the Kansa Indian tribe living in this territory and belonging to the Sioux linguistic group. In the Sioux language, Kanza means "People south wind».

Geography

Kansas is bordered by Nebraska to the north, Oklahoma to the south, Missouri to the east, and Colorado to the west. The state is divided into 105 districts, which contain 628 cities. Kansas is approximately equidistant from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In Kansas, Smith County, near Lebanon, is the geographic center of the continental 48 states.

Geology

Kansas is geologically covered in sedimentary rocks. The eastern and southern parts of the state are successively occupied by Mississippian, Pennsylvanian and Permian deposits. West Side The state is covered by Cretaceous deposits, which are overlain by Tertiary deposits resulting from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains. They are underlain by older Mesozoic and Paleozoic layers, identical to those to the east. The northeastern corner of the state was glaciated during the Pleistocene, and covered with glacial sediment and loess.

Relief

The western two-thirds of the state is on the Great Plains, and the surface is flat and undulating. The eastern third of Kansas has many hills and forests. Overall, the land rises from east to west, from 208 meters along the Verdigris River in Montgomery County to 1,231 meters on Sunflower Mountain in Wallace County, a mile and a half from the Colorado border. Kansas is one of the flattest states in the USA. The eastern part of the state is occupied by the Osage Plain, Till, the Flint Hills and the lowlands of the Arkansas River Valley, the middle - the Smoky Hills in the north and several plains in the south, in the west there are the High Plains - part of the Great Plains. The plains of Kansas are interspersed with low rolling hills and shallow valleys of numerous rivers.

Rivers

Kansas belongs to the Mississippi River basin. The Missouri River flows 121 kilometers along the northeastern border of the state. At the point where it leaves the state, the Kansas River flows into it. The Kansas River basin occupies the northern half of the state. The Kansas River is short, 238 kilometers, but is formed by the confluence of long tributaries - the Big Blue, Republican, Solomon, Saline and Smoky Hill rivers.

The southern part of the state is located in the Arkansas River basin - it enters the state from the west, flows through it for about 500 kilometers and leaves Kansas in the south, and then flows into the Mississippi. Its tributaries in Kansas are the Neosho, Verdigris, Ninneska, Cimarron, Pawnee and others rivers.

Climate

Kansas is three climatic zones: humid continental climate, semi-arid steppe, and humid subtropical. The eastern two-thirds of the state (especially the northeastern portion) has a humid continental climate, with bitterly cold winters and warm, humid summers. Most of it falls in spring and summer.

Story

For thousands of years, Kansas was home to various Indian tribes, the largest of which was the Kansa Tribe. language group Sioux. The first European to arrive in Kansas was the Spaniard Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, who explored the area in 1541. In the 18th century, the French arrived here, founded Fort De Cavagnal and annexed Kansas to French Louisiana. In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase took place - all these lands were purchased from France by the United States. In 1819, the United States, under the Adams-Onis Treaty, demarcated the borders with Spain, and the southwest of the territory of the present state of Kansas was transferred to Spain, and then became part of Mexico, which declared independence, and later than the republic Texas. The southwestern part of Kansas returned to the United States following the Mexican-American War of 1848. The District of Louisiana was formed in 1804, Louisiana became a territory in 1805, Missouri Territory in 1812, and Missouri in 1821. most of territory, including most of Kansas, became unorganized territory. All this time, Kansas was practically not inhabited by white people; Fort Leavenworth was founded in 1827, on for a long time became the capital of these lands. From 1821 to the 1880s, the Santa Fe Trail passed through Kansas, carrying many loaded wagons from the United States through New Mexico to Mexico.

On May 30, 1854, the US Congress passed the Kansas and Nebraska Act, which established these territories. The Kansas Territory, in addition to what is now the state, included lands as far west as the Continental Divide, present-day Colorado, including Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. In addition to the creation of territories, the Act provided for their transformation into states, and whether they would be free or slave-holding should be decided by their population. Therefore, Kansas immediately became the epicenter of the struggle over the issue of slavery. Settlers from the neighboring states of Arkansas and Missouri, which supported slavery, and abolitionists from Massachusetts and other free states poured here. The clashes led to armed conflict, in which dozens of settlers were killed and hundreds were injured. This conflict was called the Kansas Civil War, or "Bleeding Kansas", and became a prelude to the Civil War.

On January 29, 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union as the 34th state. It became a slavery-free state. By this time, violence within the state had largely ended, but the Civil War had begun. Several battles took place throughout the state, the largest of which was the Lawrence Raid on August 21, 1863. Then officer William Quantrill led several hundred Confederate soldiers and virtually destroyed the city of Lawrence, killing about 200 people.

After the Civil War, many veterans settled in Kansas, and many African Americans also moved here. They fled the Southern states due to increasing discrimination in the 1870s, and became known as Outliers. After the Civil War, the Chisholm Trail also opened, and the Wild West era began in Kansas. Along the Chisholm Trail, cowboys drove cows from Texas to railroad yards in Kansas, where they were loaded onto trains and shipped to the East Coast. The largest of the stations was Dodge City, through which 8 million head of cattle were transported annually.

In 1881, under the influence of Methodists and other evangelical Protestants, Kansas became the first state to ban alcohol and introduce Prohibition, which was repealed only in 1948.

The beginning of the history of this team from the town of Topeka (Kansas) was rather confusing, since its name and composition changed several times, and when the leaving musicians organized another project, it eventually received the name “Kansas”. All this confusion lasted several years and ended in 1974 with the arrival of the group on Don Kirshner's label. The band's configuration at that time was as follows: Phil Ehart (drums), Dave Hope (bass), Kerry Livgren (guitar, keyboards), Robbie Steinhardt (violin, vocals), Steve Walsh (keyboards, vocals) and Richard Williams (guitar) . Debut album enjoyed moderate success, but the musicians themselves liked the work and such tracks as “Journey From Mariabronn”, “Belexes” and “Apercu” became concert favorites. At that time, Kansans were influenced by British prog like "Genesis", "ELP", and the main songwriters were Livgren and Walsh. The second album also did not bring big dividends, but thanks to continuous performances, the Kansas fan base grew steadily.

By the release of the third full-length, the label began to demand a single from the musicians, and they prepared several radio tracks for "Masque". However, the idea was not a success, and the public did not recognize short compositions, while longer epics like “Icarus” were in high demand. Kirchner continued to put pressure on the group to get a hit single out of it and, in the end, he managed to do it. The opener "Carry On Wayward Son" from the album "Leftoverture", written by Livgren, brought the team serious commercial success. The composition remained on the American airwaves for a long time, and the long play that contained it achieved platinum status and reached number five on Billboard.

Continuing to move towards AOR, the band strengthened its position with the help of the album "Point Of Know Return". Thanks to the melancholy ballad "Dust In The Wind", the disc also hit the top ten, but Walsh did not like the slide into the mainstream, and he resisted it in every possible way. In 1978, the double live album “Two For” was released The Show", followed by the studio album "Monolith". Despite the fact that the disc reached the platinum mark and was in the Top 10, neither the label nor the musicians themselves were satisfied with its sound. With the advent of the 80s, disagreements in the team intensified, which was partly explained acceptance of the Christian faith by Livgren and Hope. The album "Audio-Visions" was the last for Walsh, who left to organize the "Streets" project, and his place was taken by another Christian, John Elefant. Religious themes began to predominate in the lyrics of "Kansas", however, in 1982 - the group managed to break into the Top 20 with the album "Vinyl Confessions" and the single "Play The Game Tonight".

The next work, "Drastic Measures", was a failure, and after its release the team disbanded. The Kansas revival occurred a year and a half later when Walsh, Ehart and Williams teamed up with guitarist Steve Morse and bassist Billy Greer. In 1986, the album "Power" was released, on which pop hard rock sounded instead of the signature progressive. One way or another, thanks to the hit “All I Wanted” the record reached the Top 40, but the next long-play was a commercial failure (although I really liked the mix of hard, prog and pop ballads present on “In The Spirit Of Things” Walsh).

Morse left to do solo career, and in the early 90s, one German promoter tried to assemble the original line-up of "Kansas" (minus Steinhardt). The reunited band toured for some time, but by 1992, keyboardist Greg Robert and violinist David Ragsdale became partners of Ehart, Greer, Walsh and Williams. This configuration left behind the live album “Live At The Whisky” and the studio album “Freaks Of Nature”, and then Steinhardt returned to his native land instead of Robert and Ragsdale who left. In 1998, the group released the album "Always Never The Same", based on old material re-recorded with London Symphony Orchestra. A couple of years later there was a reunion of the original line-up, and this event was marked by the album "Somewhere To Elsewhere". However, the reunion was again short-lived: in 2002, Livgren left to work on the Proto-Kaw project, and in 2006, Ragsdale returned to Steinhardt’s place.

Although no studio work was released after "Somewhere To Elsewhere", "Kansas" continued to tour annually, and in 2009 their concert exploits were recorded on the concert "There's No Place Like Home", recorded with the participation of the "Washburn University Symphony Orchestra". A few months after the band celebrated its 40th anniversary, one of its founders, Steve Walsh, resigned... The musicians invited Ronnie Platt to fill the vacant post of frontman, and a little later keyboardist David Manion came to his aid.

Kansas is called the Sunflower and Wheat State. It is one of the agricultural, industrial and oil-producing centers of the United States, and the world capital of aviation and space construction.

Kansas State

Kansas belongs to the Midwestern United States. It is located in the heart of the country and is surrounded by the states of Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Colorado. In terms of size, Kansas is the fifteenth state in the country. Its area is 213,096 square kilometers. Almost three million people live on its territory.

The state got its name from the Arkansas River flowing through it. In the Indian language, the name translates as “people of the southern winds” or “people of the wind.” Like other American states, Kansas has many symbols. Plants include delta cottonwood and sunflower, and state animals include the honey bee and American bison.

Traditionally, the region specialized in agriculture, so the population was concentrated mainly in villages. Industrial development influenced the growth of cities and the outflow of residents from rural areas. However, Kansas ranks first in the country in wheat production, and only Montana and Texas are ahead of it in the amount of farmland.

Geography and climate

Kansas is the geographic center of the continental United States. It is equally distant from both oceans washing the country. Most of it is covered by the foothill plateau of the Great Plains, which stretches along the mainland. The largest rivers in the region are the Missouri and Arkansas.

The eastern part of the state has a humid continental climate with cold winter and hot summers with precipitation. There are hills and woodlands here. A semi-arid steppe climate predominates in the west, while a humid subtropical zone with changeable weather and warm winters begins in the south and southeast.

In the southeast is the Flint Hills Nature Reserve, a prairie covered with rocky hills and tall grass. This is an untouched piece of nature that is least affected by agricultural activities. The main inhabitants of the reserve are American bison.

The state of Kansas is located in the Tornado Alley region, an area where different types of air masses often collide, causing up to 50 tornadoes a year. Kansas ranks second after Texas in the number of tornadoes.

Cities in Kansas

The state capital is Topeka with a population of 129 thousand people. The largest settlements Kansas are Lawrence, Dodge City, Kansas City, Wichita, Manhattan. Large-scale agglomerations have formed around most of them.

The largest is in the northeast of the state. It is home to about two million people. This agglomeration, or rather conurbation, includes two large centers: Kansas City in the state of Missouri, USA, and a city with the same name in the state of Kansas. The latter was founded in 1868, it has many museums, boulevards and fountains, and the center is lined with buildings in the Art Deco style. To avoid confusion, Kansas City, Kansas is usually abbreviated KCK.

To the west is Dodge City, the windiest city in the country. The city is often called the "cowboy capital of the world." IN late XIX centuries it was great amount brothels, taverns, casinos and saloons, cowboys from all over the country came here.

The sixth largest city in Kansas is Lawrence. Not far from it is famous cemetery The stile where, according to legend, the son of the devil is buried. This story is so popular that the creator of the TV series Supernatural made Lawrence the hometown of the Winchester brothers. It is noteworthy that US News & World Report magazine recognized the city best place for the life of pensioners.

Kansas History

As in other parts of America, the region's first inhabitants were Indians. In 1541, the territory of the state of Kansas was discovered by the Spaniards, arriving here from the southern lands. Their influence here was limited only to trade with the local population.

In the 17th century, the French made Kansas part of the Louisiana Colony by founding Fort de Cavagnal. Later, these lands were alternately conquered by the Spaniards and again by the French, until Napoleon sold them to the United States in 1803. The southwestern lands of the region belonged to Spanish Mexico from 1819 to 1848.

The American government viewed Kansas as a lifeless and deserted region, so Indians were pushed here from other parts of the country. Over time, the region began to increasingly attract American settlers, who pushed the Indians into Oklahoma.

Due to sometimes very aggressive and bloody disputes over slavery, Kansas did not receive the status of an official territory of the country for a long time. The events of these years went down in history as “Bleeding Kansas.” In 1859, the Constitution was adopted, which prohibited slavery, and in 1861, Kansas became the 34th state of the United States.

Economy

Together with Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Indiana, Kansas is part of the so-called corn or grain belt of the country. It leads in the amount of millet and corn grown, and also produces barley, legumes, oats, sunflowers, etc.

The region raises cattle, sheep and pigs, and produces meat and dairy products. The state's industry is focused on aircraft and mechanical engineering, food production (flour and canned meat), footwear and clothing.

Kansas produces fuel and construction minerals and minerals. The region contains large oil fields, natural gas and helium. In addition, gypsum, salt, sand and gravel are mined here.

• It was in this state that the heroine of the fairy tale about Emerald City Dorothy Gale. IN magical land it was hit by tornadoes, which are very common here.
• Kansas is famous for its Farpoint Observatory, located near the city of Topeka. Its main task is to search and track asteroids.
• Most Big city state, Wichita is also the Aviation Capital of the World. Products are developed here for Spirit AeroSystems, Cessna, Learjet, and Airbus and Boeing divisions are located here.

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US state
Kansas
State nickname	"Sunflower State", "Wheat State"
Capital
The largest city	Wichita
Population	2,904,000 (2014) 33rd in the US
density	13.47 people/km² US 40s
Square	15th place
Total	213,096 km²
water surface	(0,56 %)
latitude	37°0" N to 40°0" N w. ,
longitude	94°38"W to 102°1.6"W d.,
Height above sea level
maximum	1232 m
average	610 m
minimum	207 m
Adoption of statehood	January 29, 1861 34 in a row
before accepting the status
Governor	Sam Brownback
Lieutenant Governor	Jeff Collier
Legislature	Kansas Legislature
upper house	Kansas Senate
Lower Chamber	Kansas House of Representatives
Senators	Pat Roberts Jerry Moran
Timezone	Central time: VGM-6/-5; mountain time: VGM-7/-6
Reduction	KS
Official site:	kansas.gov
Kansas at Wikimedia Commons

Kansas(English Kansas) (emphasis options: Kansas And Kansas listen)) - a state in the central part, one of the states of the Midwest. Population - 2,871,238 people (2011). The capital is a city. The largest city is Wichita. The state is also called the “breadbasket of America”: it is the leader among states in wheat cultivation. State Flower- sunflower, state tree- poplar. Motto- “Through thorns to the stars” (lat. Ad astra per aspera). In the language of the Indians who inhabited Kansas, the name of the state means "people of the south wind". The state, most of which is occupied by the Great Plains, is bordered on the north, east, south and west. The region's largest rivers, Missouri and Arkansas, belong to the basin of the largest river, the Mississippi.

Story

In 1541, within the boundaries of what would become Kansas, the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado appeared, unsuccessfully searching for the mythical “seven Lusitanian cities” in these parts. The Coronado expedition, which left Mexico, had already explored the future states of, and. In Kansas, explorers met the Kansa (which gave the territory and state its name), Wichita, and Pawnee Indian tribes. These Indians then saw horses for the first time. Later, the Indians began to buy horses from the Spaniards, which radically changed their way of life.

Representatives of the Kanza tribe at the beginning of the 20th century

In the 17th century eastern regions future Kansas from the territory of the current states and the Kanza (Kaw) and Osage peoples moved, and a few Zuni Indians (better known as pueblo).

In 1681-1682, the French Norman Robert Cavelier de la Salle sailed through Kansas and down the Mississippi.

In the 18th century, French explorers Etienne Veniard de Bourgmont (1724) and others visited here. The French founded Fort de Cavagnal, which became the westernmost fort of the colony. Its commandant was François Coulon de Villiers, brother of Louis Coulon de Villiers, who forced George Washington himself to surrender during the Seven Years' War. In 1763, after the end of the Seven Years' War, the lands of Louisiana (including Kansas) came under Spanish control. The French abandoned Fort De Cavagnal after the cession of Louisiana to the Spanish. France regained the colony of Louisiana only at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, but already in 1803 Napoleon I sold it to the United States of America.

In June 1804, the expedition of Lewis and Clark, the first American explorers to visit, passed through Kansas. this region. Stephen Harriman Long visited here in 1819.

Under a treaty signed in 1819 between the United States and Spain (known as the Adams-Onis Treaty), the southwestern part of Kansas (south of the Arkansas River) ceded to Spanish Mexico and became American again only after the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848.

Founded in 1827, Fort Leavenworth was the first long-term white American stronghold in Kansas.

In 1832, 687 Wyandot Indians from Ohio moved to Kansas. And here the settlement of Wyandot appeared. In 1853, Kansas Indians became US citizens. On July 26, 1853, Wyandot William Walker was elected governor of the Nebraska Territory (which included Kansas): Kansans of both Indian and white races gave him their votes. Walker and his constituents lobbied for the passage of the Pacific Railroad through Kansas. d. The federal government declared Walker's election invalid.

When the Kansas-Nebraska Act (May 30, 1854) officially opened the territory of Kansas to mass migrations, a struggle (sometimes bloody) developed between the North and South over the abolitionist (free state) or slave state status of Kansas.

On January 29, 1861, Kansas became the 34th state of the United States. In the years before the Civil War, Kansas became the scene of fierce struggle between supporters and opponents of slavery. The construction of railroads after the Civil War made Abilene and Dodge City major loading stations for cattle coming from Texas.

Geography and climate

Tornadoes are common in Kansas

In the east, Kansas is bordered by Missouri, in the west by Colorado, in the north by Nebraska, and in the south by Oklahoma. Area - 213,096 km².

Kansas has a continental climate, with cool (sometimes cold) winters and hot summers. Located in the Midwest, the state often experiences sudden changes in weather and temperature changes, as it is not protected from both cold air from Canada and warm air from more southern regions and from Gulf of Mexico. When these air masses collide, very contrasting atmospheric fronts are formed and tornadoes occur (Kansas is located in the so-called “Tornado Alley”). The average annual temperature in the state is +13 °C. The absolute maximum of +49 °C was recorded near Alton on July 24, 1936. The absolute minimum of −40 °C was recorded in Lebanon on February 13, 1905. The average January temperature is −2..-4 °C (average daily maximum + 2..+6 °C, night minimum −6..-9 °C). Average July temperature +26..+27 °C (average daily maximum +32..+34 °C, night minimum +19.. +21 °C).The average annual precipitation decreases from 1000 mm in the southeast to 400 mm in the west (772 mm falls per year in the city of Wichita). In some years there are droughts. About 3/4 of the annual precipitation falls from April to September. Dodge City is considered one of the windiest places in the United States, with an average wind speed of 14 mph (6.4 m/s).

The vegetation is steppe and forest-steppe.

Population

Kansas age and sex pyramid

According to the US Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2011, the population of Kansas is 2,871,238; the increase compared to the 2010 census figure was 0.64%. According to the 2000 census racial composition The state's population was as follows: White (91.91%), African American (6.41%), Native American (1.78%), Asian (2.1%), and Hawaiian/Oceanian (0.12%). The white population is mainly German (33.75%), Irish (14.4%), English (14.1%), French (4.4%), Scottish (4.2%), Dutch (2.5%) ) and Swedish (2.4%) origin.

As of 2004, approximately 149,800 people (5.5% of Kansas's population) were born outside the United States.

Population dynamics:

• 1950: 1,905,299 people
• 1960: 2,178,611 people
• 1970: 2,246,578 people
• 1980: 2,363,679 people
• 1990: 2,477,574 people
• 2000: 2,688,418 people
• 2010: 2,853,116 people
• 2014: 2,904,000 people

Economy

GNP (per capita): $35,013 (2008). Industry: aviation (aircraft manufacturing), mechanical engineering (transport equipment), oil and gas production, oil refining, mining, food (meat canning, flour milling), publishing, chemical, light. Agriculture economy: cattle breeding (cattle, pig breeding); crop production (wheat, corn, sorghum, daocerne, oats, soybeans, cotton), meat and dairy. Services: tourism, financial, trade.

Culture

Dorothy Gale from the fairy tale series lived in Kansas. The Amazing Wizard from the Land of Oz" and Ellie Smith from the story "The Wizard of Oz."

Notes

1. United States of America // World Atlas / comp. and preparation to ed. PKO "Cartography" in 2009; Ch. ed. G. V. Pozdnyak. - M.: PKO "Cartography": Onyx, 2010. - P. 168-169. - ISBN 978-5-85120-295-7 (Cartography). - ISBN 978-5-488-02609-4 (Onyx).
2. Kansas // Dictionary geographical names foreign countries/ answer ed. A. M. Komkov. - 3rd ed., revised. and additional - M.: Nedra, 1986. - P. 148.
3. Ageenko F. L. Proper names in Russian: Dictionary of accents: More than 35,000 vocabulary units. - M.: NC ENAS, 2001. - P. 134
4. Index of geographical names // World Atlas / comp. and preparation to ed. PKO "Cartography" in 2009; Ch. ed. G. V. Pozdnyak. - M.: PKO "Cartography": Onyx, 2010. - P. 219. - ISBN 978-5-85120-295-7 (Cartography). - ISBN 978-5-488-02609-4 (Onyx).
5. “The cities allegedly founded in the West by immigrants from Lusitania “found themselves” - after the Treaty of Tordesillas - in the Spanish (Castile-Aragonese) zone. (...) It should be emphasized here that Portugal and Spain were in a dynastic link in the 1530s. For Joan III of Portugal married in 1525 the sister of Charles I, Catherine. And Charles I himself married the Portuguese princess Isabella in 1526. In this context, a Portuguese “enclave” “discovered” on Spanish territory would be immediately presented as a “friendly gift.” (

The center of the United States, Kansas, is one of the most economically valuable states. The special geographical location determined its history and development. This territory is famous for its attractions and memorable places.

The state of Kansas is located almost in the very center of the country and seems to separate the north and south of the United States. In terms of area, it ranks 15th out of 50 and has a little over 213 km2. The state's population is 2.8 million people. The capital is Topeka, and the most Big City- Wichita.

For Europeans, the history of Kansas began in the 16th century with a visit to the territory by a Spanish conquistador. However, large-scale research was carried out only two centuries later by the French, which made it possible to make the future state a colonial land of France. The territory was later ceded to the Spanish and a few years later sold to the United States. Kansas became a state on January 29, 1861.

Geographical and climatic features

The state of Kansas is completely surrounded by other US territories and is landlocked. Most of it is covered by the Great Plains with steppe vegetation (ecosystem - prairies). Of the largest bodies of water, two rivers can be distinguished: the Arkansas and the Missouri. They are the main waterways of the state and belong to the Mississippi basin.

The climate here is predominantly continental. Summer is hot, winter is cool. However, Kansas is prone to extreme temperature changes and tornadoes. This is explained geographical location: Cold northern and hot southern cyclones occur in this area.

Huge tornado in Kansas, USA (2013):

Population and religion

During the Civil War, Kansas became a real battlefield between southerners and northerners. Slavery was not developed here, and therefore the black population makes up only 6% of the total population. The majority of Americans living here have German roots, and natives of Ireland and Great Britain are represented to a large extent.

Christianity remains the dominant religion here. Protestantism, Catholicism, and Baptistism are especially widespread. Atheists are represented in a fairly large percentage.

Economy

One of the state's nicknames is "the breadbasket of America." This is due to the fact that Kansas leads in the cultivation of wheat and other cereal crops. Agricultural sectors such as cattle raising, dairy production, and cotton cultivation are also quite developed.

The aviation industry and mechanical engineering occupy a special place in the economy. Aircraft are designed here and various transport equipment is produced. Also, such areas as mining, tourism and trade are highly developed.

Education

The largest research university in the state is the University of Kansas. It is a member of the Association of American Universities and is considered one of the leaders in terms of the number of students enrolled. The most developed area of ​​study is medicine: the university has several medical faculties and hospitals. The University of Kansas is also home to many museums and galleries.

Kansas is famous for its astronomical observatory Farpoint. Main research programs is the search for new asteroids. The observatory has one of the most powerful and modern observation equipment.

Landmarks and special places

In Kansas you can see:

Guests of Kansas will also be interested in visiting the museum-reserve, which protects the nature of prairies, of which only 4% remain in the United States. Particularly popular are the zoo, which has collected more than 2,500 species of animals, and the museum. railway, which tells the story of the creation of a network of roads in this part of the country.

Fans of the cowboy theme are recommended to visit the town of Dodge City, which is literally permeated with this atmosphere and has preserved large quantity historical architecture. Festivals and celebrations in the spirit of the Wild West are regularly held here with competitions, dancing and tasting food prepared in wagons.

Dodge City in Kansas Longhorn - a breed driven by cowboys to Dodge City from Texas

Watch the video: