According to abbreviationfinder, Missouri is located in the center of the United States, between Iowa (north), Arkansas (south), Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska (west), and Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee (east). The state is divided into five regions, namely Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southwest and Southeast.
The Show Me State has a continental climate, with oppressively hot summers and cold winters. The average summer temperature fluctuates around 30 degrees; in winter the mercury drops to around freezing point. Missouri receives regular rainfall and snow each year; 100 cm spread over about 100 days per year. What is particularly striking in winter is the icy northwest wind. During the spring, this breeze strengthens to tornado strength.
Best travel time
June through September are the best months to travel to Missouri. Keep in mind that June and July are holiday months for Americans and Canadians and the crowds and prices increase accordingly. July and August are only suitable for people with a high tolerance for heat.
Flora and fauna
The north is mainly characterized by flat prairies; southern Missouri consists of the hills that give rise to the beautiful Ozark Mountains (PHOTO ABOVE). Common trees here include Carolina pines, American oaks, dogwoods, cypresses, and cedars. In addition, there are (wild) flowers everywhere in and around the grassy plains and forests. The local mammal population includes rabbits, muskrats, white-tailed deer, and gray and red foxes. Common birds include bluebirds, red cardinals, and song vireos. The leopard frog is a common amphibian on the plains, alongside reptiles such as ribbon snakes and copperheads. Missouri’s waters are home to a multitude of fish, including perch, carp, walleye, and crayfish. The state’s most cursed insect is the chigger,
Main cities
According to countryaah, Jefferson City is the state capital. Other major cities of significance are Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield.
Jefferson City
Jefferson City is the capital, but by no means the largest, city of the US state of Missouri. At the same time, it is the district town of Cole County, which was named after the third president of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson. Less than 40 thousand inhabitants live here and the population density is around 561.6 inhabitants per square kilometer. The city is located on the south bank of the Missouri River, in the Ozarks Basin, near the geographic center of the state. It covers an area of 73.2 km2, of which 2.6 km2 is water.
The original inhabitants of the area were the Osage Indians. When the Missouri Territory was demarcated in 1812, the city of St. Louis and Saint Charles was named the capital. Jefferson City was declared the new capital in 1821. However, the original name of the city was Lohman’s Landing, another proposed name was Missouriopolis, but in the end Jefferson City won out. For many years, the city was just a trading center in the middle of the desert, between the cities of St. Louis and Kansas City. Only in 1839 did it receive the status of a city.
During the American Civil War, Jefferson City was occupied by Union soldiers. Many of the town’s residents then aided the Unionists, even though the Little Dixie area, located to the west near the town, was strongly on the Confederate side. German immigrants created extensive vineyards on both sides of the Missouri River, most of them located around Jefferson County. This area has therefore become the agricultural, economic and tourist center of the country.
The dominant feature of the city is the unmistakable Capitol building. Other important monuments are the cathedral of St. Joseph, Cathedral of St. Peter, Church of the Immaculate Conception or Trinity Lutheran Church. However, Jefferson City is also a city of education, Lincoln University and Columbia College are located here. You can also find here, for example, Jefferson City High School, Lewis and Clark Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School and around eleven elementary schools.
Colonial splendour
Missouri’s first European settlement is at Ste. Genevieve, which was founded in the early eighteenth century. Several examples of French colonial architecture can be found in the charming but touristic village.
Horsepower
The Pony Express was long one of the Wild West’s few means of communication. From 1860, horsemen brought small goods and mail from coast to coast about ten days faster than before. This small museum shows how it all began and ended.
Harry S Truman
America’s 33rd president was above all a “war president”; he took office after World War II, saw the Cold War begin, and served well into the Korean War. His Presidential Library and Museum can be found in Independence, and in addition to many authentic utensils, it also offers changing exhibitions and the detailed Miniature White House.
St Louis
Missouri’s largest city is of course best known for the Gateway Arch, a 192-meter-high arch over the Missouri River. But this city has been a trading post between east and west since the eighteenth century, and as a result many influences from all corners of the world have merged into a great attraction. Far-reaching hospitality, impressive culture and a truly dazzling nightlife are more than enough reasons not to skip St. Louis.
