Missouri state general data
- Time zone: 7 hours less than Italy
- Capital: Jefferson City
- Main towns: Columbia, Independence, Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis.
- Area: 180.533 km²
- Population: About 6,000,000 inhabitants.
- Population density: 33,2 residents / km²
- State abbreviation: MO
- Entry into the United States: It joins the United States on August 10, 1821, it is the 24th state to join the union.
According to thembaprograms.com, the Missouri Territory can be physically divided into four regions: the Dissected Till Plains, the Ozark Plateau, the Osage Plain, and the Mississippi Flood Plain. The average altitude of the state is approximately 370 m; the highest point is Mount Taum Sauk, 540m, and the lowest is in the bed of the Saint Francis river, 250m.
To the north and west is the area of the prairies, the hills of the Osage plains and the lowlands called Dissected Till Plains, and some sections of the central plain. This region is of great wealth for agriculture, thanks to deposits of silt and earth of glacial origin. North of the Missouri River, the Dissected Till Plains section of the plain is crossed by the Nodaway, Tarkio, Platte and Grand rivers, in the central part by the Chariton River, and to the west by the Cuivre, Salt, Fabius rivers, tributaries of the Mississippi.
The Osage Plains are grasslands that lie south of the Mississippi River, and extend from the west of the state to its confluence with Oklahoma. The rivers that bathe these prairies are the Osage, Lamine, Blackwater and Blue, tributaries of Missouri.
The Mississippi Flood Plain is a section of the coastal plain of the United States, extending from the Mississippi River to the St. Francis River. It is a region of great agricultural productivity.
The Ozark Plateau, also called the Ozark Mountains, covers approximately half of the state’s territory, in the section between the lowlands of the southeastern part, and the northern section of the Missouri River. The north of the Ozark Plateau is bathed by the Osage and Gasconade rivers, while in the south by the White River and its tributaries and the St. Francis, Current and Black rivers in the southeast. In this area is the highest point in the state, Mount Taum Sauk, 540 m above sea level. The edges of this region have more undulating areas, with the presence of canyons. The most evocative area of this region is located in the Saint Francois mountains in the south. The region is crossed by underground streams,
The most important lakes in Missouri are: Ozark Lakes, Table Rock, Bull Shoals and Wappapello.
Flora and fauna – At the time of the White Settlement, the flatter areas of the lowland region had a turf that sometimes reached 2m in height, while in the harsher ones the forest of strong woods prevailed. In the Ozark there were forests of oaks and carya, sometimes mixed with pines. New commercial forests are now spreading more and more. Missouri fauna includes deer, wild turkeys, and bears.
The climate – Missouri is humid and continental, with hot summers and cold winters. Average annual temperatures oscillate between 12 ° C in the north and 16 ° C in the south-east, the thermometer in January marks an average of -1 ° C and 26 ° C during the month of July. The rainfall regime is adequate for agricultural activities, with average annual rainfall of 760 mm in the north-west, and 1,270 mm in the south-east, mainly concentrated between May and August. Precipitation in the form of snow is scarce, but more abundant in the north, 500 mm per year. Tornadoes are common, especially in the spring months, but less destructive than in neighboring states.
Missouri: places of tourist interest
Kansas City– Among the cities that have sprung up in Kansas along the routes to the west, one should obviously mention Kansas City. Despite the original contours of its huge silos, the beauty of its parks and residential neighborhoods, the interesting museum of Agriculture and the importance of its livestock market, Kansas City of Kansas is only the little sister of its namesake from Missouri.. When crossing the Kansas River, the visitor does not have the feeling of going to another city, even if he enters Missouri. A city full of interesting contrasts, Kansas City brings to mind images of the Far West. Very lively center, it has well-kept parks, avenues, refined museums, valuable public buildings and shopping centers. On the promontories just north of the center, there is the City Market. Today the 1930s City Market building houses a number of shops, farm stalls, emporiums and the Arabia Steamboat Museum. with artifacts recovered from a shipwrecked ship in 1856 Northeast of the City Market is the Kansas City Museum. The name Crossroads Arts District refers to the area south of downtown, up to Penn Valley Park and the Crown Center. bounded more or less to the east and west by Main Street and Broadway. The most recognizable landmarks in the city are Union Station and the Liberty Memorial, located in this neighborhood. The Liberty Memorial houses the only museum in the country dedicated to the First World War. The Torch of Liberty “tower offers a panoramic view of the city.
Saint louis – From the union of Mississippi and Missouri one of the most complex hydrographic systems in the world is born. Their meeting takes place a little north of Saint Louis, in the most interesting place in the state.
Because of its history and activities, no city could better symbolize the convergence of different aspects of American life than Saint Louis. The cosmopolitan population would be enough to make Saint Louis a typical champion of the American nation, but it is above all its position, at the crossroads between East and West, North and South, that makes it considered the true center of the United States.. On the Mississippi that runs alongside it, wheeled boats from Memphis or Vicksburg carry all the scents of their home ports into their holds. In addition to the greenery of its parks, including the Jefferson National Exspansion Memorial, in which the foundations of the Gateway Arch are solidly planted, in Saint Louis you can admire buildings such as the courthouse and the cathedral and stroll through Laclede ‘ s Landing area full of restaurants and entertainment is made up of several blocks of nineteenth-century warehouses of cotton, tobacco and food, which are located along the river. Restaurants and blues clubs are very busy, especially during the annual Big Muddy Blues Festival held in early September. According to countryaah.com, the Raeder Piace Building, with cast iron structure and is one of the best preserved warehouses in St. Louis.
The charm of Missouri however is elsewhere. In parks where wild animals live in freedom, such as in the Lion Safary Country, a few kilometers from Saint Louis. In places such as Lake Ozark, formed by the Bagnell dam, with almost 3,000 caves: the most famous are those of Onondago, and above all the five-level ones of Meramec which, in addition to having wonderful concretions, evoke the stormy times in which they served as a refuge for Jesse James.
Other cities of Missouri retain the memory of personalities of the last century. In Hannibal, about 200 kilometers north of Saint Louis, visitors relive the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn with their imagination, right where Mark Twain set them. However, it is in Santa Genoveffa, near Saint Louis, that the atmosphere and traditions of the early days of this state are best preserved. This city was Missouri’s first permanent colony.
Cultural Tourist Spots – In rural areas, particularly in the Ozarks, interesting cultural traditions remain. In addition, small communities of descendants of Belgian, German, Italian and Irish settlers are preserved, who have retained some manifestations of their cultural heritage.
According to topschoolsoflaw.com, most of the cultural institutions are concentrated in the capital, Jefferson City, and in the three major cities, Saint Louis, Kansas City and Columbia. Among these institutions we find the Saint Louis Art Museum; the Saint Louis Museum of Science and Natural History; the Atkins Museum of Fine Arts and Nelson Gallery, in Kansas City; the Missouri Botanical Garden, in Saint Louis; the Westward Expansion Museum in Saint Louis; the historical society of the state of Missouri, in Columbia; the Museum of Art and Archeology, in Columbia; the National Transport Museum, in Saint Louis; the State Museum of Missouri, in Jefferson City; the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, in Independence; the Saint Louis Science Center and the Mark Twain House Museum in Hannibal.
Fun Fact – Missouri has several teams competing in US professional leagues: the Saint Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals, in baseball; the Kansas City Chiefs, in American football; and the Saint Louis Blues, in ice hockey.
