Missouri is the 24th state to have joined the United States of America, and is located in the Midwestern region of the country. Its capital is Jefferson City and it has 114 counties and one independent city. The population of the state in 2006 reached 5,595,211 inhabitants.
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Missouri is the 24th state to have joined the United States of America, and is located in the Midwestern region of the country. Its capital is Jefferson City and it has 114 counties and one independent city. The population of the state in 2006 reached 5,595,211 inhabitants.
It is surrounded by eight states: Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska (the highest number of borders an American state has). Regarding size, it is the 21st largest state, covering 69,709 square miles.
January is usually the coldest month of the year, with temperatures reaching 32º F, but there is not much snow in the state because precipitations during the winter are scarce. On the contrary, spring is the wettest season and the biggest number of tornados can also found during this period (over 90 tornados per year). Temperatures in the summer reach 75 º F and 57 º F in fall; this is when precipitations begin to decrease for the beginning of winter.
The estimated annual production of the state of Missouri is $195 billion with a per capita income of $29,500. Nationally, Missouri ranks 6th in the production of hogs and 7th in cattle. It is also within the top 5 states in the production of soy beans. The most important industries for the state include transportation, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture.
The state’s largest and most important cities are Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Independence, and Columbia. St. Louis has also been given the name of “Gateway to the West” because, in times of expedition, it was the starting point for settlers who wanted to move westwards.
Regarding communications and transportation, it has two major airports and the 2nd major railway system of the country. The two most important rivers are the Mississippi, representing the Eastern border of the state, and the Missouri, which connects the cities of St. Louis and Kansas City.
Missouri is also internationally recognized for its vintages, the nightlife of St. Louis and the oldest settlement in Ste. Genevieve. Other activities comprise of sailing the state’s rivers, hiking the Ozark trail, or walking through caves or Bonne Terre Mine, the largest subterranean lake of the world.
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