State Abbreviation - MO
State Capital - Jefferson City
Largest City - St. Louis
Area - 69,709 square miles [Missouri is the 21st biggest state in the USA]
Population - 5,595,211 (as of 2000) [Missouri is the 16th most populous state in the USA]
Name for Residents - Missourians
Major Industries - farming (corn, soybeans), mining (zinc, lead), aircraft equipment, cars, beer

Presidential Birthplace - Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar (near Joplin) on May 8, 1884 (he was the 33rd US President, serving from 1945 to 1953).

Major Rivers - Mississippi River, Missouri River, Osage River
Major Lakes - Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake, Clearwater Lake, Lake Wappapello
Highest Point - Taum Sauk Mountain- 1,772 feet (540 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Origin of the Name Missouri - Missouri was named for an Algonquian Indian word that means "river of the big canoes." State Nickname - The Show Me State
State Motto - "Salus populi suprema lex esto " - The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law
State Song - Missouri Waltz