
(iStockphoto)
Capital: Topeka
Population: 2,688,418
Governor: Kathleen Sebelius (D, to January 2011)
Entered the Union: January 29, 1861 as the 34th state
Motto: Ad astra per aspera (To the stars through difficulties)
Nicknames: Sunflower State, Jayhawk State, Breadbasket of America
Flower: Sunflower
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Song: Home on the Range
Sports Teams: none
Origin of Name: From a Sioux word meaning "people of the south wind"
Major Industries: Wheat, Cattle, Aircraft
Historical Sites: Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Museum and Library, Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, Fort Scott Historic Site, Boot Hill Museum's Front Street, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Old Abilene Town
Points of Interest: Wichita Art Museum, Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, NCAA Visitors Center
Bordering: States Kansas borders Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Missouri
Source: State of Kansas

(CBS)
Longitude: 94° 38'W to 102° 1' 34"W
Latitude: 37°N to 40°N
Length / Width: Kansas is about 400 miles long and 210 miles wide.
Geographic Center: The geographic center of Kansas is located in Barton County, 15 miles NE of Great Bend.
Borders: Kansas is bordered by Nebraska on the north and Oklahoma on the south. To the east is Missouri and to the west is Colorado.
Total Area: Kansas covers 82,282 square miles, making it the 15th largest of the 50 states.
Land Area: 81,823 square miles of Kansas are land areas.
Water Area: 459 square miles of Kansas are covered by water.
Highest Point: The highest point in Kansas is Mount Sunflower at 4,039 feet above sea level.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in Kansas is the Verdigris River at 679 feet above sea level.
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of Kansas is 2,000 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers: Arkansas River, Kansas River, Missouri River, Republican River, Smoky Hill River
Major Lakes: Cheney Reservoir, Tuttle Creek Reservoir
Source: U.S. Geological Survey

(iStockphoto)
Population, 2006 estimate: 2,764,075
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 2.8%
Population, 2000: 2,688,418
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 7.0%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 25.2%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 12.9%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 50.4%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 89.1%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 6.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 1.0%
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 2.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): 0.1%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 1.7%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 8.6%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 81.1%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 52.4%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 5.0%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 8.7%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 86.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 25.8%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 429,687
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 19.0
Housing units, 2006: 1,207,987
Homeownership rate, 2000: 69.2%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 17.5%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $83,500
Households, 2000: 1,037,891
Persons per household, 2000: 2.51
Median household income, 2004: $41,664
Per capita money income, 1999: $20,506
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 11.1%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.

(iStockphoto)
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 105,228
Private industries: 89,350
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 3,032
Crop and animal production (Farms): 2,784
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 248
Mining: 2,493
Oil and gas extraction: 1,610
Mining, except oil and gas: 135
Support activities for mining: 748
Utilities: 2,288
Construction: 4,239
>Manufacturing: 14,092
Durable goods: 7,992
Wood product manufacturing: 111
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 715
Primary metal manufacturing: 193
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 892
Machinery manufacturing: 1,282
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 566
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 497
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 374
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 2,759
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 242
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 359
Nondurable goods: 6,100
Food product manufacturing: 2,089
Textile and textile product: mills 44
Apparel manufacturing: 69
Paper manufacturing: 154
Printing and related support activities: 736
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 659
Chemical manufacturing: 1,531
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 820
Wholesale trade: 6,796
Retail trade: 7,212
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 3,790
Air transportation: 45
Rail transportation: 1,141
Water transportation: 1
Truck transportation: 1,294
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 104
Pipeline transportation: 166
Other transportation and support activities: 724
Warehousing and storage: 314
Information: 6,555
Publishing including software: 882
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 55
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 5,313
Information and data processing services: 305
Finance and insurance: 6,157
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 3,141
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 542
Insurance carriers and related activities: 2,441
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 34
Real estate and rental and leasing: 9,989
Real estate: 9,297
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 692
Professional and technical services: 5,306
Legal services: 700
Computer systems design and related services: 841
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 3,766
Management of companies and enterprises: 932
Administrative and waste services: 2,994
Administrative and support services: 2,754
Waste management and remediation services: 239
Educational services: 586
Health care and social assistance: 7,421
Ambulatory health care services: 3,913
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 2,804
Social assistance: 703
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 428
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 122
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 306
Accommodation and food services: 2,538
Accommodation: 483
Food services and drinking places: 2,055
Other services, except government: 2,502
Government: 15,878
Federal civilian: 1,990
Federal military: 2,095
State and local: 11,793
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
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