Missouri Facts & Symbols

Capital: Jefferson City
Governor Matt Blunt
Statehood: August 10, 1821 (24th state)
Harry S Truman was the first U.S. President from Missouri, 1945
State Motto: "Salus populi suprema lex esto,"
which means "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law."

Area: 69,686 square miles (180,487 sqare kilometers), 19th largest state
Counties: 114 plus St. Louis City
Missouri Day: the third Wednesday in October
Missouri flag: horizontal stripes of red, white and blue represent valor,
  purity, vigilance and justice
Nickname: the "Show Me" State
Origin of name: from Indian syllables meaning "owners of big canoes,"
  first applied to the river, then to the land
Point of highest elevation: Taum Sauk Mountain, 1,772 feet above sea level (540 meters)
Point of lowest elevation: in Dunklin County on the St. Francis River at the Missouri-Arkansas border, 230 feet above sea level (70 meters)
State animal: Missouri mule
State aquatic animal: paddlefish, or spoonbill
State bird: eastern bluebird
State fish: catfish
State flower: white hawthorn blossom
State folk dance: square dance
State fossil: crinoid (Delocrinus missouriensis)
State insect: honeybee
State mineral: galena
State musical instrument: fiddle
State rock: Mozarkite
State song: "Missouri Waltz"
State tree: flowering dogwood (Cornus Florida L.)
State tree nut: eastern black walnut
State Grape: Norton/Cynthiana Grape (Vitas Aestivalis)
Economic & Policy Analysis Research Center
10 Professional Bldg. Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: (573) 882-4805 FAX: (573) 882-5563
E-mail: eparc@missouri.edu
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Last Revision: August 5, 2005 9:40 AM