Kansas

State in central USA, bordered to the south by Oklahoma, to the west by Colorado, to the north by Nebraska, and to the east by Missouri; area 211,900 sq km/81,815 sq mi; population (2006) 2,764,100; capital Topeka. The state's nickname comes from its national flower. Situated in the Great Plains of the US Midwest, it contains the geographic centre of the 48 coterminous US states as well as the magnetic centre of the North American land mass, which serves as the reference point for all land surveys of North America and Mexico. The state also has one of the country's most precious natural resources – native prairie. Around 90% of the land is used for agriculture, and one-third of the population lives in rural areas. Kansas became more industrial from the mid-19th century, however, and manufacturing is now also an important contributor to the economy, as is the service sector. The state has rich mineral resources. Wichita is the state's largest city; other major cities include Kansas City, Lawrence, Overland Park, Shawnee, and Olathe. Leavenworth, founded in 1854, is the state's oldest city. Originally home to the Kaw and Pawnee American Indians, Kansas was explored by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado for Spain in 1541 and René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle for France in 1682, and became part of the USA under the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Kansas was admitted to the Union in 1861 as the 34th state.