Birth Date: January 29, 1861, as the 34th state

Capital City: Topeka

Population: 2,688,418 (2000 - US census report that comes out every 10 years)

Largest Cities: Wichita, Kansas City, Overland Park, Topeka

Smallest Cities: Freeport, Oak Hill, Benedict, Frederick

Major Industries: Aircraft Manufacturing, Agriculture, and Education

Geographic Size: 82,282 square miles--ranked 15th in geographic size

Geographic Center of Continental US: Near Lebanon in Smith County

Highest Point: Mount Sunflower in western Kansas--4,039 feet

Lowest Point: The Verdigris River in southeast Kansas--680 feet

Time Zones: Mostly central time zone. Some counties in the far west portion of the State are in the mountain time zone.

Nickname: Sunflower State (unofficial nicknames: Wheat State, JayHawker State)

State motto: "Ad Astra Per Aspera" Latin for "To the stars through difficulty".

State Flower: Native Sunflower, adopted 1903

State Tree: Cottonwood, adopted 1937

State Bird: Western Meadowlark, adopted 1937

State Animal: The American Buffalo or Bison, adopted 1955

State Insect: The Honeybee, adopted 1976

State Reptile: The Ornate Box Turtle, adopted 1986

State Amphibian: Barred Tiger Salamander, adopted 1993

State Grass: Little Bluestem, adopted 2010

State March: "The Kansas March," by Duff E. Middleton, adopted 1935

State Song: "Home on the Range," by Dr. Brewster Higley, adopted 1947