Missouri

The flashpoint of the 1820 Missouri Compromise, this border slave state stayed in the Union amid guerrilla warfare and was settled by Appalachian Southerners, Midlanders and a large German immigration around St. Louis. As the 'Gateway to the West', it launched the Santa Fe and Oregon trails. St. Louis and Kansas City anchor a mixed agricultural and industrial economy.

• Existed: 1750 CE – present
• Type: Entity
• Government: U.S. State
• Capital: Jefferson City