Photograph of an American Buffalo and calf

Population: 2,688,418

Photograph of an Ornate Box Turtle
Photograph of sunflowers

Capitol: Topeka

Size: Kansas is a 208-mile by 411-mile rectangle, a total of 82,264 square miles. Kansas ranks 14th in geographic area.

State Nicknames: Wheat State, Sunflower State, Jayhawk State

State Motto: "Ad Astra per Aspera," Latin for "To the Stars through difficulties."

State Songs: "Home On the Range," words by Dr. Brewster Higley, music by Dan Kelly.

State Animal: American Buffalo

State Insect: HoneyBee

State Reptile: Ornate Box Turtle

State Flower: The wild native sunflower, "Helianthus.“

State Bird: Western Meadowlark


State Tree: The cottonwood, often called the "pioneer tree to Kansas" because of its abundance on the plains.