The landscape of Kansas is mostly low, rolling hills, with wooded river valleys in its eastern half. Its surface slopes gently upward from Missouri to Colorado.  The iron-coloured Red Hills in the south-west and the fossil-rich Smoky Hills in the state’s north-central section reveal that much of Kansas was the bottom of a vast shallow sea millions of years ago. Fossil hunters once competed for the best examples of prehistoric specimens for museums and collectors.

The state takes its name from the Kansa meaning people of the south wind. Storms produce hail that can ruin crops and property. Rainfall declines to the west, where shorter grasses dominate.

Kansas boomed after the war. Two world wars sparked food demand, and Kansas reaped farming benefits. Within a few decades, enormous herds of bison that once roamed free were wiped-out and beef-cattle took their place. Known as the breadbasket of America, Kansas still produces more wheat than any other state.

Oil and natural gas wells dot the Kansas plains, and it is one of the few sources of helium. Huge military bases also add thousands of jobs to the economy.