Nebraska State Facts, Symbols and History
Nebraska Fast Facts
Capital: Lincoln (pop. 248,744) (2008 est.)
Nebraska population: 1,855,413 ( 2012 Census) (37th)
Nebraska Quarter: The second quarter released in 2006 honors Nebraska and 37th in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program.Nebraska, the “Corn State” was admitted to the Union on March 1, 1867, becoming our Nation’s 37th State. The quarter features an ox-drawn wagon-carrying pioneer in the foreground and Chimney Rock, a natural wonder arising from the North Platte river valley, measuring 445 feet from base to tip. Behind the van, the sun is in full view.The coin bears the inscriptions “Nebraska”, “Chimney Rock” and “1867”. Nebraska is filled with reminders of America’s westward expansion, including the Oregon and Mormon Trails, the Pony Express, the Lewis and Clark Tray, the Texas-Ogallalu Tray and the Sydney-Deadwood Tray. Chimney Rock was designated a National Historic Landmark on August 9, 1956.
Language: English, others
Largest Cities: (by population) Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island, Carney, Fremont
Name: The origin of the name is said to be from Oto (or Omaha) the Indian word nebrathka, meaning flat water, referring to the Platte River.
Statehood: March 1, 1867 (37th state)
Symbols of Nebraska
- Animal: white-tailed deer
- Bird: Western Meadowlark
- Flag of Nebraska
- Flower: goldenrod
- Insect: honey bee
- Motto: “Equality before the law”
- Nickname: “Corn State”
- River: Platte River
- Slogan: “The Good Life”
- Song: “Beautiful Nebraska”
- State seal
- Wood: Cottonwood
Nebraska is a state in the West North Central States of the United States. Population 1,842,641 people (2011), including over 60% urban. In addition to the capital – the city of Lincoln (Lincoln) in the state there is only one large city – Omaha (Omaha). Two small towns (about 30,000 inhabitants) – Bellevue and Grand Island. See cities and towns in Nebraska.
Nebraska is located on the Great Plains west of the Missouri River. The area of Nebraska is 200.3 thousand km. The state is bordered to the north by South Dakota, to the west by Colorado and Wyoming, to the south by Kansas, and to the east by Iowa and Missouri.
The surface is predominantly hilly-plain, gradually rising to the west. In the extreme west – the spurs of the Rocky Mountains (height up to 1654 m). On the slopes of the mountains – coniferous forests. In the central part there is a vast area of sand hills (Sand Hills region). Temperate continental climate with hot summers and cold winters, with frequent and severe droughts. Average monthly temperatures are from 5 to 24 C, precipitation is 450 – 700 mm per year. However, the state has abundant and accessible groundwater resources. The most important minerals are oil (discovered in 1939), sand, gravel.
- AbbreviationFinder: Demonstrates how the two-letter acronym of NE stands for Nebraska and a list of frequently used abbreviations related to the state of Nebraska.
The first traces of human life in the state date back to the 9th millennium BC. e. Before the advent of Europeans, the Pawnee, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Omaha, and Sioux tribes lived here.
The first Europeans were the Spaniards from the detachment of Pedro de Villasur (1720). During the colonial period, Spain, France and Great Britain fought for the possession of this region. In 1763 – 1801. Nebraska was part of the Spanish possessions, then was briefly in the hands of France, in 1803 it was acquired by the United States during the purchase of Louisiana.
Nebraska began to be explored by the expeditions of Lewis and Clark (1805), Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1806), and Stephen Harriman Long (1820). Long’s report did not help create a favorable image of the Great Plains among the settlers, so their first streams preferred only to cross this region of the Great American Desert, moving further west. The Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail passed through here.
In 1804 – 1805. Nebraska was part of the Indiana Territory from 1805 to 1812. – part of the Louisiana Territory. In 1813 – 1821. was part of the Missouri Territory, and after the formation of the state of Missouri, Nebraska became part of the area known as the Indian Lands (Indian Territory, Indian country), the boundaries of which were determined only in 1834. The new territory was formed under the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. Nebraska joined the United States as a state only in 1867.
At the end of the 19th century, the Populist Party dominated the political life of Nebraska, during the same period, agriculture flourished, the development of which continued until the Great Depression. As a result of the economic recession, droughts and dust storms, the state lost up to 4.5% of the population, a trend that continued until the 1950s. The revival of the economy was helped by military orders for food supplies during the Second World War.
The state’s agriculture traditionally employs about half of the working population. Large family farms predominate. Irrigated 1.5 million hectares of land. Main crops: corn, soybeans, seeded grasses, wheat. On irrigated lands in the west – sugar beets. In animal husbandry, the meat direction predominates. By 1990, the state had become the leading state in the United States in terms of the proportion of irrigated agricultural land. The predominant industries are manufacturing. The main industry is meat-packing, there are flour-grinding, butter-making, sugar industries, non-ferrous metallurgy, agricultural engineering, and fertilizer production. Small oil production. There is an increase in the number of jobs in the service sector.
Residents of the state predominantly vote for candidates from the Republican Party.
It has state university status. Based in Lincoln – Omaha Branch. It has several major museums, including the Natural History Museum, the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and a large collection of sculpture, as well as a concert hall. The library is the largest in the state. Founded in 1869. About 30,000 students.
