Back Nebraska AF Nebraska ALS ነብራስካ AM Nebraska AN Gnebrāsca ANG نبراسكا Arabic ܢܝܒܪܐܣܟܐ ARC نيبراسكا ARY نبراسكا ARZ Nebraska AST

Nebraska

This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, see Nebraska (disambiguation).

Nebraska
State
Flag of Nebraska
Flag
Official seal of Nebraska
Seal
Nickname: 
The Cornhusker State
Motto: 
Equality before the law
Anthem: "Beautiful Nebraska"
Map of the United States with Nebraska highlighted
Map of the United States with Nebraska highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodNebraska Territory
Admitted to the UnionMarch 1, 1867 (37th)
CapitalLincoln
Largest cityOmaha
Largest county or equivalentDouglas
Largest metro and urban areasOmaha–Council Bluffs
Government
 • GovernorJim Pillen (R)
 • Lieutenant GovernorJoe Kelly (R)
LegislatureNebraska Legislature
JudiciaryNebraska Supreme Court
U.S. senatorsDeb Fischer (R)
Pete Ricketts (R)
U.S. House delegation1: Mike Flood (R)
2: Don Bacon (R)
3: Adrian Smith (R) (list)
Area
 • Total77,327[1] sq mi (200,356 km2)
 • Land76,796[1] sq mi (199,099 km2)
 • Water531[1] sq mi (1,247 km2)  0.7%
 • Rank16th
Dimensions
 • Length430 mi (690 km)
 • Width210 mi (340 km)
Elevation
2,600 ft (790 m)
Highest elevation
(Panorama Point[2][a])
5,424 ft (1,654 m)
Lowest elevation
(Missouri River at Kansas border[2][a])
840 ft (256 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,961,504[3]
 • Rank38th
 • Density24.94/sq mi (9.62/km2)
  • Rank43rd
 • Median household income
$59,970[4]
 • Income rank
25th
DemonymNebraskan
Language
 • Official languageEnglish[5][6]
Time zones
most of stateUTC−06:00 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−05:00 (CDT)
PanhandleUTC−07:00 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
USPS abbreviation
NE
ISO 3166 codeUS-NE
Traditional abbreviationNeb., Nebr.
Latitude40° N to 43° N
Longitude95° 19′ W to 104° 03′ W
Websitenebraska.gov
State symbols of Nebraska
List of state symbols
Flag of Nebraska
Seal of Nebraska
SloganWelcome to NEBRASKAland where the West begins[7] The Official Symbol and Slogan of Nebraska
Living insignia
BirdWestern meadowlark[8]
FishChannel catfish
FlowerTall Goldenrod[9]
GrassLittle bluestem[10]
InsectWestern honey bee[11]
MammalWhite-tailed deer[12]
TreeEastern Cottonwood[13]
Inanimate insignia
BeverageMilk
Soft drink: Kool-aid
DanceSquare dance
FossilMammoth[14]
GemstoneBlue agate[15]
RockPrairie agate[16]
RiverPlatte River
SoilHoldrege series
State route marker
Route marker
Lists of United States state symbols

Nebraska (/nəˈbræskə/ ⓘ nə-BRASS-kə)[17] is a triply landlocked state[18] in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. Nebraska is the 16th largest state by land area, with just over 77,220 square miles (200,000 km2). With a population of over 1.9 million, it is the 37th most populous state and the 7th least densely populated. Its capital is Lincoln, and its most populous city is Omaha, which is on the Missouri River. Nebraska was admitted into the United States in 1867, two years after the end of the American Civil War. The Nebraska Legislature is unlike any other American legislature in that it is unicameral, and its members are elected without any official reference to political party affiliation.

Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains. The Dissected Till Plains region consists of gently rolling hills and contains the state's largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln. The Great Plains region, occupying most of western Nebraska, is characterized by treeless prairie. Eastern Nebraska has a humid continental climate while western Nebraska is primarily semi-arid. The state has wide variations between winter and summer temperatures; the variations decrease in southern Nebraska. Violent thunderstorms and tornadoes occur primarily during spring and summer, and sometimes in autumn. Chinook wind tends to warm the state significantly in the winter and early spring.

Indigenous peoples, including Omaha, Missouria, Ponca, Pawnee, Otoe, and various branches of the Lakota (Sioux) tribes, lived in the region for thousands of years before European exploration. The state is crossed by many historic trails, including that of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad through Nebraska and passage of the Homestead Acts led to rapid growth in the population of Euro-American settlers in the 1870s and 1880s and the development of a large agriculture sector for which the state is known to this day.

  1. ^ a b c "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov.
  2. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  3. ^ "Quickfacts. Nebraska". census.gov. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  5. ^ Neb. Const. art. I, sec. 27 (1920)
  6. ^ Porter, Rosalie Pedalino (1996). Forked Tongue: The Politics of Bilingual Education (2nd ed.). New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers. p. 211. ISBN 1-351-51952-2. OCLC 1007231949.
  7. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 90-105". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  8. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 90-107". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  9. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 1-101". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 90-112". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  11. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 90-114". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  12. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 90-117". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  13. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 90-113". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  14. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 90-109". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  15. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 90-108". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  16. ^ "Nebraska Legislature statute 90-110". nebraskalegislature.gov. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  17. ^ "Nebraska". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  18. ^ Goetzinger, Kurt (November 22, 2022). "State of Nebraska - Facts & Information". BRAN | Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska. Retrieved April 6, 2024.


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