Birth Date:   January 29, 1861, as the 34th state

State Capital:   Topeka

Population:   2,565,328

State Nicknames:  The Sunflower State, The Jayhawk State, The Wheat State

State Bird
Western Meadowlark

State Amphibian
Barred Tiger Salamander

State Tree
Cottonwood

State Insect
Honeybee

The Kansas State Flag

The Kansas state flag, adopted by the Kansas State Legislature as the official state flag in 1927, is a rectangle of dark blue silk with the state seal at its center. Above the seal is the state crest, a sunflower resting on a twisted bar of blue and gold. The word "Kansas," added in 1961, is below the seal in gold, block lettering.

The Kansas State Steal

The Great Seal of the State of Kansas was established by a joint resolution adopted by the Kansas Legislature May 25, 1861. The seal is described in the resolution as follows: "The East is represented by a rising sun, in the right-hand corner of the seal; to the left of it, commerce is represented by a river and a steamboat; in the foreground, agriculture is represented as the basis of the future prosperity of the state, by a settler's cabin and a man plowing with a pair of horse; beyond this is a train of ox-wagons, going west; in the background is seen a herd of buffalo, retreating, pursued by two Indians, on horseback; around the top is the motto, 'Ad Astra per Aspera,' and beneath a cluster of thirty-four stars. The circle is surrounded by the words, 'Great seal of the state of Kansas. January 29, 1861.'" The motto, "Ad astra per Aspera, " means "To the stars through difficulties," and was adopted as part of the Great Seal of the State of Kansas.