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Nebraska is a Great Plains state of the United States.
Nebraska gets its name from a Native American (Oto) word meaning "flat water",
after the Platte River that flows through the state. Once considered part of the
Great American Desert, it is now a leading farming state. Nebraskans have
practiced scientific farming to turn the Nebraska prairie into a land of ranches
and farms. Much of the history of the state is the story of the impact of the
Nebraska farmer. Nebraskans are sometimes colloquially referred to as
"Cornhuskers" (which is derived from the state nickname).
Nebraska has a large agriculture sector, and is a national
leader in the production of beef, pork, corn (maize), and soybeans. Other
important economic sectors include freight transport (by rail and truck),
manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, and insurance.
History
The Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 28, 1854; it
established the U.S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas. The territorial capital
of Nebraska was Omaha.
In the 1860s, the first great wave of homesteaders poured
into Nebraska to claim free land granted by the federal government. Many of the
first farm settlers built their homes out of sod because they found so few trees
on the grassy land.
Nebraska became the 37th state in 1867, shortly after the
American Civil War. At that time, the capital was moved from Omaha to Lancaster,
later renamed Lincoln after the recently assassinated President of the United
States Abraham Lincoln.
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Fast Facts
Population, 2005 - 1,758,787
Capital City - Lincoln
Area - 77,358 sq.mi, 16th
Highest Point - Panorama Point 5,424 ft.
Lowest Point - Missouri River 840 ft
Largest Cities - Omaha
Lincoln
Bellevue
Border States - Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South
Dakota, Wyoming
Nickname - Cornhusker State
Area Codes - 308 - 402
Time zones
- most of state - Central: UTC-6/-5
- panhandle - Mountain: UTC-7/-6
State sales tax - 5.5%.
Web site - www.nebraska.gov
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