Missouri's Location in the U.S. Midwest

Missouri is a Midwestern state near the geographic center of the contiguous U.S. It borders eight states:

• North: Iowa
• East: Illinois (across Mississippi River), Kentucky (across Mississippi)
• South: Tennessee (small border), Arkansas
• West: Oklahoma
• Northwest: Nebraska (across Missouri River), Kansas

The Mississippi River forms its entire eastern border. The Missouri River crosses the state west-to-east. This central location made it a historic gateway to the West (St. Louis = "Gateway to the West").