Nebraska
Nebraska is a U.S. state in the Great Plains and Midwest, bordered by six states. Its capital is Lincoln, and its largest city is Omaha.
Great Plains: A vast region of level to gently rolling land extending across central North America. Nebraska lies within the Great Plains, whose grasslands and climate shape its landscape.
Kansas–Nebraska Act: An 1854 U.S. law that organized the Kansas and Nebraska territories and applied popular sovereignty to slavery there. The act organized Nebraska Territory and intensified national conflict over slavery.
Nebraska agriculture: The cultivation of crops and raising of livestock, major parts of Nebraska's economy and land use. Corn, cattle, and other farm products make agriculture central to Nebraska's economy.
Kansas: A U.S. state in the Great Plains, directly south of Nebraska. Kansas shares Nebraska's plains landscape but lies across its southern border.
Platte River: A major river in Nebraska formed by the confluence of the North Platte and South Platte rivers. Its broad valley served as a principal westward corridor across Nebraska.
Oregon Trail: A 19th-century emigrant route from Missouri to the Pacific Northwest. Its route crossed Nebraska, bringing migration and commerce through the territory.
Ogallala Aquifer: A groundwater system beneath parts of eight U.S. states, including western Nebraska. Irrigation from the aquifer supports farming but raises questions about long-term water use.
Iowa: A U.S. state in the Midwest, east of Nebraska across the Missouri River. Iowa shares Nebraska's eastern border while reflecting a neighboring Midwestern identity.
Omaha: The largest city in Nebraska, located on the Missouri River along the state's eastern border. Omaha is Nebraska's largest urban center and a major transportation and business hub.
Pawnee people: An Indigenous people whose historic homeland included parts of the Great Plains, especially present-day Nebraska. Pawnee communities lived in the region before and during U.S. expansion into Nebraska.