Since the migration and settlement of Missouri followed the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the eastern border and the northern and central areas have many points of historic interest. When the first French explorers came down the Mississippi in the late 17th century, Missouri was included in the vast territory claimed for the French king and named Louisiana in his honor. The transfer to Spanish dominion in 1770 made little lasting impression; French names and traditions have remained throughout the state, especially south of St. Louis along the Mississippi. When the United States purchased all of Louisiana in 1803, Missouri, with its strategic waterways and the already-thriving town of St. Louis, became a gateway to the West and remained one throughout the entire westward expansion period. The Pony Express began in St. Joseph in the northwestern corner of the state. The extreme northeast, along the Mississippi, is the land of Mark Twain. The central area north of the Missouri River was the stomping ground of Daniel Boone, and to the west, the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails crossed the land. Missouri's southeastern section contains some of the oldest settlements in the state. Settlers came here from the South and New England; later Germans and other Europeans arrived. Consequently, traditions are as varied as the state's topography. Missouri's admission to the Union in 1821 resulted from a famous compromise between free and slave-holding states; during the Civil War its people were sharply divided.

Topographically, Missouri is divided into four regions: the northeastern glacial terrain, the central and northwestern prairie, the Ozark highlands in most of the southern portion, and the southeastern alluvial plain. Indicative of the northeastern section are picturesque river scenery, souvenirs of steamboat days, prosperous farmlands, and fine saddle horses. Westward along the Iowa border is rich, prairie farm country. Long-staple cotton is an important crop in the fertile alluvial plain of the Mississippi River. Southwest of St. Louis is Meramec Valley, a forested rural area. It stretches to the northern edge of the Ozarks, which extend south and west to the state borders and afford varied and beautiful mountain scenery. Lakes of all sizes, including Lake of the Ozarks, one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States, and swift-flowing streams where fish are plentiful abound in this area. The southeastern section of the state has large springs and caves.

Missouri's diverse farm economy includes the production of corn, soybeans, wheat, fruit, cotton, and livestock. Missouri's lead mines provide more than three-quarters of the nation's supply. Other mineral products include zinc, coal, limestone, iron ores, and clays. The variety of manufactured products is almost endless: shoes, clothing, beer, transportation equipment, and foundry and machine shop products are among the most important. St. Louis, on Missouri's eastern border, and Kansas City, on the western side, provide the state's metropolitan areas.