Missouri : Geographical Locations

Missouri is divided into four major land regions. They are the Dissected Till Plains, the Osage Plain, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and the Ozark Plateau.  The Dissected Till Plains,lies north of the Missouri River and forms a part of the Central Plains region of the US. It mostly comprises of rolling hills, fertile flatlands, and well-watered prairie. The western part of the state is covered by the Osage Plains. The flat prairie is interspersed with low rounded hills.The Mississippi Alluvial Plain is made up of fertile black lowlands whose floodplain belts represent both the present and former courses of the Mississippi River. The Ozark Plateau covers most of southern Missouri and extends into northern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma. It constitutes the state's largest single region. The highest elevation of the state is at Taum Sauk Mountain, at 1,772 ft (540 m). It lies in the Ozark Plateau. The lowest point lies along the St. Francis River, near Cardwell at 230 ft (70 m).

Missouri has more than 1,000 mi (1,600 km) of navigable waterways. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the two largest rivers of the US, forms the state's eastern border and part of its western border respectively.Kansas City is located at the point where the Missouri bends eastward to cross the state, while St. Louis developed below the junction of the two great waterways. The other major rivers of the state include the White, Grand, Chariton, St. Francis, Current, and Osage.. The largest lake is the artificial Lake of the Ozarks, covering a total of 93 sq mi (241 sq km).

Missouri has a large number of  caves and caverns which were formed during the last 50 million years through the erosion of limestone and dolomite by melting snows bearing vegetable acids.