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to the north, and Kansas is on the
south. Colorado’s border cuts into the
southwestern corner of Nebraska at a
right angle. This forms Nebraska’s
panhandle
, a strip of land extending
westward from the main portion of the
state. Wyoming borders the panhandle
on the west. The Missouri River
makes up Nebraska’s entire eastern
border with Iowa and Missouri.
One of the Missouri River’s most
important
tributaries
is the Platte
River, which crosses through the cen-
ter of the state. French explorers
Pierre and Paul Mallet gave the river
its name in 1739, based on the French
word meaning “flat.” The Oto Indians,
who lived in the area at the time,
36
Lower Plains: Kansas, Nebraska
aquifer—
an underground layer of rock or soil that stores extractable water.
badlands—
a barren terrain where erosion has carved rock formations into striking shapes.
commodity—
a product that is bought and sold.
encroachment—
the gradual takeover of something that belongs to another person.
indigenous—
native to a particular region or environment.
irrigation—
the artificial application of water to the land to help in growing crops.
nomadic—
moving from place to place without having a fixed home.
nonpartisan—
not affiliated with any particular political party or group.
panhandle—
a strip of land projecting out from the main territory of one state into that of
another.
reservation—
an area of public land set side for use by a Native American tribe.
semi-sedentary—
living in a settled place for most of the year, but moving around and
living in temporary homes for the rest of the year.
transcontinental—
crossing an entire continent, from one end to the other.
tributary—
a river or stream that flows into a larger one.
Words to Understand in This Chapter