The Mississippi defines Missouri's eastern border, absorbing as major tributaries the Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Des Moines rivers. Innumerable towns sprang up along the river, their aspirations reflected by such classical names as Alexandria, Antioch and Athens.
Hannibal
, the boyhood home of Mark Twain, is the largest in the northeast, while Gallic
Ste Genevieve
is the prettiest in the south. All have, however, decreased in importance with the growing pre-eminence of
St Louis
. Away from the river, the land rises to the Ozark Plateau, whose deep green valleys are cut by swift, clear streams.
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