St. Louis is the second-largest city in the US State of Missouri. It is adjacent to but independent of St. Louis County. The 192m Gateway Arch in Downtown St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the St. Louis Zoo are among the city’s notable sights.

The city of St. Louis is situated on the western bank of the Mississippi River opposite East. Louis, Illinois, just south of the confluence of the Missouri River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers a total area of 170.92 sq. km, of which 159.92 sq. km is occupied by land, and 11 sq. km is occupied by water. The River des Peres lies near the southern boundary of the city of St. Louis, separating it from St. Louis County. Most of River des Peres was confined to a channel or put underground in the 1920s and early 1930s. The lower section of the river was the site of some of the worst flooding of the Great Flood of 1993.