COLUMBIA, a city near the centre of Missouri, U.S.A., about 'cm. N. of the Missouri river, at an altitude of 7 2of t. ; the county seat of Boone county. It is on Federal highways 4o and 63, and is served by the Missouri-Kansas-Texas and the Wabash railways. The population was 10,392 in 192o (18.5% negroes) and in 193o was 14,967 by the Federal census. It is in a region of diversified agricultural interests ; has large flour-mills and several other man ufacturing industries; is the seat of the University of Missouri, the Christian college for women (Disciples), Stephens college (Baptist) and the Bible college of Missouri (Disciples) ; and is the headquarters of the State teachers' association. In the quadrangle on the campus is the monument of gray granite from the grave of Thomas Jefferson, designed by him and bearing the famous inscription he wrote for it. It was given to the university by his descendants when Congress erected the monument now standing on his grave. Columbia was settled about 1821, and was incorporated as a city in 1826.