Visible in this northeast-looking, low-oblique photograph are Omaha on the west bank of the Missouri River and Council Bluffs on the east bank. Omaha, the largest city in Nebraska, sits in the heart of the United States farming region and is one of the largest livestock markets and meat processing centers in the world. Much of the city’s industry is devoted to food processing and the manufacture of farm machinery, fertilizers, computer components, telephone equipment, furniture, clothing, insecticides, soap, cans, chemicals, paint, oil refinery equipment, and airplane and automobile parts. It is the home of many insurance companies and a center for medical research and treatment. Council Bluffs, an important trade and industrial center, manufactures processed foods, cast iron pipes, farm equipment, electronic equipment, and fabricated metals. The confluence of the Missouri River and Platte River is discernible south of Omaha.