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Iowa, IA

The State of Iowa is a state in the midwestern
region of the United States of America. It is the 29th state
of the United States, having joined the Union on December 28,
1846. The state is named for the Native American Ioway people.
It is known as the "Hawkeye State" or the "Tall Corn State".
Geography
The Mississippi River forms the eastern
boundary of the state. The boundary along the west is formed
by the Missouri River south of Sioux City and by the Big Sioux
River north of Sioux City.
There are several natural lakes in the state,
most notably Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, and East Okoboji
Lake in northwest Iowa (see Iowa Great Lakes). Man-made lakes
include Lake Odessa, Saylorville Lake, Lake Red Rock,
Coralville Lake, Lake MacBride and Rathbun Lake.
The topography of the state is gently rolling
plains. Loess hills lie along the western border of the state,
some of which are several hundred feet thick. In the
northeast, along the Mississippi River, is a section of the
Driftless Zone, which in Iowa consists of low rugged hills
covered with conifers—a landscape not usually associated with
this state. The point of lowest elevation is Keokuk in
southeastern Iowa, at 480 feet (146 m).
The point of highest elevation, at 1,670 feet
(509 m), is Hawkeye Point, located in a feedlot north of
Sibley in northwest Iowa. The mean elevation of the state is
1,099 feet (335 m).
Considering the size of the state at 56,271
square miles (145,743 km²), there is very little elevation
difference. Iowa has 99 counties.
The state capital, Des Moines, is located in
Polk County. Iowa has the highest average radon concentrations
in the nation due to significant glaciation that ground the
granitic rocks from the Canadian Shield and deposited it as
soils making up the rich Iowa farmland.
Because of the high surface area of the ground
rock, radon is free to off-gas from the soils. Many cities
within the state, such as Iowa City have passed requirements
for radon resistant construction in all new homes.
Climate
Iowa, like most of the Midwest, has a humid
continental climate throughout the state (Koppen climate
classification Dfa) with extremes of both heat and cold.
The average annual temperature at Des Moines is
50 °F (10 °C); for some locations in the north the figure is
under 45 °F (8 °C), while Keokuk, on the Mississippi River,
averages 52 °F (12 °C). Winters are brisk and snowfall is
common, the capital (Des Moines) receiving an average of 36.3
inches (92 cm) per season.
Spring ushers in the beginning of the severe
weather season, as well as bringing increased precipitation
and warming temperatures. The Iowan summer is known for heat
and humidity, with daytime temperatures often near 90 °F (32
°C) and sometimes exceeding 100 °F (38 °C).
Iowa averages about 50 days of thunderstorm
activity per year. Some of these thunderstorms can be severe
with high winds and hail.
The state has a moderately high risk of
tornadic activity with, on average, 37 tornadoes per year,
mostly in the spring and summer months.
History
The first Europeans to explore Iowa were French
citizens following the Sac and Fox, presently known as the
Mesquakie (Meskwaki) Indians.
At first, due to a lack of trees, Iowa was believed to not be
able to support agriculture.
Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette are believed to be the
first European explorers to visit Iowa. They described Iowa as
lush, green, and fertile.
Iowa has been home to approximately 17 different Native
American tribes. Today, only the Meskwaki tribe remains.
The first American settlers officially moved to Iowa in June
1833. Primarily, they were families from Illinois, Indiana,
and Missouri.
During the 1835 Dragoon expedition to map and survey central
Iowa, many dragoons got lost in prairie grass which was over
their heads even on horseback. The map maker was Albert Lea,
who is the namesake for Albert Lea, Minnesota. One of the
commanders was Nathan Boone, the youngest son of Daniel Boone.
Iowa became the 29th state in the union on December 28, 1846.
The Chicago and North Western Railway reached Council Bluffs
in 1867. Council Bluffs was designated the eastern terminus
for the Union Pacific Railroad. The completion of five major
railroads across Iowa brought major economic changes as well
as travel opportunities.
During the American Civil War, more than 75,000 Iowans
participated in the war, 13,001 of whom died (mostly by
disease). Iowa had a higher percentage of soldiers serve in
the Civil War, per capita, than any other state in the Union,
with nearly 60% of eligible males serving. Among many cases in
point would be Isaac S. Struble of Plymouth County,
Congressman from 1883-1891.
Iowa saw a large increase in farming of beef, corn, and pork
during World War I, but farmers saw economic hardships after
the war. These hardships were the result of the removal of
war-time farm subsidies. Total recovery did not occur until
the 1940s.
The Farm Crisis of the 1980s saw a major decline of family
farms in Iowa and around the Midwest, and it was marked by a
sharp drop in the state's rural population.
Although Iowa's primary industry is agriculture, it also
produces refrigerators, washing machines, fountain pens, farm
implements, toothbrushes, and food products that are shipped
around the world.
Iowa is also a major producer of ethanol and biodiesel.
Iowa has the 3rd largest wind power economy, after California
and Texas.
Iowa is a very important political state, as they hold the
first caucus in the nation every Presidential election.
This article is licensed under
the
GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the
Wikipedia article
"Iowa".
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