Iowa

Iowa is the 29th state of the United States, having joined the Union on December 28, 1846. The official name of the state is the "State of Iowa", and the U.S. Post Office abbreviation for the state is IA.

Geography

:See List of counties in Iowa, List of cities in Iowa, List of townships in Iowa and List of Iowa rivers

Related Topics:
List of counties in Iowa - List of cities in Iowa - List of townships in Iowa - List of Iowa rivers

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Iowa is bordered by Minnesota on the north, Nebraska and South Dakota on the west, Missouri on the south, and Wisconsin and Illinois on the east.

Related Topics:
Minnesota - Nebraska - South Dakota - Missouri - Wisconsin - Illinois

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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 many 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, and Rathbun Lake.

Related Topics:
Mississippi River - Missouri River - Sioux City - Big Sioux River - Spirit Lake - West Okoboji Lake - East Okoboji Lake - Iowa Great Lakes

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The topography of the state is gently rolling plains. Loess hills lie along the western border of the state. Some of these 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.

Related Topics:
Plains - Loess - Driftless Zone

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The point of lowest elevation (146 m) is Keokuk in southeastern Iowa. The point of highest elevation (509 m) is Hawkeye Point, located in a feedlot north of Sibley in northwest Iowa. The mean elevation of the state is 335 m. Considering the size of the state (145,743 km²), there is very little elevation difference.

Related Topics:
M - Keokuk - Sibley - Km²

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Iowa has 99 counties. The state capital, Des Moines, is located in Polk County (#60).

Related Topics:
Counties - Des Moines - Polk County - #60

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National parks, etc.

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• Effigy Mounds National Monument
• Herbert Hoover National Historical Site

Interstate highways

These are the interstate highways that go through Iowa:

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• 29, 35, 74, 80, 129, 235, 280, 380, 480, 680

US highways

These are the United States highways that go through Iowa:

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• 6, 18, 20, 30, 34, 52, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 75, 77, 136, 151, 169, 218, 275

Animals

These are some of the wild animals that can be found in Iowa:

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Iowa is home of 49 endangered & 35 threatened animal species as well as 64 endangered & 89 threatened plant species http://www.iowadnr.com/education/wldresbs.html.

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