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IOWAIowa (ì´e-we), midwestern state in the N central U.S.; bounded by the Mississippi River. across which lie Wisconsin and Illinois (E); Missouri (S); Nebraska and South Dakota, from which it is separated by the Missouri R. (W); and Minnesota (N). Iowa (Facts and Figures) Area, 56,290 sq mi (145,791 sq km). Pop. (1990) 2,776,755, a 4.7% decrease from 1980 pop. Capital, Des Moines. Statehood, Dec. 28, 1846 (29th state). Highest pt., 1,670 ft (509 m), Osceola co.; lowest pt., Mississippi R., 480 ft (146 m). Nickname, Hawkeye State. Motto, Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain. State bird, Eastern goldfinch. State flower, wild rose. State tree, oak. Abbr., IA. Iowa (Land and People) Most of Iowa is composed of gently rolling prairies, covered with some of the world's most fertile soil and lying between the high bluffs of the MISSISSIPPI and MISSOURI rivers. Because of its location in the center of the North American landmass, Iowa has a typical continental climate characterized by seasonal extremes in temperatures. Over 60% of the population of this traditionally agricultural state lives in urban areas. DES MOINES is the largest city, followed by CEDAR RAPIDS and DAVENPORT. In 1990, nearly 97% of the population was white. Iowa (Economy) The state has one of the country's most important and prosperous agricultural sectors. Iowa's deep black soil yields huge quantities of corn, soybeans, oats, hay, wheat, and barley, which help support its cattle and hogs and supply its large food-processing industry. Manufacturing is a large source of income; tires, nonelectrical and farm machinery, electronic equipment, and chemicals are among the principal products. Iowa (Government) The constitution of 1857 provides for a governor serving a four-year term. The general assembly consists of a senate whose 50 members serve four-year terms and a house with 100 members elected for two-year terms. Iowa elects two senators and five representatives to the U.S. Congress and has seven electoral votes. Iowa (History) The earliest known inhabitants of present-day Iowa were the MOUND BUILDERS, whose remains are preserved at Effigy Mounds National Monument. The SAC AND FOX, Iowa, and SIOUX tribes lived there when French explorers arrived during the late 17th cent., including Robert Cavelier, sieur de LA SALLE, in 1681-82. The U.S. obtained the area by the LOUISIANA PURCHASE (1803), and after the BLACK HAWK WAR (1832) Native Americans were forced to cede all their lands to whites, who rushed to settle the prairies. Among the many settlers who came both from New England and N Europe were a group of German Pietists who established (1855) at Amana a communal society that still exists. With its large rural population, Iowa proved to be fertile ground for such reform movements as the GRANGER MOVEMENT, GREENBACK PARTY, and POPULIST PARTY during the late 19th cent. Since World War II, Iowa has registered a gradual decline in farm population that has been more than balanced by a steady increase in its urban population; however, it remains basically a rural state. In 1993 record rains caused widespread flooding in Iowa. Copyright © 1995 by Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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