Iowa
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| State nickname: "The Hawkeye State" | |||||
Other U.S. States | |||||
| Capital | Des Moines | ||||
| Largest City | Des Moines | ||||
| Governor | Thomas Vilsack | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 26th 145,743 km2 0.71% | ||||
| Population - Total (2000) - Density | Ranked 30th 2,926,324 20/km2 | ||||
| Admittance into Union - Order - Date | 29th December 28, 1846 | ||||
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 | ||||
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Latitude
Longitude |
40°36'N to 43°30'N
89°5'W to 96°31'W | ||||
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Width
Length Elevation -Highest -Mean -Lowest |
320 km
500 km 509 meters 335 meters 146 meters | ||||
| ISO 3166-2: | US-IA | ||||
The official (long) name of the state: "State of Iowa."
The state is named for the Native American Iowa people.
The state capital is Des Moines.
The current Governor is Tom Vilsack (Democrat) and the two U.S. Senators are Chuck Grassley (Republican) and Tom Harkin (Democrat). The five U.S. Congressmen are Jim Leach (Republican), Jim Nussle (Republican), Steve King (Republican), Tom Latham (Republican), and Leonard Boswell (Democrat).
[Note that all the U.S. states have similar legal and political systems, so maybe we only need to mention anything that makes the state distinct]
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.
Bales of hay on a farm near Ames, Iowa
The state's total gross state product for 1999 was $85 billion placing Iowa 30th in the nation. Its Per Capita Income for 2000 was $26,723. Iowa's main agricultural outputs are hogs, corn, soybeans, oats, cattle and dairy products. Its industrial outputs are food processing, machinery, electric equipment, chemical products, publishing and primary metals.
History
Law and Government
Geography
See: List of Iowa countiesEconomy
Demographics
The 2000 population was 2,926,324.
- state population: 2,926,324 (2000 census)
- racial/ethnic makeup of state
- religious makeup of state
Important cities and towns
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Population > 100,000 (urbanized area)
| Population > 10,000 (urbanized area) |
Other Cities
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Iowa has a strong emphasis on education, which is shown in standardized testing scores. In 2003, Iowa had the second highest average SAT scores by state, and tied for second highest average ACT (examination) scores in states where more than 20% of graduates were tested. The national office of ACT is in Iowa City, and the ITBS and ITED testing programs used in many states are provided by the University of Iowa.Education
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Loras College
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Marshalltown Community College
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Professional business and technical colleges and universities
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Palmer College of Chiropractic
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| The Hawkeye State | |
| State motto: | "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain" |
| State Bird: | Eastern Goldfinch |
| State Flower: | Wild Rose |
| State Rock: | Geode |
| State Song: | "The Song of Iowa" |
| State Tree: | Oak |
| Honorary Ship: | USS Iowa |
The Minor League baseball teams are:
Professional sports teams
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Clinton LumberKings
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List of United States Senators who have represented Iowa:
(Seat 1):
The state gets considerable attention every four years because of its presidential caucus, a gathering of voters which, along with the New Hampshire primary a week later, has become the starting gun for choosing the two major-party candidates for U.S. president. The caucus, held in January of the election year, involves people gathering in homes or public places and choosing their candidate, rather than casting secret ballots, as in done in a primary or election.
U.S. senators from Iowa
(Seat 2):Iowa caucus
External links
| Political divisions of the United States |  | |||||||
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