Iowa is one of the fifty states that, together with Washington D.C., form the United States of America. Its capital and most populous city is Des Moines. It is located in the Midwest region of the country, in the Central Northwest division, bordering Minnesota to the north, the Mississippi River to the east that separates it from Wisconsin (to the northeast) and Illinois (to the southeast), Missouri to the south, the Missouri River to the west that separates it from Nebraska, and the Big Sioux River to the northwest that separates it from South Dakota. It was admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
Ninety-two percent of the state’s population is white, and the largest ethnic group in Iowa is German, who make up 35.7% of the state’s population. Its main sources of income are manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism. It is the largest producer of soybeans and ethanol in the United States, and has the largest herd of hogs in the country.
The state’s name comes from the Native American people of Iowa who inhabited the region. The first Europeans to explore the region were the Frenchmen Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette in 1673, who described the region as green and fertile. The first white settlers settled in the region in June 1833.
HISTORY
When the first humans arrived in Iowa more than 13,000 years ago, they were hunter-gatherers living in a Pleistocene glacial landscape. By the time European explorers arrived, the Native Americans had become farmers with an economic, social, and political infrastructure. This transformation took place gradually. During the Archaic Period (10,500–2,800 years ago), people adapted to new environments and ecosystems and became sedentary, increasing the population. Beginning more than 3,000 years ago, during the Late Archaic Period, humans in Iowa began domesticating plants and cultivating them. The following period, known as the Woodland Period, was characterized by a greater reliance on agriculture and a more complex social structure. The use of mounds and pottery increased. During the Late Prehistoric Period, beginning about A.D. 900, corn cultivation increased. Social changes fostered stable settlements. The arrival of European products and diseases via explorers and colonizers decimated the local population, affecting the economy and social structure.1
Iowa in 1718. The modern state appears in lighter color.
The first Europeans to visit the region were French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette in 1673. They arrived by sailing up the Mississippi River, and after surveying the area they wrote that Iowa appeared to be a green and fertile region. The territory was occupied by the Iowa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Sioux, Potawatomi, Oto, and Missouri nations.2
Julien Dubuque (1762–1810), born to Norman parents in St. Pierre les Brecquets on the southern bank of the St. Lawrence River, a little over sixty miles east of Quebec City, Canada, was the first European to live in what is now Iowa. In 1788, he obtained permission from the Fox chiefs (and later also from the Spanish authorities) to mine galena (lead sulfide) in the hills along the Mississippi River in the area surrounding the city that now bears his name.3
The United States obtained Iowa as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The Patowatamie, Oto, and Missouri had sold their territory to the federal government before 1830,4 and in June 1833, official settlement of Iowa by the Oto began. of the United States. Most of the early settlers came from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia.
The early settlers faced a lonely and hard life in the first decades. They had to adapt to the vast prairie that was devoid of trees and suffered from extensive annual fires of the wild grasses that covered the land. Only the eastern end of the territory had sufficient forests to supply the needs of housing and fuel. The arrival of the railroad in the 1850s and 1860s further opened the national and international markets for the agricultural products of the region, and the population grew from 43,112 (1840) to 1,194,020 (1870). Partly as a result of an official campaign to attract immigrants in 1869, many arrived from European countries (primarily from Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands).2
The federal government accepted Iowa as a state of the Union on December 28, 1846.
Physical Geography
Iowa is bordered by Minnesota to the north, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest, Missouri to the south, Wisconsin to the northeast, and Illinois to the east. The Mississippi River forms the state’s eastern border, and the Missouri River forms the state’s western border. Iowa has 99 counties. The state capital, Des Moines, is located in Polk County.
There are several natural lakes in the state, the largest of which are Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, and East Okoboji Lake in northwestern Iowa. The man-made lakes are Odessa Lake, Saylorville Lake, Red Rock Lake, Coralville Lake, MacBride Lake, and Rathbun Lake.
The state’s topography consists of gently rolling plains. Loess hills are found along the state’s western border, some of which are several hundred feet deep. In the northeast, along the Mississippi River, lies a section of the Driftless Zone, which in Iowa consists of low, rugged hills covered in a coniferous landscape—a landscape not typically associated with this state.
The lowest point of elevation is Keokuk in southeastern Iowa at 146 m (478 ft), and the highest point, at 509 m (1,640 ft), is Hawkeye Point, located north of the town of Sibley in northwestern Iowa. The state’s average elevation is 335 m (1,100 ft). Considering the state’s size (145,743 km²), there is very little difference in elevation.
Iowa has the highest average radon concentrations in the nation due to significant glaciation that ground down the granitic rocks of the Canadian Shield and deposited them in the soils, enriching Iowa’s farmlands. Because of the large surface area of rocky land, radon is released as a boiling gas from the soils. Many cities in the state, such as Iowa City, have passed radon-resistance requirements for all new home construction.
Climate
Iowa, like most of the Midwest, has a statewide humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification ‘Dfa’) with extremes of both hot and cold temperatures. The average annual temperature in Des Moines is 50°F (10°C); for some northern locations it is below 46°F (8°C), while Keokuk, on the Mississippi River, averages 55°F (12°C). Winters are severe and snowfall is common, with the capital (Des Moines) receiving an average of 36 inches (92 cm) per season. Spring heralds the beginning of the severe weather season, which brings increased precipitation and higher temperatures. Iowa’s summer is known for its heat and humidity, with daytime temperatures often near 90°F (32°C) and sometimes over 100°F (38°C).
Iowa has an average of 50 days of thunderstorm activity per year.7 Some of these storms can be intense, with high winds and hail. The state has a moderately high risk of tornado activity, with an average of 37 tornadoes per year, most occurring during the spring and summer months.
Physical Geography
Iowa is bordered by Minnesota to the north, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest, Missouri to the south, Wisconsin to the northeast, and Illinois to the east. The Mississippi River forms the state’s eastern border, and the Missouri River forms the state’s western border. Iowa has 99 counties. The state capital, Des Moines, is located in Polk County.
There are several natural lakes in the state, the most important of which are Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, and East Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa. The man-made lakes are Odessa Lake, Saylorville Lake, Red Rock Lake, Coralville Lake, MacBride Lake, and Rathbun Lake.
The state’s topography consists of gently rolling plains. Loess hills are found along the western border of the state, some of which are several hundred feet deep. In the northeast, along the Mississippi River, is a section of the Driftless Zone, which in Iowa consists of low, rugged hills covered in a coniferous landscape—a landscape not typically associated with this state.
The lowest point of elevation is Keokuk in southeastern Iowa at 470 feet (146 m), and the highest point, at 1,650 feet (509 m), is Hawkeye Point, located north of the town of Sibley in northwestern Iowa. The average elevation of the state is 1,100 feet (335 m). Considering the size of the state (57,000 square miles), there is very little difference in elevation.
Iowa has the highest average radon concentrations in the nation due to significant glaciation that ground down the granite rocks of the Canadian Shield and deposited them in the soils, enriching Iowa’s farmlands. Because of the large surface area of rocky soil, radon is released as a boiling gas from the soils. Many cities in the state, such as Iowa City, have passed radon-resistant requirements for the construction of all new homes.