Iowa

Iowa

(In Detail) (Full size)
State nickname: "The Hawkeye State"
(In Detail)
Capital	Des Moines
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 26th 145,743 km^2 0.71%
Population  - Total (2000)  - Density	Ranked 30th 2,926,324 20/km^2
Admittance into Union  - Order  - Date	29th December 28, 1846
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Latitude Longitude	40°36'N to 43°30'N 89°5'W to 96°31'W
Width Length Elevation  -Highest  -Mean  -Lowest	320 km 500 km   509 meters 335 meters 146 meters
ISO 3166-2:	US-IA

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

The state is named for the Native American Iowa[?] people.

USS Iowa was named in honor of this state.

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 February 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.

Table of contents 1 History 2 Law and Government 3 Geography 4 Economy 5 Demographics 6 Important Cities and Towns 7 Education 7.1 Colleges and Universities 8 Professional Sports Teams 9 Miscellaneous Information 10 External Links

History

• history prior to joining the United States
• First came under U.S. control as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Territorial government established (when?).
• Attained statehood in December 28, 1846 (the 29th state).
• major historical events that occurred in state

Law and Government

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).

[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]

• Governors of Iowa List.

• legislature -- bicameral: Senate and House
• structure of state judicary
• information on state constitution
• does it have referenda?

Geography

See: List of Iowa counties

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

• Physical geography (mountains, rivers, plains, elevation, that sort of thing)
  • Located between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

• National parks, etc.
  • Effigy Mounds National Monument
  • Herbert Hoover National Historical Site

Economy

The state's total gross state product for 1999 was $85 billion placing Iowa 30^th 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.

• State income
• Major industries/products: agriculture, insurance, manufacturing.
• state taxes

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

Des Moines, state capital. Cedar Rapids Ames, home of [1] (http://www.iastate.edu) Iowa State University Cedar Falls, home of the [2] (http://www.uni.edu) University of Northern Iowa Council Bluffs Davenport, home of Saint Ambrose University and Bettendorf (two of the Quad Cities)

Dubuque Fayette, home of Upper Iowa University Iowa City, home of the [3] (http://www.iowa.edu)] University of Iowa Sioux City Waterloo Maharishi Vedic City[?]

The Hawkeye State
State Bird:	Eastern Goldfinch
State Flower:	Wild Rose
State Rock:	Geode[?]
State Song:	"The Song of Iowa"
State Tree:	Oak

Education

Colleges and Universities