Iowa

Iowa is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east and southeast, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest, and Minnesota to the north.

Iowa was part of French Louisiana and Spanish Louisiana during the 18th and early nineteenth centuries. The state flag of Iowa is patterned after the flags of France. The Louisiana Purchase laid the foundation for an agricultural-based economy in the heartland of the Corn Belt. Iowa’s agricultural economy transformed in the second half of the 20th Century to become a diversified one that included advanced manufacturing, processing and financial services as well as green energy production.

According to the 2020 census, Iowa is 26th in total area and 31st in population. Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, which is also the most populous and largest metro area in the state. A portion of the larger Omaha metropolitan area, Nebraska extends into three counties in southwest Iowa.