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Iowa Facts

Iowa Facts
The State of Iowa is located in the American Heartland region, in the Midwestern United States. It shares state borders with Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska. It is the 26th largest U.S. state with 56,272 square miles. It is ranked as the 30th most populated and is ranked the 36th most densely populated state. American Indians first arrived in the area more than 13,000 years ago. The first European exploration began in 1673, when Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet arrived via the Mississippi River. Following years of struggle for control of the area, Iowa was finally admitted to the Union in 1846.
Interesting Iowa Facts:
The name Iowa originates from the Iowa River, which itself was named after the Ioway Indians.
Iowa's nickname is the 'Hawkeye State'.
Iowa's capital is Des Moines. Originally the capital city was Iowa City, until 1857 when it was changed to Des Moines.
Iowa's state motto is 'Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain'.
Iowa's state song is the 'Song of Iowa'.
Iowa has 99 counties, 10 state forest and 84 state parks or recreation areas.
Iowa residents are called Iowans.
Iowa produces 10% of the United States' food supply.
Iowa is the leading producer in the United States of corn, soybean and hogs.
Former U.S. President Herbert Clark Hoover was born in West Branch, Iowa in 1874. He was President of the United States from 1929 until 1933.
Iowa's major rivers include Iowa River, Cedar River, Missouri River, and Des Moines River.
Lake Red Rock is Iowa's major lake.
Iowa's state flag was designed by Mrs. Dixie Gebhardt in 1921.
Iowa's state bird is the Eastern goldfinch.
Its state fossil is crinoid.
Iowa's state tree is the oak.
Iowa's state flower is the wild rose.
The most crooked street in the world, as named by Ripley's Believe It or Not, is Burlington's Snake Alley in Iowa.
The world's largest strawberry is located in Strawberry Point, Iowa.
The world's largest bullhead fish statue is located in Crystal Lake, Iowa.
The largest Amish community west of the Mississippi is located in Kalona, Iowa.
The largest cereal company in the world is Quaker Oats, located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Sioux City is home to the Sergeant Floyd Monument, which honors the only man to die during Lewis and Clark's expedition.
Iowa's town Sabula is the only town in the state located on an island.
The famous Hollywood actor John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison, in Winterset, Iowa, in 1907.
Winnebago County, Iowa is where Winnebago motor homes and campers are manufactured.
Some of the world's largest wind turbine farms in the world are located in Northern Iowa.
There are approximately 6,100 financial and insurance firms located in Iowa.
Iowa is bordered by two navigable rivers; the Mississippi River and the Missouri River.
The first electronic computer in the world was built at Iowa State University, back in the 1930s.
There are more golf courses in Iowa, per capita, than in any other U.S. state.


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