- Iowa's first seal was used from 1839 and had a simple design of an American eagle holding a bow and …
The state of Iowa is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the United States. It is sometimes called the Tall Corn State because that crop grows well there. Iowa's official nickname, however, is the Hawkeye State, in honor of a Native American leader named Black Hawk. Because Iowa is located between the Mississippi River in the east and the Missouri River in the west, it is also called the Land Between the Rivers. The state was named for the Iowa (or Ioway) Indians who once lived in the area. Some historians believe the name means “beautiful land.” The state capital is Des Moines. GeographyIowa lies in the north-central part of the United States. The state forms a bridge between the forests of the east and the grasslands of the high prairie plains to the west. The area of the state is 56,275 square miles (145,753 square kilometers). Iowa is bordered by Minnesota on the north, Wisconsin and Illinois on the east, Missouri on the south, and Nebraska and South Dakota on the west. The glaciers of the Ice Age made Iowa a large, level plain. There are two chief breaks in the state's level sweep of land. Steep cliffs rise from the Mississippi River in the northeastern section, and low, moundlike bluffs rise above the prairies in the southwestern part of the state. The state's generally level land means the rivers flow gently, though they can often flood. Summers are hot and humid and winters are cold. Plants and animalsMany different wildflowers once flourished on Iowa's prairies, and forests covered about one fifth of the land. But in the 19th century settlers cleared much of the state's plant life to make room for crops. About 2 million acres (809,000 hectares) are still forested, however. In addition, Iowans have taken steps in recent years to protect and expand the state's remaining prairies. Animals found in Iowa include deer, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, and chipmunks. The ring-necked pheasant and quail are commonly hunted. After years of decline, Iowa's populations of bald eagles, wild turkeys, and river otters grew in the late 20th century because of conservation efforts. Bobcats, salamanders, badgers, and barn owls can be found in certain parts of the state. People and cultureSeveral Indian tribes were living in Iowa when the first white settlers arrived, including the Omaha, Oto, Missouri, Sioux, Sauk, Fox, and Iowa. Most early white settlers were from the southern and eastern United States. In the 1840s immigrants began arriving from European nations, including Germany, Czechoslovakia, The Netherlands, and Norway. At the start of the 21st century whites made up about 94 percent of Iowa's population. Mexicans and African Americans each accounted for about 2 percent of the population. Nearly 9,000 Native Americans lived in the state as well. CitiesIowa is a checkerboard pattern of farms, towns, and cities. Most Iowans live in small communities. The state's largest cities are Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport. RecreationIowa's rivers, lakes, and woodlands provide year-round outdoor recreation. Fishing, hunting, boating, and swimming are especially popular. The state operates more than 80 parks and recreation areas. Unusual prehistoric earth mounds are the chief attraction of Effigy Mounds National Monument, near Marquette. Iowa lacks the large metropolitan areas that usually serve as a state's cultural centers. Therefore traveling shows, including theater, dance, and symphonies, visit many places throughout the state. The major cultural centers are the universities and colleges. Art museums are found in Iowa City and Des Moines. West Branch is the birthplace of former United States president Herbert Hoover and the site of his presidential library. EducationIowa's public school system was established in 1858. The main public institutions of higher learning are the University of Iowa, at Iowa City; Iowa State University, at Ames; and the University of Northern Iowa, at Cedar Falls. Economy - Harvesting corn on a farm near Alden, north-central Iowa.
With its rich soils and ample rainfall, Iowa is perfect for farming. About 90 percent of its land is used for agriculture. The state specializes in corn, soybeans, oats, hay, and livestock (especially pigs and cattle). Sheep are raised for meat and wool, and dairy production is a major industry in the northeast part of the state. Farming in Iowa changed greatly in the late 20th century as better farming methods were developed. As crop yields increased and crop prices dropped, farms became fewer in number but larger in size. Thus, though so much of the land is devoted to farming, fewer than 10 percent of Iowans are involved in agriculture. Despite the importance of agriculture in Iowa, the state's leading sources of income are manufacturing and service industries. The most important manufacturing industries are the production of industrial machinery and food processing. The Quaker Oats factory in Cedar Rapids is the world's largest cereal plant. Health services are the state's most important service industry. HistoryEarly yearsThe earliest settlement in what is now Iowa dates back to about 8,500 years ago. From about AD 300 to the 17th century eastern Iowa was inhabited by Native Americans who built great earth mounds, some in the shape of animals. The first Europeans to reach Iowa were probably the French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette in 1673. Permanent settlement, however, did not take place until the early 1830s. Iowa in the 19th centuryIowa was included in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, in which the United States bought all French land in North America west of the Mississippi River. Iowa entered the Union as the 29th state in 1846. Iowa was strongly against slavery and fought on the side of the Union during the American Civil War (1861–65). Some 75,000 Iowa men became soldiers, which was almost a tenth of the state's population at the time. Shortly after the war Iowa became a center of the Grange movement. Farmers came together to find ways to solve common problems such as low crop prices and overpriced railroad services. Iowa in the 20th and 21st centuriesSoviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited Iowa in 1959, and the state soon became a leading seller of grain to the Soviet Union. This relationship between Iowa and the Soviet Union greatly improved the agricultural segment of Iowa's economy. In 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded the country of Afghanistan, United States president Jimmy Carter stopped sales of grain to the Soviets. Although this action hurt the Soviets by preventing them from getting a valuable product, it also hurt farmers because they lost a good market for their crop. The ban on grain sales was lifted in 1981. In 1988 Iowa farmers had problems due to heat and drought. The opposite took place in 1993 as too much rain caused the Mississippi River to flood many farms and cities. Iowa's population remained fairly stable throughout the 1900s. This trend continued into the 21st century. While the nation as a whole had a population increase of about 13 percent between 1990 and 2000, Iowa's population grew by only about 5 percent. Population (2000 census), 2,926,324. |