Iowa, one of the United States of America, extends from 40° 36' to 43° 30' N. lat., and from 90° 15' to 96° 38' W. long., and has an area of 55,475 sq. m. It is bounded on the N. by Minnesota, on the E. by the Mississippi River, on the S. by the state of Missouri, and on the W. by the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers. The climate is continental, with cold winters, hot summers, and sudden changes of temperature. The autumns are beautiful and of long duration. The mean temperature of the year is 47°, and the annual rainfall about 33 inches. Iowa is noted for its healthfulness, the annual death-rate being only 119 in every 10,000 of population. The surface is a rolling prairie; there are no mountains, and hills or bluffs can only be found along the principal streams. The average elevation is not far from 900 feet. The highest point (1694 feet) is about 70 miles E. of the north-west corner of the state, and the lowest (444 feet) at the confluence of the Des Moines River with the Mississippi. The soil is unsurpassed in richness and productiveness, all the land being tillable except a few rocky bluffs near the large rivers. Natural forests cover the slopes that intervene between the rivers and the high lands, and since the cessation of the destructive prairie-fires the area of woodland has been steadily increasing. Iowa has also extensive and valuable mineral deposits, as coal, lead, gypsum, limestone, clay, and mineral paints. The coal, which is bituminous and of good quality, extends over an area of nearly 20,000 sq. m., and above 4 million tons have been raised annually of late years. The Mississippi on the eastern, and the Missouri on the western border are navigable. To both of these are tributary a number of inland rivers, those of the Mississippi system flowing in a south-easterly, and those of the Missouri system in a south-westerly direction. The Upper Iowa, Turkey, Maquoketa, Wapsipinicon, Iowa (with its large affluent the Cedar), Skunk, and Des Moines rivers are the principal tributaries of the Mississippi. The rivers of the Missouri system are the Big Sioux, Rock, Floyd's, Little Sioux, Boyer, and Nishmabotony. There are also several small lakes in the northern portion of the state, situated principally near the great watersheds.
Iowa is pre-eminently an agricultural state. The nature of the surface offers excellent facilities for the use of agricultural machinery, and makes farming attractive and profitable. Nearly two-thirds of the 34 million acres of tillable land are now under cultivation, producing annually 300 million bushels of maize, 30 million bushels of wheat, 60 million bushels of oats, 4 million bushels of barley, 2½ million bushels of flax, 1½ million bushels of buckwheat, half a million bushels of rye, 6 million tons of hay, 2 million gallons of sorghum-syrup, 10 million bushels of potatoes, 100 million pounds of butter, 5 million pounds of cheese, 2 million pounds of wool, and 32 million dozen eggs. The number of live-stock at the census of 1890 were as follows: horses, 1,312,079; cattle, 4,000,000; mules, 41,648; swine, 7,000,000; sheep, 450,000. The total annual value of all agricultural products may be fairly estimated at 300 million dollars. While Iowa has good water-power, cheap fuel, and excellent transportation facilities, the development of its manufacturing interests has been but slow. In 1880 the number of manufacturing establishments was 6921; the number of persons employed in them, 28,372; and the value of their annual products, 71,045,926. In 1890 there were 7440 factories, with 59,174 workers, producing goods of the value that year of 125,049,200. Among the leading articles of manufacture are flouring and grist mill products, packed meats and canned goods, sawed lumber, carriages and wagons, saddlery, agricultural implements, furniture, bricks and tiles, foundry products, woollen goods, and clothing. The commerce is chiefly domestic. The principal exports are agricultural and dairy products, coal, gypsum, and lead; the imports, groceries and manufactured goods.
The legislative authority is vested in the general assembly, consisting of two houses, the senate (50 members) and house of representatives (100), and meeting in regular session in January of each even-numbered year. The supreme executive power is vested in a governor, who is elected for a term of two years. The supreme court consists of five judges, elected for a term of six years. The state is divided into ninety-nine counties, and is represented in the national congress by two senators and eleven representatives. The educational policy of the state is most liberal. Schools are established in every district, and must be kept in operation at least six months each year. The school-system embraces the district and high school, the state university, state normal school, and state agricultural and industrial college. In 1890 there were 26,769 teachers in about 17,000 common schools, which were attended by 503,755 pupils. Upwards of twenty high schools (including the state university, Drake University in Des Moines, and Cornell College) have nearly 400 teachers and over 7000 pupils. Iowa has the lowest percentage of illiteracy of any state in the Union. Of 324,096 inhabitants born abroad, 127,246 were German born (1890). The value of property is estimated at 2000 million dollars.
The territory of the state of Iowa formed part of the 'Louisiana Purchase.' After Iowa had successively been under the jurisdiction of the territorial governments of Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin, it was organised as a separate territory on the 4th of July 1838, with Burlington as its capital. It had then sixteen counties and a population of 22,860. The following year the general assembly located the seat of government at Iowa City. On 28th December 1846 the state was admitted into the Union, with a population of nearly 100,000. In 1856 Des Moines became the permanent capital. Iowa's population in 1850 was 192,214; in 1860, 674,913; in 1870, 1,194,020; in 1880, 1,624,615; and in 1890 it was 1,911,896; and Iowa was the tenth state in the Union in respect of population. In 1890 there was within the limits of the state one city (Des Moines) of over 50,000 inhabitants; five between 20,000 and 40,000 (Sioux City, Dubuque, Davenport, Burlington, Council Bluffs); five between 10,000 and 11,000; and twelve between 4000 and 10,000.