Iowa became an official state of the United States in 1846 as the 29th state. It is located in the central part of the USA and borders six other states – Illinois, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The capital of Iowa is Des Moines.

The area of ​​present-day Iowa was originally acquired by France from the imperial powers. However, she then left the territory to her ally Spain, which subsequently returned it to France at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The territory came under US control after being bought from France in 1803. The US then fought to maintain dominance with the British, who did not leave the territory, as well as with the original inhabitants. The first American settlers did not come to Iowa until the 1930s. In 1838, Congress established the territory of Iowa, and eight years later the territory was transformed into an official state.

Iowa is located in the north-central part of the state near the Great Lakes. It is not significantly vertically articulated; the highest point is located at an altitude of 509 meters. Iowa’s climate is continental with warm summers and cold winters. Summers here are hot and humid with July’s highest average temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius. Winters tend to be very harsh, with exceptions of temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius and abundant snowfall.

• Iowa Zip Codes: Offers a complete list of all postal codes in Iowa by city and county.

Historically, Iowa is considered a farming state, although since the second half of the 20th century Iowa has sought to diversify its economy. Nevertheless, agriculture and grain growing are still an important part of the state’s economy.

The largest and also the capital of Iowa is Des Moines with 200,000 inhabitants. Other centers in the state include Cedar Rapids with 130,000 residents and Davenport and Sioux City.

The capital of Iowa – Des Moines

The capital of the state of Iowa is Des Moines, which is located in the central part of the state. Des Moines is also the largest city in Iowa and has a population of about 200,000. However, the metropolitan area around Des Moines is about three times larger due to the surrounding towns.

In 1843, a fort of the same name was built on the site of today’s Des Moines. It was soon abandoned, but subsequently settlers began to move into the area, and in 1851 Des Moines was declared a city. At the same time, the status of the capital was moved here from Iowa City. Development was very slow at first, but accelerated significantly with the completion of the railroad after the American Civil War.

As in all of Iowa, Des Moines has a continental climate with very warm summers and very harsh winters with heavy snowfall. Summer is hot with high humidity and the average daily temperatures are 30 degrees Celsius. In December and January, on the other hand, the lowest average temperatures drop well below freezing to -10 degrees.

Des Moines is known as one of the largest centers of the financial industry, especially insurance; a number of large insurance corporations are based here.

The flag of the state of Iowa was adopted in 1921.

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