State Abbreviation - IA
State Capital - Des Moines
Largest City - Des Moines
Area - 56,276 square miles [Iowa is the 26th biggest state in the USA]
Population - 2,926,324 (as of 2000) [Iowa is the 30th most populous state in the USA]
Name for Residents - Iowans
Major Industries - agriculture (corn, soybeans, hogs, pigs), food manufacturing, insurance

Presidential Birthplace - Herbert Clark Hoover was born in West Branch on August 10, 1874 (he was the 31st US President, serving from 1929 to 1933).

Major Rivers - Mississippi River, Des Moines River, Missouri River, Cedar River, Iowa River
Major Lakes - Lake Red Rock
Highest Point - Hawkeye Point in Osceola County in northwestern Iowa - 1,670 feet (509 m) above sea level
Lowest Point - Where the Mississippi River and Des Moines River meet; 480 feet (146 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin

Origin of the Name Iowa - The name Iowa comes from Ioway, the French word for the Bah-kho-je Indian tribe that lived in the area.
State Nickname - Hawkeye State
State Motto - "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain"
State Song - The Song of Iowa