Iowa

Iowa is one of the states constituting the United States of America; it entered the Union as 29th state on December 28, 1846. Its area is 56,275 square miles (145,753 square kilometers). Its population was in 2008 estimated to be 3,002,555.

The Mississippi River forms its entire eastern border. The state is bordered on the north by Minnesota, on the east by Wisconsin and Illinois, on the south by Missouri, and on the west by Nebraska and South Dakota. Its capital and largest city is Des Moines.

The University of Iowa, situated in Iowa city opened in 1855. Iowa State University of Science and Technology, in Ames, started classes in 1869.