IOWA

N. central state of U.S. (42° N., 93° 30’ W.); bounded N. by Min near ates it from Wisconsin and Illinois; S. by Mi ouri; W. by Mi ouri and Big Sioux rivers (separating it from Nebraska and S. Dakota). Surface is mostly rolling tableland or prairie (average elevation being scarcely 1,000 ft. above sea level), broken by vertical cliffs at river banks in N.E., and bluffs near rivers in S.W. Iowa is divided into two drainage systems: the larger, on the E., drained by tributaries of the Mi i ippi—Des “Moines, Skunk, and Iowa; and on the W. by tributaries of the Mi ouri. There are several small lakes in the N. The climate is healthy. Valuable deposits of coal, which is of good quality, extend over 19,000 sq. m.; other minerals are lead, gypsum, limestone, clay, etc. The land is almost entirely devoted to farming— about half to the growing of cereals, chiefly corn, wheat, barley, oats, rye, potatoes, hay, etc.; naturally, industries are mainly agricultural and livestock rearing; other industries are meat packing and preparing food stuffs; dairy farming and poultry keeping are also of importance. There are no important manufactures. ‘The chief towns are Des port, Council Bluffs, and Cedar Rapids. low a was organized as territory, 1838, and admitted as state of U.S., 1846. The state has a lieut.-governor, a senate and house of representatives, and sends 2 senator stand 11 representatives to Con water). Pop. 2,404,021. See Map of U.S.