Iowa is bordered by Minnesota on the north; Nebraska and South Dakota on the west;
Missouri on the south; and Wisconsin and Illinois on the east.
The Mississippi River forms the eastern boundary of the state. The boundary along the west is formed by the Missouri River south of Sioux City and by the Big Sioux River north of Sioux City. There are several natural lakes in the state, most notably Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, and East Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa (see Iowa Great Lakes). Man-made lakes include Lake Odessa, Saylorville Lake, Lake Red Rock, Lake McBride and Rathbun Lake.
The
topography of the state is gently rolling plains. Loess hills lie along the
western border of the state. Some of these are several hundred feet thick.
In the northeast, along the Mississippi River, is a section of the Driftless
Zone, which in Iowa consists of low rugged hills covered with conifers—a
landscape not usually associated with this state.
The point of lowest elevation is Keokuk in southeastern Iowa, at 480 feet (146 m). The point of highest elevation, at 1,670 feet (509 m), is Hawkeye Point, located in a feedlot north of Sibley in northwest Iowa. The mean elevation of the state is 1,099 feet (335 m). Considering the size of the state at 56,271 square miles (145,743 km²), there is very little elevation difference.
Iowa has 99 counties. The state capital, Des Moines, is located in Polk County.
Iowa
experiences a continental climate with extremes of both heat and cold. The
average annual temperature at Des Moines is 50.0 °F (10.0 °C); for
some locations in the north the figure is under 45 °F, while Keokuk, on
the Mississippi River, averages 52.1 °F. Winters are brisk and snowfall
common, the capital receiving an average of 36.3 inches per season. Spring
ushers in the beginning of the severe weather season, as well as bringing
increased precipitation and warming temperatures. The Iowan summer is known
for heat and humidity, with daytime temperatures sometimes exceeding 100 °F
(37.8 °C).
Iowa averages about 50 days of thunderstorm activity per year. Some of these thunderstorms can be severe with high winds and hail. The state has a moderately high risk of tornadic activity with, on average, 37 tornadoes per year.
Metropolitan areas by population
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