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Note: Alaska and Hawaii are shown out of
position for reference only and are not to scale.
Blank
Iowa State Outline Map
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. Man-made lakes include Lake
Odessa, Saylorville Lake, Lake Red Rock, Coralville
Lake, Lake MacBride and Rathbun Lake.
The
topography of the state is gently rolling
plains. Loess hills lie along the
western border of the state, some of which 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 has
the highest average radon
concentrations in the nation due to significant glaciation
that ground the granitic rocks from the Canadian Shield and
deposited it as soils making up the rich Iowa farmland.
Because of the high surface area of the ground rock, radon
is free to off-gas from the soils. Many cities within the
state, such as Iowa City have
passed requirements for radon resistant construction in all
new homes.
Areas
controlled and protected by the
National Park Service
include:
Climate
Iowa, like
most of the Midwest, has a
humid continental
climate throughout the state with extremes of both heat
and cold. The average annual temperature at
Des Moines is 50 °F (10 °C); for
some locations in the north the figure is under 45 °F (8
°C), while Keokuk, on the
Mississippi River, averages
52 °F (12 °C). Winters are brisk and snowfall is common, the
capital (Des Moines) receiving an average of 36.3 inches (92
cm) 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 often near 90 °F (32 °C) and
sometimes exceeding 100 °F (38 °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, mostly in the spring and
summer months.
Interactive Iowa State Map
Explore the state of Iowa with the dynamic map below. You can
zoom, pan and even get a satellite map view.
Move your cursor over the markers on the map to
learn more about Iowa.
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