Iowa is ranked 25th in size among the 50 states in the US. It is the smallest of all the Midwestern states and located in the western north-central US. Iowa covers a total area of 56,275 sq mi (145,752 sq km), of which land takes up 55,965 sq mi 144,949 q km) and inland water 310 sq mi (803 sq km). Iowa 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.

The capital of Iowa is Des Moines and the state's geographic center is in Story County near Ames.

Friendly nature of the people, rolling countryside, pleasant climate, historic sites – all make Iowa a favorite tourist destination for all seasons. You can soak yourself all round the year in the Geat Lakes Region or enjoy rodeo championship or game hunting in southwestern Iowa, or visit picturesque Loess Hills in west central Iowa. You can experience the state’s historic past with a visit to the 19th century farm and village in central Iowa and old world charm in east central Iowa. Amana Colonies which are seven authentic German villages founded in the mid-1800s and known as National Historic Landmark is an important tourist place. Effigy Mounds National Monument, Spook Cave – McGregor, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum – Decorah are other important places of attractions. Pella with its Dutch architecture is an European oasis in the Heartland.