Iowa (ⁱ/ˈaɪ.əwə/) is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New France. After the Louisiana Purchase, settlers laid the foundation for an agriculture-based economy in the heart of the Corn Belt. Iowa is often known as the "Food Capital of the World".

In the latter half of the 20th century, Iowa's agricultural economy transitioned to a diversified economy of advanced manufacturing, processing, financial services, biotechnology, and green energy production. Iowa is the 26th most extensive and the 30th most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital and largest city is Des Moines. Iowa has been listed as one of the safest states to live in.

Iowa is bordered by the Mississippi River on the east; the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west; the northern boundary is a line along 43 degrees, 30 minutes north latitude. The southern border is the Des Moines River and a not-quite-straight line along approximately 40 degrees 35 minutes north, as decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in Missouri v. Iowa after a standoff between Missouri and Iowa known as the Honey War.

A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs.

Originally a state fair was just a competitive exhibition of livestock in various competitions, the display of farm products which were not necessarily for sale, and the competition among various fair goers and participants in such categories as handicrafts, baked goods, jams and jellies, etc., but has since been expanded to include carnival amusement rides and games, music, races, tests of strength and skill, etc. Large fairs can see more than a million visitors over the course of a week or two. The first official U.S. state fair was in Detroit, Michigan in 1849.

Events similar to state fairs are also held annually in each state capital in Australia, known as Royal Shows. Australian Royal shows are organized by state agricultural and horticultural societies, and are described further in the agricultural show article.

The Iowa State Fair is an annual state fair held in Des Moines, Iowa.

The 2011 Iowa State Fair was held August 11–21 and marked 100 years of the butter cow sculpture.

The first Iowa State Fair was staged in Fairfield October 25–27, 1854, with a budget of $323. The Fair was held again in Fairfield in 1855, but for the next several years, the Fair moved from town to town, remaining mostly in eastern Iowa.

The Fair was held in Muscatine in 1856-1857, Oskaloosa in 1858-1859, Iowa City in 1860-1861, Dubuque in 1862-1863, Burlington in 1864-1866, Clinton in 1867-1868, Keokuk in 1869-1870 and 1874–1875, and Cedar Rapids in 1871-1873 and 1876-1878. The Fair moved permanently within the Des Moines city limits in 1878. After the Iowa State Legislature and the City of Des Moines appropriated funds for the Fair in 1886, it moved to its current location at East 30th and East Grand in Des Moines.

Since 1854, the Iowa State Fair has been entertaining Iowans on a yearly basis with only a few exceptions. In 1898, the Fair was cancelled due to the celebration of the World's Fair in nearby Omaha, Nebraska, as well as the prolonged Spanish-American War. The Fair was also closed in 1942 due to World War II when the state allowed military personnel to use the grounds as a supply depot. The Fair re-opened in 1946.