The state of Iowa gets its name from the Ioway people, one of the many Indian tribes living in that region of the Midwest at the time of European exploration. Iowa was part of the French colony of New France and sold to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. Settlers laid the foundation of an agriculture-base economy in what is now known as the “American Heartland.” Des Moines is the capital and largest city in the state. Contrary to the perceived belief of the flatness of the region, Iowa consists principally of rolling hills.