Des Moines (
pronounced in
English, in
French) is the
capital of and the most populous city in the
U.S. state of
Iowa. It was incorporated on
September 22,
1851, as Fort Des Moines, owing its name to the
Des Moines River (French: Rivière Des Moines, literally meaning "River of the Monks," but in the 18th century designating "River of the Moingwena," an Illinois Indian subtribe; the French voyagers often abbreviated tribal names, and in this case "River of the Moingwena" became "River of the Moines"), until it was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is also the
county seat of
Polk County. The five-county
metropolitan area is ranked 92nd in terms of population in the United States according to 2006 estimates with 534,230 residents according to
United States Census Bureau.
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