The Partner State Program serves Iowans by upholding the state of Iowa’s seven official international relationships through civilian, government and economic connections.
Iowa's Partner States
List items for Iowa's Partner States
Population: 269,836 (2022 est.)
Land mass: 69 km² (26.6 mi²)
Language: Ukrainian
Then-Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Vasyl Tsybenko, head of the Cherkassy Oblast state administration, signed the original Iowa-Cherkasy agreement May 15, 1996.
Population: 74.61 million (2020 est.)
Land mass: 188,800 km² (72,900 mi²)
Language: Mandarin
In the late 1970s, then-Iowa Gov. Robert Ray sent Kennith “Ken” Quinn — who became a U.S. ambassador to Cambodia in the mid-1990s — to create a sister-state relationship with a province in China. Their Chinese contacts wrote back, proposing that Hebei be the sister province to Iowa. Iowa leaders were impressed with Heibei’s large population of some 55 million people, compared to Iowa’s 2.5 million. Ray pursued the partnership.
On July 22, 1983, the newly elected Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Hebei Gov. Zhang Shuguang signed the original Iowa-Hebei agreement.
Population: 1.60 million (2024 est.)
Land mass: 10,887 km² (4,203 mi²)
Language: Albanian, Serbian
In 2008, Kosovo declared independence from the Republic of Serbia, proclaiming to be a democratic, secular and multiethnic republic. The Iowa National Guard was among the peacekeeping forces occupying Kosovo in its early post-war years. Kosovars largely attributed their freedom to the United States of America and began developing unique relations with Iowans.
In 2011, the Iowa National Guard and Kosovo Security Force were joined via the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. In this program, the National Guard conducts military-to-military engagements in support of defense security goals but also leverages whole-of-society relationships and capabilities to facilitate broader interagency and corollary engagements spanning military, government, economic and social spheres.
Acknowledging this friendship, then-Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga and then-Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed the original partner state agreement July 7, 2013.
Population: 23.57 million (2023 est.)
Land mass: 36,197 km² (13,976 mi²)
Language: Mandarin
A 1987 visit to Taiwan by then-Iowa Rep. John Connors led to the establishment of a sister-state relationship between Taiwan and the state of Iowa in 1989. Taiwan offered to provide free space in its new International Trade Center to states that established a sister-state relationship, and Connors introduced a resolution to the Iowa Legislature to formalize such an alliance. Taiwan’s then-Gov. Chiu Chuang-huan endorsed a friendship agreement in June 1989, and then-Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed a formal agreement September 25, 1989.
Population: 4.9 million (2022 est.)
Land mass: 18,399 km² (7,104 mi²)
Language: Italian
During a visit, Pierluigi Bolla, an Assessore di Turismo (tourism department head) of the Veneto Region, expressed interest in finding an American sister state to the Consulate General of Italy Chicago. The Italian Consulate recommended Iowa, knowing its great reputation. Following multiple exploratory talks, a small official Veneto delegation came to Iowa. Other delegations ensued, and the Veneto Region entered into a partnership with the state of Iowa through an official agreement signed by then-Gov. Terry Branstad and Bolla on December 15, 1997.
Population: 807,000 (2023 est.)
Land mass: 4,465 km² (1,724 mi²)
Language: Japanese
The friendship between Iowa and Yamanashi Prefecture has existed since 1960, when Iowans stepped up to help the Yamanashi people following two devastating typhoons.
While stationed in Japan with the U.S. Air Force, Richard Thomas of Des Moines had facilitated a sister-city relationship between Des Moines and Yamanashi’s capital, Kofu, in 1958. Saddened by the news of the typhoons the following year, he turned to folks back home for support. In January of 1960, Iowans personally delivered 35 breeding hogs to Yamanashi, an event known as the Hog Lift. In March 1960, 60,000 bushels of corn arrived.
With gratitude for the aid and newfound friendship, the Yamanashi Prefectural Assembly declared Iowa to be its first sister state March 14, 1960. Because Iowa’s friendship with Yamanashi began with goodwill efforts, Iowans recognize that date as the beginning of the partner-state relationship as we know it today.
Iowa officially approved the Iowa-Yamanashi partnership via Senate Joint Resolution 30 on April 14, 1961.
Population: 2.32 million (2023 est.)
Land mass: 39,524 km² (15,251 mi²)
Language: Spanish
Iowa’s relationship with Yucatán is uniquely cultural. The federal Partners of the Americas program was founded in 1964 to connect volunteers, international development professionals, governments, businesses and higher education institutions to implement programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. The state of Iowa was partnered with the Mexican state of Yucatán in September 1965. Citizens of Iowa and Yucatán have maintained a partnership since.
Iowa Statistics
Partner: Iowa
Territory Name: State
Country: USA
Population: 3.24 million (2024 est.)
Land Mass: 144,669 km² (55,857 mi²)
Language: English
Business Resources
People don’t do business with people they don’t know. These partnerships present opportunities for business relationships. IEDA offers resources to Iowa companies seeking to export to these regions and more. See our trade services for more information.
IEDA offers resources to companies from our partner states to expand their business in Iowa. Please see our investment services for more information.