<P> Des Moines ( / dɪˈmɔɪn / ( listen ) ) is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa . It is also the county seat of Polk County . A small part of the city extends into Warren County . It was incorporated on September 22 , 1851 , as Fort Des Moines , which was shortened to `` Des Moines '' in 1857 . It is on and named after the Des Moines River , which likely was adapted from the French colonial name , Rivière des Moines , meaning `` River of the Monks '' . The city 's population was 216,553 as of the 2017 population estimate . The five - county metropolitan area is ranked 89th in terms of population in the United States with 634,725 residents according to the 2016 estimate by the United States Census Bureau . </P>
<P> Des Moines ( / dɪˈmɔɪn / ( listen ) ) is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa . It is also the county seat of Polk County . A small part of the city extends into Warren County . It was incorporated on September 22 , 1851 , as Fort Des Moines , which was shortened to `` Des Moines '' in 1857 . It is on and named after the Des Moines River , which likely was adapted from the French colonial name , Rivière des Moines , meaning `` River of the Monks '' . The city 's population was 216,553 as of the 2017 population estimate . The five - county metropolitan area is ranked 89th in terms of population in the United States with 634,725 residents according to the 2016 estimate by the United States Census Bureau . </P>
how do you say the capital of iowa
how do you say the capital of iowa
dɪˈmɔɪn
dɪˈmɔɪn