Editing Dubuque County, Iowa (section)

===Geographic features===
The county borders on [[Illinois]] and [[Wisconsin]], and is bounded on the northeast by the [[Mississippi River]].<ref name="ac">{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Dubuque}}</ref> According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|617|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|608|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|8.3|sqmi}} (1.4%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> The county is drained by north and south forks of the [[Maquoketa River]].<ref name="ac"/>

The county seat is [[Dubuque, Iowa|Dubuque]], [[Iowa]], which is located along the Mississippi River in the east-central portion of the county. Eastern Dubuque County is markedly different from the western portion in that its topography is very uneven. The city of Dubuque and surrounding areas adjacent to the Mississippi River have many steep hills, bluffs, and ravines. Also, the eastern portion is more heavily wooded than the west, which is mostly rolling farmland.

Dubuque County is widely known for its impressive bluffs along the Mississippi River, which run along the entire length of the county's riverbanks. These form part of Iowa's [[Coulee Region]], otherwise known as the Driftless Area. During the last ice age, much of the Mississippi Valley near Dubuque County was bypassed by glacial flows, which flattened the surrounding land in eastern Illinois, Wisconsin, and western Iowa, leaving the Driftless Area unusually rugged.