The university is located in Madison just blocks from the
state capitol building, on an isthmus
between two lakes, Lake Mendota
and Lake Monona. The main campus comprises 933 acres (3.8 km²) of land, while
the entire campus, including research stations, is over 10,600 acres (43 km²) in area.The campus has its own police force, food service, hospital, recreation facilities, power facilities, and an on-campus
dairy.