Indiana

Indiana is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 United States. Indianapolis is the capital and largest city of Indiana. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th state on December 11, 1816. It is bordered on the west by the Wabash River, Illinois, and Lake Michigan to its northwest.

Various indigenous peoples inhabited what would become Indiana for thousands of years, some of whom the U.S. government expelled between 1800 and 1836. Indiana was named because it was largely inhabited by native tribes long before the state was granted statehood. Since then, settlement patterns in Indiana have reflected regional cultural segmentation present in the Eastern United States; the state’s northernmost tier was settled primarily by people from New England and New York, Central Indiana by migrants from the Mid-Atlantic states and adjacent Ohio, and Southern Indiana by settlers from the Upland South, particularly Kentucky and Tennessee.

Indiana’s economy is diverse with a gross state production of $352.62 billion in 2021. There are several large metropolitan areas that have populations over 100,000, as well as smaller towns and cities. Indiana is home to several professional sports teams, including the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. The state also hosts several notable competitive events, such as the Indianapolis 500, held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.