Ohio

Ohio is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is the 34th largest of the 50 U.S. States by area. With a population close to 11.8 million, it is the seventh-most populated and tenth most densely populated. The capital of the state, Columbus, is the largest city. Greater Cincinnati, Greater Cleveland, and the Columbus metro area are the largest metropolitan areas. Ohio is bordered by Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. Ohio, named after its Ohio buckeye tree, is known historically as the “Buckeye State”. Ohioans are also known by the “Buckeyes” name. Its state flag is the only non-rectangular flag of all the U.S. states.

The state takes its name from the Ohio River, whose name in turn originated from the Seneca word ohi:yo‘, meaning “good river”, “great river”, or “large creek”. Ohio arose from the lands west of Appalachia that were contested from colonial times through the Northwest Indian Wars of the late 18th century. It was divided from the Northwest Territory. This was the first frontier of new United States. Ohio became the 17th state to be admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803, becoming the 17th. Although Ohio has transitioned to a more information- and service-based economy in the 21st century, it remains an industrial state, ranking seventh in GDP as of 2019, with the third largest manufacturing sector and second largest automobile production.

The government of Ohio consists of three branches: the executive branch, headed by the governor; and the legislative branch, which consists of the bicameral Ohio General Assembly and the judicial branch led by state Supreme Court. Ohio occupies 16 seats in the United States House of Representatives. Ohio is well-known for being both a swing state as well as a bellwether in national election results. This has earned it the nickname “the Mother of Presidents”.