Indiana, located in the Midwestern United States, is bordered by Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. The state has a total area of 94,326 square kilometers (36,420 square miles) and an estimated population of 6,833,037 as of 2022. Its capital city is Indianapolis, which is known as the “Crossroads of America”.
Indiana was originally inhabited by several Algonquian speaking tribes, including the Miami, Potawatomi and Delaware peoples. It was admitted to the Union on
December 11, 1816, becoming the 19th state.
The Wabash River and the Ohio River define its southwestern and southern borders respectively, while Lake Michigan lies to the northwest. Indiana is also known as the “Hoosier State”, after its inhabitants, the Hoosiers. Its official state bird is the northern cardinal, the state flower is the peony, and its state song is “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away”.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Indiana has nine seats out of 435. The state is divided into two time zones: Central (GMT-6 hours) and Eastern (GMT-5 hours).