| Indiana is the 19th U.S. state and is located | | | | central Indiana, is the center of commerce in |
| in the Midwest region of the United States of | | | | the region better known as Michiana. Fort |
| America. | | | | Wayne, the state's second largest city, is |
| | | | located in the northeastern part of the |
| With about 6.3 million residents, it is | | | | state. |
| ranked 15th in population and 17th in | | | | |
| population density.[2] It is 38th in land | | | | Central Indiana |
| area. | | | | |
| | | | The state capital, Indianapolis, is situated |
| Indiana is a diverse state with five large | | | | in the central portion of the state. It is |
| urban areas and a number of smaller | | | | intersected by numerous Interstate and U.S. |
| industrial cities. It is known for the | | | | highways, giving the state its motto as "The |
| Indianapolis 500 American automobile race, | | | | Crossroads of America". Other cities located |
| held annually over the Memorial Day weekend, | | | | within the area include Anderson, |
| and a strong basketball tradition, often | | | | Bloomington, Carmel, Columbus, |
| called Hoosier Hysteria. Residents of Indiana | | | | Crawfordsville, Danville, Fishers, Lafayette, |
| are called Hoosiers. | | | | Muncie, Richmond, and Terre Haute. |
| | | | |
| The state's name means "Land of the Indians" | | | | Rural areas in the central portion of the |
| and Angel Mounds State Historic Site, one of | | | | state are typically composed of a patchwork |
| the best preserved prehistoric Native | | | | of fields and forested areas. |
| American sites in the United States, can be | | | | |
| found in southern Indiana. | | | | Southern Indiana |
| | | | |
| Indiana is bounded on the north by Lake | | | | Evansville, the third largest city in |
| Michigan and the state of Michigan; on the | | | | Indiana, is located in the southwestern |
| east by Ohio; on the south by Kentucky, with | | | | corner of the state. It is located in a |
| which it shares the Ohio River as a border; | | | | tri-state area that includes Illinois, |
| and on the west by Illinois. Indiana is one | | | | Indiana, and Kentucky. The southeastern |
| of the Great Lakes states. | | | | cities of Clarksville, Jeffersonville, and |
| | | | New Albany are part of the Louisville |
| The northern boundary of the states of Ohio, | | | | metropolitan area. |
| Indiana, and Illinois was originally defined | | | | |
| to be a latitudinal line drawn through the | | | | Southern Indiana is a mixture of farmland and |
| southernmost tip of Lake Michigan. Since such | | | | forest. The Hoosier National Forest is a |
| a line would not provide Indiana with usable | | | | 200,000 acre (80,900 ha) nature preserve in |
| frontage on the lake, its northern border was | | | | south central Indiana. Southern Indiana's |
| shifted ten miles north. The northern borders | | | | topography is more varied and generally |
| of Ohio and Illinois were also shifted from | | | | contains more hills and geographic variation |
| this original plan. | | | | than the northern portion, such as the |
| | | | "Knobs," a series of 1,000 ft. hills that run |
| The 475 mile (764 km) long Wabash River | | | | parallel to the Ohio River in south-central |
| bisects the state from northeast to southwest | | | | Indiana. The limestone geology of Southern |
| and has given Indiana a few theme songs, On | | | | Indiana has created numerous caves and one of |
| the Banks of the Wabash, The Wabash | | | | the largest limestone quarry regions in the |
| Cannonball and Back Home Again, In Indiana. | | | | USA. |
| The White River (a tributary of the Wabash, | | | | |
| which is a tributary of the Ohio) zigzags | | | | For sixty years, from 1890 to 1950, the |
| through central Indiana. | | | | United States Census found the center of |
| | | | population to lie in southern Indiana. |
| There are 24 Indiana state parks, nine | | | | |
| man-made reservoirs, and hundreds of lakes in | | | | Climate |
| the state. Areas under the control and | | | | |
| protection of the National Park Service | | | | Most of Indiana has a humid continental |
| include: | | | | climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa), |
| | | | with hot, humid summers and cool to cold |
| George Rogers Clark National Historical Park | | | | winters. The extreme southern portions of the |
| in Vincennes | | | | state border on a humid subtropical climate |
| | | | (Koppen Cfa) with somewhat milder winters. |
| Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore near | | | | Summertime maximum temperatures average |
| Michigan City | | | | around 85°F (29°C) with cooler nights |
| | | | around 60°F (16°C). Winters are a |
| Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln | | | | little more variable, but generally cool to |
| City | | | | cold temperatures with all but the northern |
| | | | part of the state averaging above freezing |
| Hoosier National Forest in Bedford | | | | for the maximum January temperature, and the |
| | | | minimum temperature below 20°F (-8°C) |
| Northern Indiana | | | | for most of the state.[12]The state receives |
| | | | a good amount of precipitation, 40 inches |
| The northwest corner of the state is part of | | | | (1,000 mm) annually statewide, in all four |
| the greater metropolitan area of Chicago and | | | | seasons, with March through August being |
| has nearly one million residents.[8] Gary, | | | | slightly wetter. |
| and the cities and towns that make up the | | | | |
| northern half of Lake, Porter, and La Porte | | | | The state does have its share of severe |
| Counties bordering on Lake Michigan, are | | | | weather, both winter storms and |
| effectively commuter suburbs of Chicago. | | | | thunderstorms. While generally not receiving |
| Porter and Lake counties are commonly | | | | as much snow as some states farther north, |
| referred to as "The Region". They are all in | | | | the state does have occasional blizzards, |
| the Central Time Zone along with Chicago. | | | | some due to lake effect snow. The state |
| NICTD owns and operates the South Shore Line, | | | | averages around 40-50 days of thunderstorms |
| a commuter rail line that runs | | | | per year, with March and April being the |
| electric-powered trains between South Bend | | | | period of most severe storms. While not |
| and Chicago.[9] Sand dunes and heavy industry | | | | considered part of Tornado Alley, Indiana is |
| share the shoreline of Lake Michigan in | | | | the Great Lakes state which is most |
| northern Indiana. | | | | vulnerable to tornadic activity. In fact, |
| | | | three of the most severe tornado outbreaks in |
| The Kankakee River, which winds through | | | | U.S. history affected Indiana, the Tri-State |
| northern Indiana, serves somewhat as a | | | | Tornado of 1925, the Palm Sunday tornado |
| demarcating line between suburban northwest | | | | outbreak of 1965 and the Super Outbreak of |
| Indiana and the rest of the state. | | | | 1974. The Evansville Tornado of November 2005 |
| | | | killed 25 people. |
| The South Bend metropolitan area in north | | | | |