IN · Hoosier State · Midwest · admitted 1816 (#19)
Indiana map
Indiana highlighted on the US map, with Indianapolis as both capital and largest city. It is the smallest state in the mainland Midwest by area and is crossed by more interstate highway per square mile than any other.
- Capital
- Indianapolis
- Largest city
- Indianapolis
- Population (2020)
- 6,785,528
- Area
- 36,420 sq mi
- Counties
- 92
- Time zone
- Eastern
- Region
- Midwest · East North Central
- Statehood
- December 11, 1816
Where Indiana is
Indiana is in the eastern Midwest between Illinois and Ohio. It is about 270 miles north to south and 140 miles east to west. Michigan is to the north, along with a 45-mile Lake Michigan shore in the northwest corner; Ohio is to the east, Kentucky to the south across the Ohio River, and Illinois to the west. Indianapolis is almost exactly in the centre of the state, at the meeting point of interstates 65, 69, 70 and 74. The northern two-thirds are flat glaciated farmland; the south is hillier, with limestone caves and the Ohio River bluffs.
Major cities
| City | Region of state | Population (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis (capital) | Central Indiana | 887,642 |
| Fort Wayne | Northeast Indiana | 263,886 |
| Evansville | Southwest (Ohio River) | 117,298 |
| South Bend | North-central (Michiana) | 103,453 |
| Carmel | Indianapolis suburbs | 99,757 |
| Fishers | Indianapolis suburbs | 98,977 |
| Bloomington | South-central Indiana | 79,168 |
| Hammond | Northwest (Calumet Region) | 77,879 |
Geography
- Hoosier Hill — 1,257 feet, the highest point, a low rise in farmland near the Ohio line in Wayne County.
- Ohio River — the whole southern border, about 350 miles; the lowest point, 320 feet, is where it leaves the state near Mount Vernon. See the Ohio River map.
- Wabash River — the state river, flows 500 miles west across the north and centre, then south to form the Illinois border below Terre Haute before joining the Ohio.
- White River — drains central Indiana through Indianapolis to the Wabash; the Tippecanoe and Kankakee are the main northern rivers.
- Lake Michigan — about 45 miles of shoreline with the dunes of Indiana Dunes National Park beside the steel mills of Gary. See the Great Lakes map.
- Southern hills and caves — the unglaciated south holds limestone karst, Marengo and Wyandotte caves, and the Hoosier National Forest.
- Time zones — most of Indiana is on Eastern time; 12 counties in the northwest near Chicago and the southwest around Evansville are on Central time.
Borders
The Ohio River is Indiana's only long natural border. It belongs to Kentucky up to the river's northern low-water mark of 1792, so Indiana's land ends at the water's edge. The Wabash forms the southern part of the Illinois border; north of Vincennes a meridian takes over up to Lake Michigan. The Ohio border is a meridian drawn from the mouth of the Great Miami River. The Michigan border is a straight east–west line placed 10 miles north of the southern tip of Lake Michigan, set in 1816 so the new state would have a lakeshore.
Regions of Indiana
Northern Indiana (the Calumet Region or "the Region" near Chicago, South Bend and Michiana, Fort Wayne), Central Indiana (Indianapolis and its ring of suburbs, Lafayette, Muncie, Terre Haute) and Southern Indiana (Bloomington, Columbus, the Ohio River towns of Evansville, New Albany and Madison).
Related maps
- Indiana county map — all 92 counties with seats.
- Blank Indiana map — outline for printing.
- Printable Indiana map.
- Indianapolis — a planned capital laid out at the centre of the state in 1821.
- Neighbors: Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois.
- Region: Midwest · East North Central · Great Lakes.
- Time zones: Eastern and Central (northwest and southwest corners).
- Geography: Ohio River, Great Lakes, US rivers.