Indiana is a small state of the United States with a large population. It covers the smallest area of any state in the Midwest. No other state west of the Appalachian Mountains is smaller, except Hawaii. Indiana ranks 38th in size among all the states but is 14th in population. It is also a major manufacturing and farming state.

Indiana is called the Hoosier State, and its people are known as Hoosiers. Historians do not know the origins of this famous nickname, but there have been several theories about it. One theory says the name is taken from a contractor named Samuel Hoosier, who liked to hire workers from Indiana. But most of the theories attribute the word to some slang expression, such as "Who's yer?" for "Who's here?"; "husher" for someone who could hush a brawl; or "hoozer," meaning "hill."

Indiana has broad, fertile plains that help make it a leading farm state. These plains form part of the rich Midwestern Corn Belt, and corn is one of Indiana's chief farm products. Hoosier farmers also produce large amounts of soybeans and hogs. But manufacturing is Indiana's single most important economic activity. The great steel mills and oil refineries of the Calumet region in northwestern Indiana are symbols of the state's industrial power. Indianapolis, the capital and largest city, is a leading manufacturing center.

Indiana's varied landscape offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Many people enjoy the famous sand dunes along Lake Michigan. The state's plentiful lakes and streams provide opportunities for boating, fishing, and swimming. Hunters find small game in the woods and on the plains. The colorful, rolling hills of Brown County attract many artists and nature lovers. French Lick, a well-known health and vacation resort, and Wyandotte Cave, one of the largest caverns in the United States, are in southern Indiana.

The Hoosiers chose The Crossroads of America as their state motto because of Indiana's central location. The state lay on the path of the westward movement of the 1800's. In 1811, General William Henry Harrison defeated several Indian tribes in the Battle of Tippecanoe. Harrison, Indiana's first territorial governor, became the ninth U.S. president in 1841. His grandson, Benjamin Harrison, a Hoosier for many years, became the 23rd president in 1889. Another Hoosier, Wendell L. Willkie, was the unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate in 1940.

Many famous writers have come from Indiana.  The humorous poems of James Whitcomb Riley and stories of George Ade have delighted children and adults of several generations. The novels of Theodore Dreiser, Booth Tarkington, and Kurt Vonnegut include major works of American literature. The cartoonist Jim Davis won fame for his comic strip, "Garfield."