State (pop., 2000: 6,080,485), midwestern U.S. Bordered by Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois, it covers 36,420 sq mi (94,328 sq km).
Its capital is Indianapolis . The Wabash River and the Ohio River define its southwestern and southern borders, respectively; Lake Michigan lies to the northwest. Indiana was originally inhabited by Indians speaking Algonquian languages , including the Miami , Potawatomi, and Delaware peoples. The French explorer Tippecanoe . After it was admitted to the Union as the 19th state in 1816, its population began to grow. From 1850 its agriculture expanded, as did industrialization after the {{link=American Civil War">American Civil War . For much of the 20th century, steelmaking (see Gary ) was important economically.