Ohio

Ohio ( oh-HY-oh) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Canadian province of Ontario to the north (through Lake Erie), Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. Ohio is the 34th-largest state by area, at 44,825 sq mi (116,100 km2), and the seventh-most populous state, with a population of nearly 11.9 million. Its capital and most populous city is Columbus, with other major metropolitan cities including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, and Toledo.

Ohio derives its name from the Ohio River that forms its southern border, which, in turn, originated from the Seneca word ohiːyo', meaning "good river", "great river", or "large creek". Its geography is varied, with rolling glaciated plains across most of the state, rugged unglaciated hills in the southeastern Allegheny Plateau, and Lake Erie coastline to the north. At the time of European contact, the area known as the Ohio Country was inhabited by Algonquian and Iroquoian nations, and was contested among Native American tribes, Britain, and France. Following American independence, Ohio was organized as part of the Northwest Territory and achieved statehood in 1803. Ohio was the first state admitted under the Northwest Ordinance and the first post-colonial free state admitted to the union.

Historically known as the heart of American industry, Ohio has the third-largest manufacturing sector and second-largest automobile production in the U.S.; it also has a large agriculture sector.