Indiana is accepted into the Union as the 19th state of the U.S.

Indiana is a Midwestern state located near the Great Lakes. Indiana Territory was incorporated in 1800, separating it from the Northwest Territory. Its name literally means, Indian Land. That it was. Indigenous tribes are known for having lived there for thousands of years. The first people known to have lived in the area was circa 800 B.C. , the Paleo Indians.

On this day December 11th, in 1816, Indiana becomes the 19th state of the United States.  During the 1830’s, Indians were removed from the territory via purchases, and later with the Congressional law, The Indian Removal Act.

Indiana is 36,418 square miles, making it one of the larger states in the U.S.A. Most of Indiana is elevated, as the average elevation across Indiana is 720 feet above sea level. Indianapolis is Indiana’s capital and largest city, with 830,000 in its city proper, and 1.75 million in its metropolitan area.  The best known event in Indiana is the Indy 500. The race is 500 miles, and there a few hundred thousand people in attendance each year.