Ohio is a state in the Midwestern United States. It borders Ontario across Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. The state is the 34th-largest in area and among the most populous in the nation; its capital and largest city is Columbus, while other major cities include Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, and Toledo.
The name Ohio comes from the Ohio River, which forms much of the state’s southern boundary and was named from a Seneca word meaning “good river,” “great river,” or “large creek.” The region’s geography is varied, with rolling glaciated plains across much of the state, rugged unglaciated hills in the southeast, and a Lake Erie shoreline in the north. At the time of European contact, the area known as the Ohio Country was inhabited by Algonquian and Iroquoian peoples and was contested by Native nations and European powers. After American independence, Ohio became part of the Northwest Territory and entered the Union in 1803 as the first state admitted under the Northwest Ordinance.
Ohio has long been an important industrial state, with a major manufacturing sector and significant automobile production, though its economy has increasingly shifted toward services and information. It also has a substantial agricultural base. Tourism draws visitors to sites such as Cedar Point, the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Ohio is nicknamed the “Buckeye State,” and it is known as the “Mother of Presidents” and the “Birthplace of Aviation,” reflecting the number of U.S. presidents born there and the work of the Wright brothers.