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Information about Geography Of Indiana

The geography of the U.S. State of Indiana is both diverse and fascinating.

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Regions

The state of Indiana is divided into several cultural regions.

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Highlighted in red are the counties in Northern Indiana.

Northern Indiana

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Northern Indiana consists of 27 counties in the northern third of the state. The western third of this region, Northwest Indiana, borders Illinois and Lake Michigan, and is commonly considered a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Thus, it can be said that Chicago is the most dominant city in the region. Chicago's influence is fairly strong in Northwest Indiana, as it share's Chicago's time zone (Central Standard Time), receives Chicago area media, and follows Chicago professional teams like the Chicago Bears and Chicago Bulls.

The center third of this region is known as the Indiana section of Michiana. South Bend is the cultural and economic center of the Michiana region. The culture of this area is typically more closely associated with Chicago and Michigan than with Central Indiana.

The Eastern third of this region centers around the Fort Wayne area.

Heavy industry is as much a part of the economy in the Eastern two thirds of Northern Indiana as agriculture and as a result, the region tends to be associated with the Rust Belt. Northern Indiana as a whole is also the most ethnically diverse region in Indiana. The landscape is characterized physically by level terrain ranging from 800 to 1,000 feet above sea level, with farmland dotting the countryside.

Central Indiana

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Highlighted in yellow are the counties in Central Indiana.
Central Indiana refers to the 33 or so counties in the middle third of the state. However, many Hoosiers consider Central Indiana as the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area. The region's dominant city by far is Indianapolis. Other prominent cities include Anderson, Muncie, and Terre Haute. Central Indiana is the most populous region of Indiana. The primary economic engines of Central Indiana are agriculture and manufacturing, and as a result, some of the larger cities in the region are dealing with Rust Belt issues similar to Northern Indiana. Major universities include Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Ball State University, and Indiana State University.

Physically, the land in Central Indiana is characterized primarily by low, gently rolling hills and shallow valleys. Some counties of the region, like Howard County, are more flat in nature, while others, such as Morgan County are more rugged and hilly. Elevation ranges from 600 feet to over 1,000 feet above sea level. Forests and farmland line Central Indiana's gently rolling plains, and river valleys dissect the otherwise monotonous landscape. The highest point in Indiana is Hoosier Hill, at 1,257 feet above sea level in northern Wayne County.

Southern Indiana

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Highlighted in blue are the counties of Southern Indiana.
Southern Indiana refers to the southernmost third of the state and was the first region to be settled, in the late eighteenth century. Evansville is the dominant city in the region, but because both Louisville and Indianapolis are much larger cities, they have more of an influence on the region. Other prominent cities include Bloomington, home of Indiana University Bloomington, and Columbus, a city known for its architecture. The region is the most sparsely populated in Indiana. The area code for the region is 812.

The most recent glaciers from the Ice Age did not advance this far into Indiana and, as a result, this portion of the state is extremely hilly and very rugged in contrast to the rest of the state. Numerous caves and springs can be found in this region. South Central Indiana is characterized by a series of steep hills that rise 1,000 above sea level and are known as The Knobs. Indiana limestone is found in this region.

Culturally, the 32 counties that comprise Southern Indiana are seen as a transition zone between The Midwest and The South and share characteristics of both regions.

Extreme Southern Indiana lies within the humid subtropical climate zone and, as a result, it has noticeably milder winters in contrast with the rest of the state.

Physiography

Indiana is broken up into three main physical regions: The Great Lakes Plain in the northern third of the state, the Tipton Till Plain in the central third, and the Southern Hills and Lowlands region in the southern third.

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State of Indiana
Indianapolis (capital)
Geography | Governors | People | History | Demographics | Economy | Transportation | Sports
Regions East Central Indiana | Great Black Swamp | Michiana | Nine‑County Region | Northern Indiana | Northwest Indiana | Southern Indiana | Wabash Valley
Largest cities Anderson | Bloomington | Carmel | Columbus | Crown Point | East Chicago | Elkhart | Evansville | Fort Wayne | Franklin | Gary | Goshen | Greenwood | Hammond | Hobart | Indianapolis | Jeffersonville | Kokomo | Lafayette | La Porte | Lawrence | Marion | Michigan City | Mishawaka | Muncie | New Albany | Noblesville | Portage | Richmond | South Bend | Terre Haute | Valparaiso | West Lafayette
Largest towns Clarksville | Fishers | Highland | Merrillville | Munster | Plainfield | Schererville
Counties Adams | Allen | Bartholomew | Benton | Blackford | Boone | Brown | Carroll | Cass | Clark | Clay | Clinton | Crawford | Daviess | DeKalb | Dearborn | Decatur | Delaware | Dubois | Elkhart | Fayette | Floyd | Fountain | Franklin | Fulton | Gibson | Grant | Greene | Hamilton | Hancock | Harrison | Hendricks | Henry | Howard | Huntington | Jackson | Jasper | Jay | Jefferson | Jennings | Johnson | Knox | Kosciusko | Lagrange | Lake | LaPorte | Lawrence | Madison | Marion | Marshall | Martin | Miami | Monroe | Montgomery | Morgan | Newton | Noble | Ohio | Orange | Owen | Parke | Perry | Pike | Porter | Posey | Pulaski | Putnam | Randolph | Ripley | Rush | Saint Joseph | Scott | Shelby | Spencer | Starke | Steuben | Sullivan | Switzerland | Tippecanoe | Tipton | Union | Vanderburgh | Vermillion | Vigo | Wabash | Warren | Warrick | Washington | Wayne | Wells | White | Whitley
Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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A state is a political association with effective dominion over a geographic area. It usually includes the set of institutions that claim the authority to make the rules that govern the people of the society in that territory, though its status as a state often depends in part on
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The State of Indiana

Flag of Indiana Seal
Nickname(s): The Hoosier State

Motto(s): The Crossroads of America

Official language(s) English

Capital Indianapolis (785,597)

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Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate,") generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significant importance.
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State of Illinois

Flag of Illinois Seal
Nickname(s): Land of Lincoln; The Prairie State
Motto(s): State sovereignty, national union

Official language(s) English[1]

Capital
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Coordinates Coordinates:

Basin countries United States
Max length 307 mi (494 km)
Max width
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Chicago–Naperville–Joliet

Common name: Chicago Metropolitan Area

Largest city
Other cities Chicago
 - Gary
 - Naperville
Population  Ranked 3
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City of Chicago

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Nickname: "The Windy City", "The Second City", "ChiTown", "Hog Butcher for the World", "City of the Big Shoulders", "The City That Works"
Motto: "Urbs in Horto
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Central Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC during standard time (UTC−6) and five hours during daylight saving time (UTC−5). The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 90th degree meridian west of the Greenwich
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Chicago Bears
Year founded: 1919

Helmet Logo
City Chicago, Illinois
Other nicknames Da Bears, The Monsters of the Midway
Team colors Midnight Navy and Burnt Orange
Head Coach Lovie Smith
Owner
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Chicago Bulls

Conference Eastern Conference
Division Central Division
Founded 1966
History Chicago Bulls
(1966-present)
Arena United Center
City Chicago, Illinois
Team Colors
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Michiana is a region in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan centered on the city of South Bend, Indiana. The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County (Indiana) defines Michiana as "counties that contribute at least 500 inbound commuting workers to St. Joseph County daily.
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City of South Bend, Indiana
South Bend from above

Flag
Seal
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
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City of Fort Wayne, Indiana

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Seal
Nickname: The Summit City
Motto: Ke Ki On Ga
Location in the state of Indiana, USA
Coordinates:
Country
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The Manufacturing Belt, often referred to as the Rust Belt, is an area in parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States of America. The region can be broadly defined as the region beginning west of the BosWash corridor and running west to eastern
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A Hoosier /ˈhu.ʒɚ/ is a native of the U.S. state of Indiana. Though other states adapt the state name into a nickname, the words Indianan or Indianian, as either nouns or adjectives, are rarely, if ever, used by
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The Nine-County Region (Metro Indianapolis Area) is an informal name to an area comprising nine counties in the center of the U.S. state of Indiana with a population of almost 2 million residents.
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City of Indianapolis

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Seal
Nickname: Indy, the Circle City, and (less commonly) Naptown
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country
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City of Anderson, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
County Madison
Government
 - Mayor Kevin S.
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City of Muncie, Indiana
Nickname: Middletown USA
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
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City of Terre Haute, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Indiana
County Vigo
Government
 - Mayor Kevin D.
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(IUPUI)

Motto Two world-renowned universities. One dynamic campus.
Established 1969 via the merger of previously-established institutions
Type public coeducational
Endowment $23.
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Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana, USA. Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans more than 1,000 acres (4 km²).
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Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university that is located in Terre Haute, Indiana. ISU is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Academic programs across the University are accredited by more than 30 different agencies.
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Howard County is one of 92 counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Howard and Tipton counties.
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Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 66,689. Its estimated 2005 population was 69,778. The county seat is Martinsville6.
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Hoosier Hill is the highest point in the state of Indiana at 1,257 feet (383 m). It is in a rural area of Franklin Township, Wayne County to the northwest of Bethel. The nearest intersection to the high point is Elliot Road and County Line Road.
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Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 71,097. The county seat is Richmond6.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,047 km² (404 mi²).
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Southern Indiana, in the United States, is notable because it is culturally distinct from the rest of the state. The area's geography has led to a blend of Northern and Southern culture that is not found in the rest of Indiana.
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The 18th Century lasted from 1701 through 1800 in the Gregorian calendar.

Historians sometimes specifically define the 18th Century otherwise for the purposes of their work.
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