Known as the Hoosier State, Indiana is a state with a lot of pride. Indiana is located in both the Midwestern Region and the Great Lakes Region of the United States. With Michigan to the north and Kentucky to the south, Indiana also shares borders with Ohio and Illinois.
Indiana is located at a latitude of 40.2672° N and a longitude of 86.1349° W. The state’s northernmost point is along the border separating Indiana from Michigan, with coordinates of 41°45′37.33″ N and 86°0′0″ W. To the south, Indiana extends as far as the Ohio River, located at latitude 37°46′23″ N and longitude 87°57′16″ W. The easternmost point of Indiana is also along the Ohio River, albeit near Switzerland County, rather than near Uniontown in Kentucky. The Wabash River is in western Indiana and at coordinates of 37°54′9″ N and 88°5′50.3″ W, it marks the westernmost point of Indiana.
The tallest point in all of Indiana is on Hoosier Hill. The elevation of the highest point is 1,257 feet above sea level. In the opposite direction, the lowest point of elevation is part of the Ohio River, with an elevation of approximately 320 feet above sea level. On average, Indiana’s land is 700 feet above sea level.
Indiana’s climate used to be defined as being humid continental, meaning the summer and winter are true seasons. Indiana experiences very cold, borderline freezing, weather in the winter. In contrast, the summertime is humid, hot, and void of relief from the sun’s rays. There was a debate regarding Indiana’s climate, but it was resolved in 2016. Once described as humid continental, it has been determined that Indiana is actually a humid subtropical state.
From east to west, the state of Indiana stretches for 270 miles. About 140 miles span between the northernmost point and the southernmost point of Indiana. The total area comes to approximately 36,418 square miles. Of the total area, approximately 35,826 square miles are land areas, while the remaining 591 square miles are made up of water. As a percentage, Indiana is 98.37% land and 1.63% water. In terms of total area, Indiana is the thirty-eighth largest state in the U.S.
The census in 2018 determined that Indiana has a population of 6,700,000 people. Taking the total area of Indiana into account, there are an estimated number of 183 people per square mile. Indiana ranks as the seventeenth largest state, based on population.