Facts over Ohio
State: Ohio
Abbreviation: OH
Capital: Columbus
State Since: March 1, 1803
Area Codes: 216, 234, 330, 419, 440, 513, 614, 740, 937
Bird: Cardinal
Flower: Scarlet Carnation
Largest City: Columbus
Motto: With God, all things are possible
Nickname: Buckeye State
Population: 11,353,140
Song: Beautiful Ohio
Tree: Ohio Buckeye
Time Zone: -5
Adjacent States:
- Michigan
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- West Virginia
- Pennsylvania
Ohio Travel Information
Ohio is one of the states of the United States and is nicknamed “The Buckeye State”. The standard abbreviation is OH. The capital is Columbus.
History
The name Ohio means, in the language of the Iroquois Indians, “great river.” The Ohio River forms the boundary between the state of Ohio and the states of West Virginia and Kentucky. Ohio became the 17th state of the United States on March 1, 1803. In 1835, Ohio and Michigan clashed over ownership of a piece of land known as the Toledo Strip. Ohio belonged to the Union during the American Civil War.
Geography
The state of Ohio covers 116,090 km², of which 106,154 km² is land. Ohio is 2.8 times the size of the Netherlands. Ohio borders Michigan to the north and Canada across Lake Erie. It borders Indiana to the west, Pennsylvania to the east, and Kentucky and West Virginia to the south. Ohio belongs to the Eastern time zone. Much of the eastern and southern borders are formed by the Ohio River. The northern half of the state is quite flat, the south is more hilly. The highest point is the top of Campbell Hill (472 m). Ohio has more than 2,500 lakes.
Demography and economy
In 2000 Ohio had 11,353,140 inhabitants (98 per km²). The gross product of the state was $362 billion in 1999. The largest city in Ohio is Cleveland. Other major cities include Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, capital Columbus and Dayton.
Born in Ohio
- Jim Garfield (1831-1881), 20th President of the United States of America.
- Thomas Edison (1847-1931), inventor
- Clark Gable (1901–1960), actor
- Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1917-2007), historian and special assistant to President John F. Kennedy
- Tom Poston (1921–2007), actor, comedian and broadcaster
- John Glenn (1921), astronaut, oldest man in space
- Neil Armstrong (1930), astronaut, first man on the moon
- Linda Escobar (1940-1993), botanist
- Jack Nicklaus (1940), golfer
- Steven Spielberg (1946), film director and producer
- Eric Carmen (1949), singer and musician
- Chrissie Hynde (1951), singer, songwriter and guitarist (The Pretenders)
- Steve Morse (1954), guitarist and composer
- Marilyn Manson (1961), zanger
- Andy Hampsten (1962), cyclist
- Lebron James (1984), Cleveland Cavaliers NBA player
Trivia
The Kent State Massacre took place on May 4, 1970 at Kent State University. In November 1995, American-led peace talks were held in Dayton between the parties involved in the war in Yugoslavia. The Dutch singer Anouk also lived for a period with her husband and three children in Ohio.
Soap Box Derby
The World Soap Box Racing Championship is held every year. This has been happening in Akron since 1934. The soap boxes are made for children and consist of a box on wheels. The soap box has multiple requirements such as 3 or 4 wheels, brakes and good handlebars, no protrusions and the racer must wear a helmet.
Columbus
Ohio’s capital and largest city is located on the banks of the Scioto River. This city is named after Christopher Columbus, the most famous explorer of the age of the great discoveries. Columbus was founded in February 1812.
