印第安纳州小档案：
人口：约620万
面积：约93，993平方公里，排名第38位
州府：印第安纳波利斯Indianapolis
印第安纳州，名称是说明这一块土地曾是印第安人的领土。1730年，英国开始殖民于本州之内。1816年12月11日成为美国第19州。以牡丹花为州花。本州箴言：“美国十字路口”The Crossroads of America。
本州别名叫做“保守之州”Hoosier State。
州府是印第安纳波利斯Indianapolis位于中部，冰碛平原中心。州内大专学院有46所。其中最著名的为印第安纳大学，创于1820年，地点在本州南部之布降明顿Bloomington。普渡大学Purdue University，位于本州东中部之拉法叶Lafayette，创于1869年。
本州特征有二：第一，位于本州中部之冰碛平原，面积最大而且完整。第二，本州是美国中西部各州往来必经之地，成为中西部“十字路口”。
本州北邻密歇根州。西北角滨密歇根湖。东界俄亥俄州。南毗肯塔基州。西与伊利诺州接壤。本州地形可分三区：（A）北部是湖岸平原。（B）中部是冰碛平原。面积最大，且甚完整。（C）南部多低丘浅谷。全州土地都可以生产。本州气候温和多雨，也有利于发展农业。玉米、大豆与猪，在各州中均列第三位。矿产有煤、石油、及石灰岩。本州南部出产品质极佳之石灰岩，作为建筑材科。例如：建造帝国大厦、洛克菲勒中心、联合国总部、五角大楼所需石灰岩块，全部由本区供应。
除农业外，本州工业极发达。有40多个镇，专门制造家具。本州西北方长72公里的密歇根湖岸，遍布钢铁，炼油、及机械工厂。其中以加雷Gary为最盛。加雷接近芝加哥的大工业区。1970年兴建大港口，可通大西洋。港口在加雷之东，叫做勃恩港Burns Harbor。
Introduction简介
Native American Indians migrated west into Indiana as European settlers took their lands during the late 1600s．The Shawnee，Miami，Delaware，Mahican，and Potawatomi tribes were just a few of these tribes．
In 1679，French－Canadian Robert Cavelier became the first white man to see Indiana．He was searching for a water route to the Pacific Ocean．French fur traders soon followed，establishing trading posts throughout the area．Forts were built during the 1720s in Miami（near Fort Wayne）and Quiatenon（near Lafayette）．Vincennes became the first permanent（永久的，持久的）settlement in Indiana about 1732．
The region figured importantly in the Franco－British struggle for North America that culminated（达到顶点）with British victory in 1763and control of all land east of the Mississippi River，including Indiana．However British troops did not enter the Indiana region until 1777，during the Revolutionary War（1775－1783）．George Rogers Clark of Virginia led American soldiers into Indiana to fight Britain and claim Indiana as American land．Their victory in 1779of Fort Sackville in Vincennes，led to American control of the northwest．After the war，Indiana became part of the Northwest Territory in 1787．
Settlers from the British colonies on the American east coast began migrating west in the mid 1700s，seeking farmland．The American Revolution and the formation of the United States of America brought more demand for the lands of the west．
In 1800the Indiana Territory was created．Several Indian tribes joined together under chief Tecumseh to fight the new settlers and save their lands．The Native Americans were defeated in two important battles，the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811and the Battle of the Thames in 1813．In 1815，many of the Native Americans left，leaving settlers free to develop the land．
On Dec．11，1816，Indiana became the 19th state to join the union．The land which has become the state of Indiana，was once occupied by paleoindians 10－12thousand years ago．Historic American Indian tribes also lived on this land，inspiring the state’s name—Indiana，the land of Indians．
Indiana’s state government is modeled closely to that of the federal government．There are three branches：the executive，the legislative and the judicial．The Governor is elected to serve a four year term．The legislature，known as the General Assembly，has two houses．Members of the House of Representatives（代表）are elected to terms of two years，and members of the Senate are elected to serve for four years．The judicial branch is comprised（包含，由……组成）of the Supreme Court，the Court of Appeals，and local circuit courts．Nationally，Indiana is represented by two U．S．Senators and ten U．S．Representatives．
Indiana struggled financially after joining the union．Many of the farmers that bought land from the federal government did not have to pay taxes the first five years．Historically，Indiana has often been considered an agricultural state．In the years following statehood in 1816，manufacturing goods came mainly from household processes，from trades or crafts，and from mills．Milling became Indiana’s first major industry，and meat packing，coal mining，limestone（石灰石）quarrying（采石），boat construction，and the manufacture of farm equipment were early economic advances presaging（预示）later developments．
During the 1820s，the state received grants from the government to build roads and canals．
The economy improved in the 1850s，as railroad expansion linked Indiana to East coast markets．New industries were developed and several new businesses opened．In 1852，the Studebaker brothers opened a wagon（四轮马车，货车）shop in South Bend that became the largest wagon manufacturer in the nation．
Indiana sent food to help soldiers during the Civil War（1861－1865），but not much fighting occurred near Indiana．There were several inventions that led to new industries during this time．Richard Gatling of Indianapolis invented the machine gun in 1862．In 1885，the first gasoline pump（加油泵）was developed in Fort Wayne．Elwood Haynes of Kokomo developed the first successful gasoline－powered car in 1894．
Mining also became a big industry．Natural gas was discovered near Portland and oil near Keystone．In 1889，Standard Oil built one of the largest oil refineries（精炼厂）in the world in Whiting．Nearby，United States Steel built its largest steel mill and founded the city of Gary．The automobile and other metal－product industries also greatly expanded．In 1911，the Indianapolis Motor Speedway（高速公路）held the first Indianapolis 500car race．
During the Great Depression（1929－1939）many lost their jobs．By 1932，one－fourth of the workforce was unemployed．World War II（1939－1945）required war supplies to be made and helped the economy begin to recover．
During the 1950s，Indiana’s economy continued to change from agricultural to industrial．New farm equipment replaced many of the workers，who were left to find jobs in the city．Clifty Creek，one the nation’s largest power plants，was built in Madison in 1956．