Ohio is a state in the East North Central region of the Midwestern United States. Of the fifty states, it is the 34th-largest by area, the seventh-most populous, and the tenth-most densely populated. The state’s capital and largest city is Columbus, with the Columbus metro area, Greater Cincinnati, and Greater Cleveland being the largest metropolitan areas. Ohio is bordered by 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 takes its name from the Ohio River, whose name in turn originated from the Seneca word ohiːyo‘, meaning “good river”, “great river”, or “large creek”. Partitioned from the Northwest Territory, Ohio was the 17th state admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803, and the first under the Northwest Ordinance. Ohio is historically known as the “Buckeye State” after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as “Buckeyes”.

Ohio rose from the land west of Appalachia in colonial times through the Northwest Indian Wars as part of the Northwest Territory in the early frontier, to become the first non-colonial free state admitted to the union, to an industrial powerhouse in the 20th century before transitioning to a more information and service based economy in the 21st.

The government of Ohio is composed of the executive branch, led by the governor; the legislative branch, consisting of the bicameral Ohio General Assembly; and the judicial branch, led by the state Supreme Court. Ohio occupies 16 seats in the United States House of Representatives. The state is known for its status as both a swing state and a bellwether in national elections. Seven presidents of the United States have come from Ohio.

Ohio is an industrial state, ranking 8th out of 50 states in GDP (2015). It is the third largest US state for manufacturing and is the second largest producer of automobiles behind Michigan.