Often called "the crossroads of America," Indiana was a center of commerce even before the arrival of European explorers in the 1670s. Surrounded on the north by Lake Michigan and on the south by the Ohio River, the state's numerous important rivers made it a strategic military location as well. Nowadays, it's more about the sports - Indianapolis often calls itself the "racing capital of the world," because it's host to three of the world's highest-attended single-day events in the Indy 500, the Brickyard 400 and the U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race.

Origin of State's Name: Indiana means Land of the Indians or Land of Indians.

Capital City: Often referred to as the "racing capital of the world," Indianapolis is the state capital and seat of Marion County of Indiana. Selected in 1820 as the site of the state capital, Indianapolis is the largest city in Indiana, as well as the chief processing point in a rich agricultural region and is a major grain and livestock market.

Population: Indian's population is approximately six million.

Driving: Driver's license information, applications, testing requirements, driver's manuals and testing locations can all be found on the Indiana Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website.

Agriculture and Industry: Corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products and eggs are the state's largest agriculture sectors; Major industry includes steel, electric equipment, transportation equipment, chemical products, petroleum and coal products and machinery.

State Bird: Indiana's official state bird is the cardinal.

State Tree: The yellow-popular, Indiana's official state tree, is an open-grown tree with a pyramidal crown and is light gray-green in color, often with white grooves or patches.

State Flower: The peony was adopted as the state flower in 1957. The peony blooms at the end of May and early June in various shades of red, pink and white.

State Song: Written by Paul Dresser, "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" is the official song of Indiana.