| Capital city | Columbus |
| Population | 11.799.448 (2020) |
| Surface | 116.096 km² |
| Governor | Mike DeWine (R) |
| Member of the US since | 1803 |
A map of Ohio
Ohio is one of the fifty states of the United States. Ohio is located in the northeast of the country on the Great Lakes. Ohio’s abbreviation is OH. Its nickname is The Buckeye State (an Ohio Buckeye is a type of tree). The state has just under 12 million inhabitants. This makes Ohio one of the most populous states in the country. Ohio borders Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the south, Indiana to the west, Michigan to the northwest, and Lake Erie to the north(and with that to Canada). The state capital is Columbus. The state is named after the Ohio River. In the late 18th century, many battles between Native Americans and American settlers took place in the state. It was part of the Northwest Territory, but acceded as the 17th state in 1803. In the 19th century, Ohio became an industrial center with many inventors, including Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers. Ohio is also called the mother of presidents, as seven American presidents came from Ohio. Ohio was one of the wealthiest states in the country, but much industry left the state after the 1970s. Ohio today has a high unemployment rate. Many people are moving to all states because of this. Ohio is also the only state to have a flag that is not rectangular. Ohio is a typical swing state that can be won by both Republicans and Democrats. Since Ohio has many electoral votes, Ohio is contested. A well-known saying is “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation”. This means that the candidate who wins Ohio also becomes president (although this is not always the case).
Geography
Landscape
Ohio’s Woods
Ohio is named after the Ohio River, which forms the southern border with West Virginia and Kentucky. To the north is Lake Erie, which is one of the Great Lakes on the border between the United States and Canada. The southeastern part of the state belongs to the Appalachians. The rest of the state is quite flat. To the north is a large swamp, the Great Black Swamp. The northwest belongs to the Allegheny Plateau, which is more hilly. In addition to the Ohio, other rivers flow through the state, such as the Cuyahoga, the Great Miami, and the Maumee. Incidentally, flooding is common in Ohio. In addition, there are several canals that connect the rivers. These were formerly used by industry for the transport of goods.
Ohio’s Largest Cities
| Number | City | Residents | County |
| 1. | Columbus | 905.748 | Franklin County |
| 2. | Cleveland | 372.624 | Cuyahoga County |
| 3. | Cincinnati | 309.317 | Hamilton County |
| 4. | Toledo | 270.871 | Lucas County |
| 5. | Akron | 190.469 | Summit County |
| 6. | Dayton | 137.644 | Montgomery County |
| 7. | Parma | 81.146 | Cuyahoga County |
| 8. | Canton | 70.872 | Stark County |
| 9. | Lorain | 65.211 | Lorain County |
| 10. | Hamilton | 62.082 | Butler County |
Climate
Ohio generally has two types of climate. The north of the state has a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. In the south there is a subtropical climate with milder winters and warm summers. Ohio has a humid climate with rainfall throughout the year. This is mainly because Ohio is located on Lake Erie, which means a lot of rain. The northern part of the state can also get a lot of snow in the winter. This part belongs to the so-called Snow Belt. Tornadoes can also occur in the state. These whirlwinds are common in rural areas. They can do a lot of damage, but often this is only a small area.
Ohio after a snow storm
Population
General
Ohio has 11.8 million inhabitants, making it one of the largest states in terms of population. Ohio once had a rapidly growing population, but the growth rate is slowing. Today, the state’s population grows only a little each year. This is because much industry has moved out of Ohio from Ohio to other states and countries since the 1970s. As a result, many young people decide to move to other states as well. The population is still increasing due to immigration. 72% of the population is white Americans, 16% African Americans, 3% Asian Americans, and 6% Latinos. Most Ohio residents have a German, Irish, English or Polish migration background. Mainly many migrants from Ireland came to the state to work on the land. An important group in Ohio are the Amish, who mainly live in the eastern part of the state.
Taal
Ohio has no official language under the constitution. Nevertheless, English can be seen as an official language, as it is almost always spoken. Education, the judiciary and politics also use English as the official language. Many residents also only speak English. The second language is Spanish, followed by German, Chinese and Arabic. Ohio has the largest number of speakers of Slovenian in the entire country. After Pennsylvania, Ohio also has the largest number of speakers of Pennsylvania Dutch, which is referred to by the Amish.
Religion
73% of the state’s residents are Christian. Of these, 53% are Protestant, 18% Catholic and 1% Mormon. Evangelicism in particular is an important Protestant movement. 22% of the inhabitants have no religion or are unbelievers. Lesser religions include Judaism and Islam.
Politics
State politics
Ohio State House
Ohio is run by a governor. The governor is elected every four years and can be re-elected once. The current Governor of Ohio is Mike DeWine of the Republican Party. He is aided by a lieutenant governor, also directly elected. The lieutenant governor succeeds the governor when he resigns. Many ministers are also directly elected by the population. In addition, Ohio has a parliament, the Ohio General Assembly. It consists of two rooms:
- The House of Representatives, consisting of 99 members who are elected every two years.
- The Senate, consisting of 33 members who are elected every four years.
The Republican Party has a majority in both chambers. The remaining seats are succeeded by the Democratic Party.
Administrative division
How many counties in Ohio? Ohio is divided into 88 counties.
Adams County, Ohio
Allen County, Ohio
Ashland County, Ohio
Ashtabula County, Ohio
Athens County, Ohio
Auglaize County, Ohio
Belmont County, Ohio
Brown County, Ohio
Butler County, Ohio
Carroll County, Ohio
Champaign County, Ohio
Clark County, Ohio
Clermont County, Ohio
Clinton County, Ohio
Columbiana County, Ohio
Coshocton County, Ohio
Crawford County, Ohio
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Darke County, Ohio
Defiance County, Ohio
Delaware County, Ohio
Erie County, Ohio
Fairfield County, Ohio
Fayette County, Ohio
Franklin County, Ohio
Fulton County, Ohio
Gallia County, Ohio
Geauga County, Ohio
Greene County, Ohio
Guernsey County, Ohio
Hamilton County, Ohio
Hancock County, Ohio
Hardin County, Ohio
Harrison County, Ohio
Henry County, Ohio
Highland County, Ohio
Hocking County, Ohio
Holmes County, Ohio
Huron County, Ohio
Jackson County, Ohio
Jefferson County, Ohio
Knox County, Ohio
Lake County, Ohio
Lawrence County, Ohio
Licking County, Ohio
Logan County, Ohio
Lorain County, Ohio
Lucas County, Ohio
Madison County, Ohio
Mahoning County, Ohio
Marion County, Ohio
Medina County, Ohio
Meigs County, Ohio
Mercer County, Ohio
Miami County, Ohio
Monroe County, Ohio
Montgomery County, Ohio
Morgan County, Ohio
Morrow County, Ohio
Muskingum County, Ohio
Noble County, Ohio
Ottawa County, Ohio
Paulding County, Ohio
Perry County, Ohio
Pickaway County, Ohio
Pike County, Ohio
Portage County, Ohio
Preble County, Ohio
Putnam County, Ohio
Richland County, Ohio
Ross County, Ohio
Sandusky County, Ohio
Scioto County, Ohio
Seneca County, Ohio
Shelby County, Ohio
Stark County, Ohio
Summit County, Ohio
Trumbull County, Ohio
Tuscarawas County, Ohio
Union County, Ohio
Van Wert County, Ohio
Vinton County, Ohio
Warren County, Ohio
Washington County, Ohio
Wayne County, Ohio
Williams County, Ohio
Wood County, Ohio
Wyandot County, Ohio
Federal Politics
Ohio is a swing state. This means that during the presidential election, both Republicans and Democrats have a chance to win the state. Since Ohio has many electoral votes, there is always a lot of campaigning going on in the state. Since 1896, Ohio has always been won by the candidate who eventually became president with three exceptions. In 1944, Thomas E. Dewey won the state, while Franklin D. Roosevelt became president. In 1960, Richard Nixon won the state, while John F. Kennedy became president. In 2020 Donald Trump won the state, while Joe Bidenbecame president. Despite this, Ohio is often looked at as a sign of who will become president. From this comes the saying So Ohio goes, goes the nation. Seven presidents came from Ohio and because of this Ohio is called the Mother of presidents. These were Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding. President William Henry Harrison also lived most of his life in Ohio, although he was born in Virginia. Ohio is represented in the United States Congress by 16 representatives and two senators. Of the 16 delegates, 12 are Republican and 4 are Democratic. Of the two senators, one (Sherrod Brown) is a Democrat and one (Rob Portman) is a Republican.
Economy
Ohio Agriculture
Ohio is still one of the richest states in the United States. Ohio’s economy is larger than Argentina ‘s. Ohio belongs to the so-called Rust Belt, which was once the industrial center of the United States. Ohio was one of the most important states in this Rust Belt. Since the 1980s, many factories have moved to other states or abroad, as wages were lower here. This created a high level of unemployment. Ohio still has to deal with this. Ohio still has a lot of industry, but much less than it used to. 8% of the products in the United States come from Ohio. For some things, like steel and vehicles, it’s even 14 or 17%. Agriculture was once very important, but many farms are also moving. Important products from Ohio are cheese, eggs, soybeans and grain. Ohio is also the largest maker of ketchup worldwide. Today, garden and houseplants are also grown in Ohio. Because of this, you will find many greenhouses in the state.
