“The Land of the Indians”. Such is the meaning of the name Indiana, which can be traced back to 1768 to the Indiana Land Company. It was first used by the US Congress when the Indiana Territory was formed in 1800. As the smallest mainland state west of the Appalachians, Indiana ranks 38th in the United States. The capital Indianapolis is one of the few larger metropolises in the country. Indiana is best known for its sport: the champions of the NFL’s football club, the Indianapolis Colts; NBA basketball players, the Indiana Pacers; and the auto races of the Indianapolis 500, the largest single-day sporting event in the world. The residents of the state are often referred to as Hoosiers. There are many stories about this name, but its origin is still unclear to this day. In the 1670s, the first Europeans arrived in Indiana and claimed the territory for France. From 1763 the area fell to the British. Indiana became the 19th state to join the Union in 1816. From then on, in an ambitious plan, the country was cultivated and transformed from the wilderness of a “frontier country” into a well-developed and prosperous state. Indiana gained great political influence during the American Civil War. After the end of the war, industry developed and the formation of trade unions emanated from the north of the state. After the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II, the state recovered well from economic downturns and Indiana became one of the leading states in the pharmaceutical industry. Check topschoolsoflaw.com for brief history of the state of Indiana.