Nickname: Buckeye State
Area: 41 004 sq.mi. (106 199.9 km2)
Highest point: Campbell Hill 1 549 ft. (472.1 m)
Population: 11 238 400
Capital: Columbus
Largest city: Columbus

Ohio has 11 million inhabitants, which make it one of the most populated states of the USA, accompanied by a high density of population.  It would be vain to search for higher mountains, since the majority of the territory is a greatly expanded plain. Ohio is among the most developed states in the United States. It has a well-developed agriculture in the rural regions and leading industries in the cities. It’s bordered by Michigan State on the North, Lake Erie and Pennsylvania and West-Virginia from East, Kentucky from South and Indiana State on the West. The largest cities are Toledo and Cleveland along the shore of Lake Erie in the North, Columbus and Dayton in the middle, while Cincinnati lies along the riverside of the Ohio River.

Photo: Country, Ohio, USA, flickr.com, by D. Knisely

The State House (Capitol) is a majestic building. We can get familiar with the history of the state in the Ohio Historical Center. It’s also worth to visit the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden, which has a lot of exotic plants to show us. The Columbus Museum of Art has a sensational artistic collection in its possession. There are several higher educational institutions in the city, which are the Capital University, the Franklin University and the Ohio Dominican College.

Photo: Columbus, Ohio, USA, flickr.com, by McPhloyd

The city of Dayton is situated South-West of the capital, and it has a lot to show to the tourists. It is the home of the well-known United Air Force Museum, which has more than 300 aircrafts on display. The Cox Arboretum is full of special plants, while the Dayton Art Institute has a wonderful collection of paintings on display.

Photo: Dayton, Ohio, USA, flickr.com, by OZinOH

Continuing our way toward South-West, we’ll end up in Cincinnati, which is situated on the riverside of the Ohio. The main sight in the city is the wonderful Brooklyn Bridge. This suspension bridge was built in the 19th century, and connects two cities on the two sides of the Ohio River, Cincinnati and Covington. It’s worth to pay a visit to the Union Terminal, which was once the main terminal of the city. Today, it is the home of such popular museum as the Cincinnati Historical Museum, which introduces the history of Ohio to the visitors. The Cincinnati Art Museum is a fantastic artistic gallery.

Photo: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, flickr.com, by Summer_Rose

The city of Toledo is situated in the North-Western part of the state. It is a commercial and industrial center, and it’s got one of the most important harbors on the Great Lakes. Toledo is the center of glass manufacturing in the United States. If you’re in Toledo, visit the Toledo Museum of Art, which is a unique collection of decoration glasses. The local Firefighters Museum talks about the history of the firefighters beginning from the early 19th century. The higher educational institutions of the city are the University of Toledo and the Medical College of Ohio.

Photo: Toeldo, Ohio, USA, flickr.com, by Micah Maziar

The second largest city of Ohio is Cleveland, which lies on the shore of Lake Erie. It was once famous for its steel industry, nowadays it’s a center of commerce, science and culture. Its harbor is quite busy due to the thousands of ships that dock here. The most famous building of the city is the amazing 52-storey Terminal Tower, which was built in the early 20th century. It offers a fantastic panorama from its roof. The entertainment quarter called the Flats is recommended for those who are looking for a little fun. There’s non-stop music and several festivals here throughout the year. It’s worth to visit the museums of the city, like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which is a fantastic musical collection, or the Cleveland Museum of Art, which has paintings from masters like Renoir and Van Gogh.

Photo: Cleveland, Ohio, USA, flickr.com, by ifmuth

If we have a little extra time, it’s worth to visit the rural regions of Ohio too. We may travel to the Wayne National Forest, which is in the South-Western part of the state. We can take part in exciting adventure trips here. We may also visit the Kelley Island and the South Bass Island, which are both located at the entrance of the Sandusky Bay.