The U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 has 12 official state emblems, as well as other designated official items. The majority of the symbols in the list are officially recognized and created by an act of the Indiana General Assembly

Indiana General Assembly

The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...

 and signed into law by the governor

Governor of Indiana

The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...

. They are listed in Indiana Code Title 1, Article 2, State Emblems which also regulates the appearance and appliciple use of the items.

Compared to other states, Indiana has few official symbols. The first symbol was the Seal of Indiana

Seal of Indiana

The Seal of the State of Indiana is used by the Governor of Indiana to certify official documents. The seal has gone through several revisions since the region was a part of the Northwest Territory. It is likely the original seal, which is similar to the current one, was created by William Henry...

, which was made official in 1801 for the Indiana Territory

Indiana Territory

The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....

 and again in 1816 by the state of Indiana. It served as the state's only emblem for nearly a century until the adoption of the state song

On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away

"On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" was among the best-selling songs of the 19th century in terms of sheet music sold. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published by the Tin Pan Alley firm of Howley, Haviland & Co. in October 1897. The lyrics of the ballad...

 in 1913. For many years, Indiana was the only state without a flag. The official state banner was adopted in 1917, and renamed the state flag

Flag of Indiana

The flag of Indiana was designed by Paul Hadley and officially adopted by the state of Indiana on May 31, 1917. It was the state's first official flag and has remained unchanged since then except for the creation of a statute to standardize the production of the flag.-History:To commemorate the...

 in 1955. The newest symbol of Indiana is the state pie, sugar cream, assigned in 2009.

Insignia

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Note
Flag Flags of the U.S. states The flags of the U.S. states exhibit a wide variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as widely different styles and design principles. Modern state flags date from the 1890s when states wanted to have distinctive symbols at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago...	The flag of Indiana Flag of Indiana The flag of Indiana was designed by Paul Hadley and officially adopted by the state of Indiana on May 31, 1917. It was the state's first official flag and has remained unchanged since then except for the creation of a statute to standardize the production of the flag.-History:To commemorate the...	Indiana's flag has a blue background with a torch in the center. the torch is surrounded by nineteen stars, thirteen representing the original colonies, five the next five states, and one Indiana.	1917
Motto	The Crossroads of America Crossroads of America The Crossroads of America is a nickname given to the state of Indiana as it, and, more specifically, the city of Indianapolis is the hub for several major Interstate highways that criss-cross the state, connecting Hoosiers to the rest of the United States....	Indiana is the site of many cross-country roads, including the National Road National Road The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...  and U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41 is a north–south United States Highway that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was U.S... .	1937
Nickname	The Hoosier Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for a resident of the U.S. state of Indiana. Although residents of most U.S. states typically adopt a derivative of the state name, e.g., "Indianan" or "Indianian", natives of Indiana rarely use these. Indiana adopted the nickname "Hoosier State" more than 150...  State	Indiana residents are known as Hoosiers, a word of unknown origin.	Traditional
Seal Seals of the U.S. states The following gallery displays the official seals of the 50 states, federal district, and territories of the United States of America:-See also:* Coat of Arms of the U.S. States* Seals of Governors of the U.S. States* Flags of the U.S. states...	The seal of Indiana Seal of Indiana The Seal of the State of Indiana is used by the Governor of Indiana to certify official documents. The seal has gone through several revisions since the region was a part of the Northwest Territory. It is likely the original seal, which is similar to the current one, was created by William Henry...	Indiana's seal depicts a setting sun, sycamore trees, a woodsman, and a jumping buffalo.	1963
Slogan	Restart your Engines	The slogan alludes to the Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana... , which is begun with the quote "Gentlemen, start your engines."

Species

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Note
Bird	Cardinal Northern Cardinal The Northern Cardinal or Redbird or Common Cardinal is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis. It can be found in southern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico... Cardinalis cardinalis	The male cardinal is bight red and the female is brown and dull red. They live in Indiana year-round.	1933
Flower	Peony Peony Peony or paeony is a name for plants in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America... Paeonia	The peony is a red, pink, or white flower that blooms in late May. It is grown throughout Indiana.	1957
Tree	Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera Liriodendron tulipifera Liriodendron tulipifera, commonly known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tuliptree, tulip poplar or yellow poplar, is the Western Hemisphere representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron, and the tallest eastern hardwood...	The tulip tree is also called the yellow poplar. It has a distinctive leaf shape and yellow, bell-shaped flowers. It is a tall tree and grows throughout Indiana.

Geology

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Note
River	Wabash River Wabash River The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...	The Wabash is the longest river in Indiana. It flows from Ohio across Northern Indiana until it forms the border between Indiana and Illinois.	1996
Soil	Miami Miami (soil) The Miami soil series is the state soil of Indiana.The less sloping Miami soils are used mainly for corn, soybeans, or winter wheat. The steeper areas are used as pasture, hayland, or woodland. Significant area has been converted to residential and commercial uses. There are of Miami soils mapped...	Miami soil is used to grow corn and soybeans, Indiana's primary crops. It is a brown silt loam that is highly productive and widespread in Indiana.
Stone	Limestone Indiana Limestone Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....	The Indiana variety of limestone, also called Salem or Bedford, is significantly quarried in south-central Indiana. It is a high-quality stone that has been used in buildings such as the Empire State Building and the Pentagon. A sculpture commemorating the state stone Indiana state stone (sculpture) Indiana state stone is a public sculpture at the Indiana Statehouse in downtown Indianapolis. It is an cube of Indiana Limestone that is mounted on a wooden, rotating dolly. It was carved from limestone quarried from the P. M. & B. limestone quarry located in southern Indiana...  sits in the Indiana Statehouse.	1971

Culture

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Note
Beverage	Water Drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...	Water is vital for human survival.	2007
Language	English	English is the native language of over 95% of the state's residents.	1984
Holidays	George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...  Day, February 25 (1779) Northwest Ordinance Northwest Ordinance The Northwest Ordinance was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States, passed July 13, 1787...  Day, July 13 (1787) Indiana Day Indiana Day Indiana Day is an annual observation in the US state of Indiana first instituted in 1925. The Indiana Code directs the governor to issue an annual proclamation to observe December 11 as the day statehood was granted to Indiana by the United States Congress and the state's admission to the Union... , December 11 (1816)	Celebrates the surrender of Fort Sackville Celebrates the adoption of the Northwest Ordinance Celebrates Indiana's admittance to the United States	1975 1988 1925
Pie	Hoosier Pie (Sugar cream pie)	Sugar cream pie is an Indiana tradition coming from Amish and Shaker communities.
Poem	"Indiana"	"Indiana" is by Arthur Franklin Mapes, the former Indiana State Poet Laureate Indiana State Poet Laureate The Indiana State Poet Laureate is the poet laureate for the U.S. state of Indiana. Senate Enrolled Act No. 433 created the made the position effective July 1, 2005, but Indiana had a well-established unofficial position of state poet laureate since 1929. Laureates serve a two year term... . The poem describing the state's natural beauty.	1963
Song	"On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" was among the best-selling songs of the 19th century in terms of sheet music sold. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published by the Tin Pan Alley firm of Howley, Haviland & Co. in October 1897. The lyrics of the ballad... " By Paul Dresser Paul Dresser Johann Paul Dresser, Jr. was a popular American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he was frequently in trouble and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels...	This song describes the author's past along the Wabash River.

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