Ohio is the 17th state of the United States of America, established first as a part of the Northwest Territory on July 13th, 1787, then as a state on February 19th, 1803. The official state motto is 'The Heart of It All', and it is also commonly referred to as 'The Birthplace of Aviation', due to the Wright brothers having been born in Dayton, Ohio despite having created their aircraft in North Carolina.
Ohio is surrounded by Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and notable connecting waterways include Lake Erie along the northern border of the state, the Ohio River along the southern border, and the Scioto River through the center of the state. As with most city centers, the three most populus cities in the state border these prominent waterways, with the capital Columbus bordering the Scioto River, Cleveland originating on the shores of Lake Erie, and Cincinnati neighboring the Ohio River.