heavily industrialized area, mostly in Lake county, northwestern Indiana, U.S. It lies along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, adjacent to southeastern Chicago. Following the establishment of steel plants in Gary at the start of the 20th century, the area developed from a swampy sand-dune waste into a major sector of the Chicago industrial web, comprising one of the world's foremost industrial complexes, with mammoth steel mills, oil refineries, chemical plants, and other industries. Occupying nearly 90 square miles (230 square km), it encompasses a population of about 300,000 in the contiguous cities of Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, and Whiting in Indiana and Calumet City in Illinois. The district is crossed by the Grand Calumet and Little Calumet rivers, whose channels connect with the Calumet River and Calumet Harbor (in south Chicago). The Calumet Sag Channel connects the Little Calumet River with the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal system. Port facilities are available at Gary, Burns Harbor (east of Gary), and East Chicago.