Illinois (original) (raw)

Illinois

In Detail State Seal
State nickname: "Prairie State" State motto: "State sovereignty, national union"
Other U.S. States
Capital Springfield
Largest City Chicago
Area - Total - % water Ranked 25th 149,998 km� 4.02%
Population - Total (2000) - Density Ranked 5th 12,419,293 83/km�
Admittance into Union - Order - Date 21stDecember 3, 1818
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
LatitudeLongitude 36°58'N to 42°30'N 87°30'W to 91°30'W
WidthLengthElevation -Highest -Mean -Lowest 340 km630 km376 meters182 meters85 meters
ISO 3166-2: US-IL

Illinois is a state in the United States named after the Illinois Indian tribe, which used to live there. The capitol of Illinois is Springfield and the U.S. postal abbreviation for the state is IL.

USS Illinois was named in honor of this state.

History

Named for the Illinois tribe of Native Americans, this state is known as the "Land of Lincoln," because it's where the 16th president was raised. Illinois became the 21st state in 1818. Illinois Territory was created on February 3, 1809. Before becoming a state, Illinois was part of the Northwest Territory.

Law and Government

The capital of the state is Springfield.

The current Governor of Illinois is Rod Blagojevich (Democrat) and the U.S. senators are Richard J. Durbin (Democrat) and Peter G. Fitzgerald (Republican). List of Illinois Governors.

Geography

See List of Illinois counties

It is in the north central U.S. and borders on Lake Michigan. Surrounding states are Wisconsin to the north, Iowa and Missouri to the west, Kentucky to the south, and Indiana to the east.

Economy

The 1999 total gross state product for Illinois was 446billionplacingit4thinthenation.ThePerCapitaIncomewas446 billion placing it 4th in the nation. The Per Capita Income was 446billionplacingit4thinthenation.ThePerCapitaIncomewas32,259.

Illinois' agricultural outputs are corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products and wheat. Its industrial outputs are machinery, food processing, electrical equipment, chemical products, publishing, fabricated metal products, transportation equipment, petroleum and coal.

Demographics

The 2000 population of Illinois was 12,419,293. At the northern edge of the state on Lake Michigan lies Chicago, the nation's third largest city. More than half of the population lives in and around Chicago, the leading industrial and transportation center in the region. The rest of the population lives in the smaller cities and on the farms that dot the state's gently rolling plains.

Important Cities and Towns

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Chicago

list of towns

Prairie State
State Animal: White-tailed deer
State Bird: Cardinal
State Capital: Springfield
State Fish: Bluegill
State Flower: Purple violet
State Insect: Monarch butterfly
State Slogan: "Land of Lincoln"
State Song: "Illinois"
State Tree: White oak

Education

Colleges and Universities

Augustana CollegeAurora UniversityBarat CollegeBenedictine UniversityBlackburn College

Bradley University

Professional Sports Teams

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National Football League

Miscellaneous Information

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, lived in Illinois from a young age, and eventually served four terms in the Illinois State Legislature. Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, was born and lived in Illinois.