Illinois+-+Jack


 * Illinois**

Did you know that Illinois has a nickname that is "The Land of Lincoln" but some know us as "The Prairie State".

Illinois Symbols & State Facts:
 * The state bird is the Cardinal
 * The tree is the mighty Oak tree
 * The flower is the Violet
 * The insect is the Monarch Butterfly


 * Illinois is 57,918 sq. miles
 * The Population is 12,910,409
 * Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the U.S.
 * Illinois has all three types of areas: rural, urban, and suburban

Geography

Illinois is one of the Central Plains states. It has flat prairies and farmlands. We have one of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan, for a shoreline border. On our western border we have the Mississippi River. Illinois also has many other major rivers like the Chicago River, Des Plaines River, Fox River and Kankakee River just to name of few.

Climate and Region

The weather can be really different depending on where you are in the state. Winds, tornadoes and sudden rain fall can sometimes make IL weather dangerous and unpredictable.

Natural Resources
 * Rich black soil makes good farmland
 * Coal
 * Oil
 * Other minerals

Industries and Economy

Banking and finance play large roles in the urban Illinois economy. However, farming and tourism is also a large part of the economy.

Crops
 * Corn is chief crop
 * Soybeans
 * Oats
 * Wheat
 * Livestock.

Goverment Democrats: 8 Republicans: 11
 * The state governor is Pat Quinn
 * Capital:Springfieldi
 * U.S. Senators: 2 - Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk
 * U.S. Representatives: 19
 * State Senators: 59
 * State Representatives: 118
 * Counties In State102

History

The first people to come to what is now Illinois was the Paleo Indians around 10,000 - 8,000 B.C.
 * 500 BC- 900 AD Woodland Native Americans
 * 1673- the French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet arrived in Illinois
 * 1717- Illinois becomes part of the French colonies
 * 1818- Illinois becomes the 21st state.

Native Americans

900-1450 A D the Mississippian Native Americans established large cities, such as Cahokia, in what is now Illinois.

Culture
 * Frank Lioyd Wright Architecture
 * Illinois has 6 Professional sports teams: Bears NFL, Bulls NBA, Cubs and White Sox MLB, Chicago Fire MLS, Blackhawks NHL.
 * Illinois is known for the Chicago Style Hotdog and Deep Dish Pizza
 * Lake Michigan has boating and sailing.

Fun facts
 * The tallest man in the world was born in Alton, IL in 1918
 * The Wilis Tower was the worlds tallest sky scraper from 1973 to 1997.
 * O'Hare Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, making the city an international transportation Hub