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| State nickname: "Prairie State" State motto: "State sovereignty, national union" | |||||
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Other U.S. States | |||||
| Capital | Springfield | ||||
| Largest City | Chicago | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 25th 149,998 kmē 4.02% | ||||
| Population
- Total (2000) - Density | Ranked 5th
12,419,293 83/kmē | ||||
| Admittance into Union
- Order - Date |
21st December 3, 1818 | ||||
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 | ||||
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Latitude
Longitude |
36°58'N to 42°30'N
87°30'W to 91°30'W | ||||
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Width
Length Elevation -Highest -Mean -Lowest |
340 km
630 km 376 meters 182 meters 85 meters | ||||
| ISO 3166-2: | US-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.
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.
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.
The 1999 total gross state product for Illinois was $446 billion placing it 4th in the nation. The Per Capita Income was $32,259.
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.
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.Law and Government
Geography
See List of Illinois countiesEconomy
Demographics
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| 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 |
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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.Miscellaneous Information