| Illinois, stretching from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi | | | | Kentucky on the southeast, and Missouri and Iowa |
| River, embraces vast, rich farmlands, the giant city of | | | | on the west. Illinois was named for the Illinois Indians. |
| Chicago, rolling glacial plains and, to the south, the hills | | | | The capital is Springfield. |
| and valleys of the Illinois Ozarks. | | | | Admitted as the 21st member of the Union on Dec. |
| Illinois boasts 6,900km or 4,300 miles of scenic | | | | 3, 1818, Illinois has throughout the 20th century been |
| shoreline, 1,100 historic sites and half a million acres of | | | | profoundly divided. It lies within both the so called old |
| state parks. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US president, | | | | industrial belt and the fertile agricultural heart of the |
| spent most of his professional life here, as he was a | | | | nation. |
| lawyer and political figure here. | | | | The presence of Chicago, the nations third largest |
| Nicknamed the Windy City, Chicago is one of the | | | | city, creates sharp distinctions between the states |
| worlds giant trade, industry and transportation | | | | largely urban northeast and the more evenly balanced |
| centres and the birthplace of the skyscraper. | | | | urban rural population downstate. Because of its |
| In contrast, its Lake Michigan shoreline is dotted with | | | | great length, Illinois exhibits both Northern and |
| sandy beaches, hundred of parks, harbours, zoos and | | | | Southern regional characteristics. Still further contrasts |
| vast expanses of forest reserve. It is one of the | | | | derive from the racial and ethnic complexity of the |
| USAs largest cities and the hub of the Midwest. | | | | population. |
| The inhabitants in the Chicago land area speak more | | | | These internal divisions, while not unique to Illinois, |
| than 50 languages, making it the most ethnically | | | | perhaps became magnified through the states critical |
| diverse city in the USA. For visitors to the USA, it is | | | | role in the economic and political life of the nation. |
| the gateway to the farmlands and cities of Illinois and | | | | Rich in coal and oil reserves and ideally located for |
| Indiana, and the recreation areas of Wisconsin. | | | | the acquisition of raw materials and distribution of |
| Constituent state of the United States of America. It | | | | finished goods, Illinois ranks among the top states in |
| encompasses 56,345 square miles and stretches 385 | | | | value of exports, agricultural income, and value added |
| miles from Wisconsin in the north to Cairo in the area | | | | by manufacturing. |
| that is known as Little Egypt, which lies farther south | | | | Chicago is a railroad hub of the nation, its O Hare |
| than Richmond. | | | | International Airport is among the worlds busiest, and |
| In addition to Wisconsin, the state borders Lake | | | | Illinois highways and waterways are thick with |
| Michigan on the northeast, Indiana on the east, | | | | commercial traffic. |