Illinois

=__//** Illinois: The Prairie State **//__= toc Created by Kiran Prasad and Lawrence Lee Period 3 Geography Page last updated at 9:4 2AM on 2/4/2011

**General Information**

 * State capital: Springfield
 * Meaning of state name: "Tribe of superior men" or "warriors" (French version of Algonquin Indian)

Location

 * Illinois is an almost landlocked state in the Midwest region of the US.
 * Illinois is east of the Mississippi River, west of Indiana, south of Wisconsin, and southeast of Lake Michigan.

Physical Geography

 * Illinois is mostly cropland with some grassland near the southern tip.
 * The elevation of most of Illinois ranges from 500-1,000 feet above sea level, although some areas dip to 0-500 feet above sea level.
 * Some major waterways include the Mississippi River, which forms the western border, and the Wabash River, which forms part of the eastern border.



Climate

 * Illinois climate has long, cold, snowy winters and short, but possibly hot summers.
 * It is in the humid continental climate zone of the US.
 * The average rainfall per year in the southern 1/3 of Illinois is forty to eighty inches. The northern 2/3 of Illinois receives twenty to forty inches of rain per year.
 * In the summer, the average temperature in Chicago, IL ranges from 66ºF-76ºF.
 * In the winter, the average temperature in Chicago, IL ranges from 27ºF-36ºF.
 * The total precipitation received in Chicago for one year is about 33 inches.

Economy

 * The only natural resource Illinois has is coal. The coal is on the very southern border that is shared with Missouri.
 * The main use of Illinois land is through commercial farming, although, there is a bit of manufacturing in Chicago and St. Louis.
 * The major industries in Illinois are agriculture (corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, barley, rye, and sorghum), cattle, manufacturing, and mining.

People

 * The biggest city in Illinois is Chicago.
 * The state capital is Springfield.
 * Some major attractions include Millennium Park in Chicago, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.
 * As of 2000, Illinois was the fifth most populous state at 12,419,293 people.