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Illinois

Capital	Springfield
Population	12,419,293 Source: U.S. Census Bureau GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (geographies ranked by total population): 2000 Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data
Governor	Rod R. Blagojevich (D, to January 2011)
Entered the Union	December 3, 1818 as the 21st state
Motto	State sovereignty, national union
Nicknames	Prairie State, Land of Lincoln
Flower	Violet
Bird	Cardinal
Song	Illinois
Professional Sports Teams (sports listing policy)	Chicago Bulls (Men's Basketball); Chicago Bears (Football); Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs (Baseball); Chicago Blackhawks (Hockey); Chicago Fire (Soccer)
Origin of Name	From an Indian word and French suffix, meaning "tribe of superior men"
Major Industries	Coal Mining, Agriculture, Oil
Historical Sites	Lincoln Home and Tomb, Old State capital, Bishop Hill, Cahokia Mounds, Illinois and Michigan National Heritage Corridor, Nauvoo, Ulysses S. Grant Home
Points of Interest	Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Brookfield Zoo, Sears Tower
Bordering States	Illinois borders Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana. Illinois also borders Lake Michigan.
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Follow these links to read articles about Illinois from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

• Encarta Concise Encyclopedia
• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Information Please Almanac

• Illinois.gov: the State of Illinois Web Site
  http://www.illinois.gov/
  This is the official website for the State of Illinois.
• Illinois State Library
  http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/home.html
  Here is the homepage for the Illinois State Library.
• Illinois State Historical Society
  http://www.historyillinois.org/
  Here is the homepage for the Illinois State Historical Society.
• Illinois State Museum
  http://www.museum.state.il.us/
  Here is the homepage for the Illinois State Museum.
• Illinois State Archives
  http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/archives.html
  Here is the homepage for the Illinois State Archives.
• Illinois Parks & Recreation
  http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/
  Here is the homepage for Illinois State Parks.
• Enjoy Illinois
  http://www.enjoyillinois.com/default.aspx
  Here is the official state tourism website for Illinois.
• Learn Illinois
  http://www.state.il.us/kids/learn/default.htm
  Learn fun facts about Illinois with this webpage designed especially for kids.

• 50states.com: Illinois
  http://www.50states.com/illinois.htm
  The site provides a wealth of information about Illinois. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate.
• Things To Do in Illinois
  http://www.thingstodo.com/states/IL/index.htm
  ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about entertainment, recreation, and travel in Illinois, and includes the state's interesting facts, famous people, and special events.
• Roadside America: Illinois Attractions
  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/il.html
  Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of "weird sites along the highway" in Illinois.
• FedStats: MapStat: United States: Illinois
  http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/17000.html
  Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on "economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more" in Illinois.

• Kaskaskia Island is the only part of Illinois that is west of the Mississippi River.
• The Home Insurance Building in Chicago was the first metal-frame skyscraper in the world. It was built in 1884, and rose 10 stories high.
• The "Trail of Tears," the forced march of Native Americans from the Cherokee, Creek, and Chickasaw nations from the southeast to reservations in the Oklahoma Terriory, passed through Southern Illinois. Many Native Americans died here in their makeshift camps during the winter of December 1839. The Trail of Tears National Forest, 4 miles north of these camps, was later given its name to commemorate this tragedy.
• Lewis and Clark stayed at Fort Massac in Southern Illinois during their famous expedition from November 11-13, 1803.

• Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901. He is known for creating characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. He also made a number of cartoon films, and was the founder of the Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks.
• Bill Murray is an actor and comedian known for movies such as "Caddyshack" and "Groundhog's Day."
• Presidents from Illinois with links to the IPL's POTUS (Presidents of the United States) page:
  
  • Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States, was born February 6, 1911, in Tampico.
• Miles Davis (1926-1991) was from Alton. He was known as a jazz trumpeter, but he also played the flugelhorn and keyboards.