Illinois - School-Age

Illinois

Illinois Flag Map

21st State (December 3, 1818), midwest U.S.

State Abbreviation: IL

Capital: Springfield

Origin of name: From an Indian word and French suffix, meaning "tribe of superior men".

Motto: State Sovereignty, National Union

Nickname: The Prairie State, Land of Lincoln

Illinois State Symbols

Illinois State Symbols Information Sheet and Color Pages (pdf)

Illinois Map USA

Illinois: State Seal

Animal: White-tailed Deer

Bird: Northern Cardinal

Dance: Square Dance

Fish: Bluegill

Flower: Violet

Fossil: Tully Monster

Insect: Monarch Butterfly

Mineral: Fluorite

Illinois State Symbols

Prairie Grass: Big Bluestem

Reptile: Painted Turtle

Slogan: Land of Lincoln

Song: Illinois

Tree: White Oak

Flag of Illinois

Illinois Video

Things to Know

Senators from Illinois.

Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, an African American from Sainte-Domingue (Haiti), built the first permanent non-indigenous settlement on the north bank of the mouth of the present-day Chicago River. This settlement would later become Chicago, Illinois. Today, Chicago is the third largest city in the U.S.A.

The Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is one of history's most destructive fires.

Sears Tower (today the Willis Tower) was the tallest building in the world until 1998, it is the second tallest building in North America.

Prairies
A prairie is a type of grassland. It is a area that is flat, predominantly treeless with coarse grassland. The name comes from the French word for "meadow."

Most of the state of Illinois used to be covered in prairies. The southern part of Illinois is farmland and it is called "America's Corn Belt".

Illinois Agriculture
The top crops grown in Illinois are corn and soybeans

Illinois & Michigan Canal
Learn the history of Illinois and Michigan Canal

Major Lakes: Lake Michigan, Rend Lake

Major Rivers: Illinois River, , Ohio River, Wabash River