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Illinois

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Illinois
State
State of Illinois
Flag of Illinois
Flag
Official seal of Illinois
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Land of Lincoln, Prairie State, The Inland Empire State
Motto(s): 
State Sovereignty, National Union
Anthem: "Illinois"
Map of the United States with Illinois highlighted
Map of the United States with Illinois highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodIllinois Territory
Admitted to the UnionDecember 3, 1818 (21st)
CapitalSpringfield
Largest cityChicago
Largest county or equivalentCook
Largest metro and urban areasChicagoland
Government
 • GovernorJ. B. Pritzker (D)
 • Lieutenant GovernorJuliana Stratton (D)
LegislatureGeneral Assembly
 • Upper houseIllinois Senate
 • Lower houseIllinois House of Representatives
JudiciarySupreme Court of Illinois
U.S. senatorsDick Durbin (D)
Tammy Duckworth (D)
U.S. House delegation14 Democrats
3 Republicans (list)
Area
 • Total57,915 sq mi (149,997 km2)
 • Land55,593 sq mi (143,969 km2)
 • Water2,320 sq mi (5,981 km2)  3.99%
 • Rank25th
Dimensions
 • Length390 mi (628 km)
 • Width210 mi (338 km)
Elevation
600 ft (180 m)
Highest elevation
(Charles Mound[1][2][a])
1,235 ft (376.4 m)
Lowest elevation
(Confluence of Mississippi River and Ohio River[2][a])
280 ft (85 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total12,812,508[3]
 • Rank6th
 • Density232/sq mi (89.4/km2)
  • Rank12th
 • Median household income
$65,030[4]
 • Income rank
17th
DemonymsIllinoisan
Language
 • Official languageEnglish[5]
 • Spoken languageEnglish (80.8%)
Spanish (14.9%)
Other (5.1%)
Time zoneUTC−06:00 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−05:00 (CDT)
USPS abbreviation
IL
ISO 3166 codeUS-IL
Traditional abbreviationIll.
Latitude36° 58′ N to 42° 30′ N
Longitude87° 30′ W to 91° 31′ W
Websiteillinois.gov
Illinois state symbols
Flag of Illinois
Living insignia
AmphibianEastern tiger salamander
BirdNorthern cardinal
ButterflyMonarch butterfly
FishBluegill
FlowerViolet
GrassBig bluestem
MammalWhite-tailed deer
ReptilePainted turtle
TreeWhite oak
Inanimate insignia
DanceSquare dance
FoodGold Rush Apple, popcorn
FossilTully monster
MineralFluorite
Slogan"Land of Lincoln"
SoilDrummer silty clay loam
State route marker
Illinois state route marker
State quarter
Illinois quarter dollar coin
Released in 2003
Lists of United States state symbols

Illinois is a state in the United States. Its capital is Springfield and its largest city is Chicago. It is bordered to the north by Wisconsin, to the west by Iowa and below that, by Missouri (both borders are along the Mississippi River). To the south-east, Illinois is bordered along the Ohio River by Kentucky and to the east by Indiana. Illinois' northeasternmost boundary is to Lake Michigan.

Politics

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Political climate In Illinois today

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Most of Illinois outside of Chicago (its most populous city) is heavily conservative. In 2016, for example, nearly 40 counties in Illinois gave Trump 70% or more of the vote there. However, Chicago makes up over half of the state´s population, and Cook County (in which Chicago is located) gave Trump just 21% of the vote there. Therefore, the governor of Illinois is currently a Democrat, as are both its US Senators and over 70% of its representatives. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the state by 17%. In 2012, Barack Obama won the state by 17%. In 2008, Obama won the state by over 25%. Illinois has supported only Democratic candidates for president since 1992.

Historically voting Republican[6]

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Illinois used to vote Republican. In all the presidential elections between 1856 and 1892, it supported the Republican candidate.

Former swing state[6]

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Illinois was a swing state, but it isn't a swing state anymore. In all the presidential elections in which it has voted, it has supported the winner 82% of the time. Out of the last 5 presidential elections, however, it has supported the winner only 40% of the time.

History

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The most prominent tribes in Illinois were the Illinois, Miami, Winnebago, Fox and Sacs (Sauk), Kickapoo, and Pottawatomie tribes. The Illinois Native Americans were composed of five subdivisions including Kaskaskias, Cahokias, Tamaroas, Peorias, and Metchigamis.

Illinois became a state on December 3, 1818. Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which helped abolish slavery in the United States.[7]

Three U.S. presidents have been elected while living in Illinois: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama. Additionally, Ronald Reagan, whose political career was based in California, was the only US president born and raised in Illinois.

Economy

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Illinois has a diverse economy. Chicago is a major center for transportation and business. Central and northern Illinois is mostly used for agriculture. The south produces many natural resources such as coal, timber and petroleum.[8]

Government

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Illinois was once known to be a swing state (voted for either Democratic Party or the Republican Party). Today, Illinois is known to be a blue state, voting for the Democratic Party. The last time Illinois voted for a Republican president was in 1988 for George H.W. Bush.

J. B. Pritzker (D) is the current Governor of Illinois. It has two senators; Dick Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D).

Population

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Illinois had a population of 12,812,508 people in 2020. Most of the people living in Illinois live near the city of Chicago.

The top countries of origin for Illinois’ immigrants were Mexico (36 percent of immigrants), India (10 percent), Poland (7 percent), the Philippines (5 percent), and China (4 percent).[9]

People from Illinois

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Famous Illinoisans include:

State symbols

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In Illinois, school children voted to select the state bird, state flower, and state tree. The state bird is the cardinal. The state flower of Illinois is the violet. The state tree is the white oak.

Illinois's seal has an eagle in a prairie. Across a river, behind the eagle is a rising sun. The eagle stands for the United States. The prairie reminds Illinoisans of their land. The two dates on the seal, 1818 and 1868, are the year that Illinois became a state and the year that the state seal was designed. The state flag includes the state seal.

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
  1. ↑ "Charles". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  3. ↑ "2020 Census Apportionment Results". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ Bureau, US Census. "U.S. Median Household Income Up in 2018 From 2017". The United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  5. ↑ "(5 ILCS 460/20) (from Ch. 1, par. 2901‑20) State Designations Act". Illinois Compiled Statutes. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois General Assembly. September 4, 1991. Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2009. Sec. 20. Official language. The official language of the State of Illinois is English.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "United States presidential elections in Illinois". Wikipedia. 2020-06-11.
  7. ↑ "Interesting Facts About Illinois". Interesting State Facts.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  8. ↑ "Illinois – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". Eia.gov. April 19, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  9. ↑ Immigrants in Illinois
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