Illinois is located in the Midwest region of the United States of America. It is the 21st state.

Of all the states in the Midwest, Illinois has the highest population. It is also the fifth largest state in the US. Illinois is well known for its huge but diverse population, its good balance between rural areas, moderate industrial estates, sprawling suburbs, and a good metropolitan center.

Illinois has a very diversified economy and for nearly a century and a half it has been the hub of transportation in the Midwest due to its central location.

History

At the time of the American Revolution, approximately two thousand Native American hunters along with a small population of French villagers inhabited Illinois. A significant number of American settlers arrived in Illinois all the way from Kentucky in the decade of 1810. By the year 1818, Illinois had achieved statehood.

Some time later, the Yankees came to Illinois and after their arrival they dominated the northern regions creating the city of Chicago around the year 1830. During the 1950s, the railroad revolution of America swept through Illinois. This led to the generation of huge profits from the rich prairie farmlands in the central regions of the state of Illinois. This widespread success attracted immigrant farmers from other states as well as from far away countries like Germany and Sweden.

At the time of the American Civil War, Northern Illinois was a strong supporter of the Republican Party and backed historical figures like Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.

By the beginning of the twentieth century there were many factories undergoing construction at a rapid pace in the cities of northern Illinois. This coincided with the development of the coalmines in central and southern regions. Once again this industrialization brought about chances for profits and lots of jobs, thereby attracting a lot of immigrants from Europe.

During both of the two world wars, Illinois was a major government establishment where military equipment and munitions were manufactured.

Illinois

The name Illinois comes from the Illinois River. The river was named by early French explorers and was a tribute to the Illiniwek people, an association of Algonquian tribes that were living in that region at that time.

Geographic Features

The Illinois State Park program was started in 1908 and the first park is known today as Fort Massac State Park. This park was the first of its kind and covered a total of sixty parks as well an equal number of wildlife and recreational areas.

Illinois has a length of over 400 miles and this results in a lot of variable climate within the state. The average monthly temperature can be as high as 88 Fahrenheit in the southern regions in the month of August. At the same time the northern regions can experience temperatures as low as 10 Fahrenheit in the month of February. Rainfall also varies equally with the southern parts getting as much as 48 inches of precipitation while the northern areas average around 35 inches. Because of the lake effect snow, the annual snowfall in Chicago can exceed 38 inches. The south typically averages about 14 inches of snow.