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ILLINOIS - USA
Illinois is a state in the United States named
after the Illiniwek Indian tribe, which used to live there. The capital of
Illinois is Springfield and the U.S. postal abbreviation for the state is
IL.
The USS Illinois was named in honor of this state.
History
Named for the Illiniwek tribe of Native Americans, this state is known as
the "Land of Lincoln," because it is where the 16th President spent his
formative years. Illinois became the 21st state in 1818. Illinois
Territory was created on February 3, 1809 out of the Northwest Territory.
Previous to that, its lands were claimed by the Illinois-Wabash Company.
Law and Government
The capital of the state is Springfield.
The current Governor of Illinois is Rod Blagojevich (a Democrat) and the
U.S. Senators are Richard J. Durbin (a Democrat) and Peter G. Fitzgerald
(a Republican). Senator Fitzgerald will retire when his term ends.
Currently on the ballot to replace him are Barack Obama (Democrat), Alan
Keyes (Republican), Jerry Kohn (Libertarian), and Albert Franzen, an
independent (www.alfranzen.org). Keyes was selected for the Republican
ticket to replace Jack Ryan (Republican), who had withdrawn from the race.
Geography
It is in the north central U.S. and borders on Lake Michigan. Surrounding
states are Wisconsin to the north, Iowa and Missouri to the west, Kentucky
to the south, and Indiana to the east. Illinois also borders Michigan, but
only via a water boundary in Lake Michigan.
Economy
The 1999 total gross state product for Illinois was $446 billion, placing
it 4th in the nation. The per capita income was $32,259.
Illinois' agricultural outputs are corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy
products and wheat. Its industrial outputs are machinery, food processing,
electrical equipment, chemical products, publishing, fabricated metal
products, transportation equipment, petroleum and coal.
Demographics
The 2000 population of Illinois was 12,419,293. At the northern edge of
the state on Lake Michigan lies Chicago, the nation's third largest city.
More than half of the population lives in and around Chicago, the leading
industrial and transportation center in the region. The rest of the
population lives in the smaller cities and on the farms that dot the
state's gently rolling plains.
Education
Colleges and universities
Augustana College
Aurora University
Barat College
Benedictine University
Blackburn College
Bradley University
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Chicago State University
College of DuPage
Columbia College
Concordia University, River Forest
DePaul University
DeVry University, DuPage
Dominican University
East-West University
Eastern Illinois University
Elmhurst College
Erikson Institute
Eureka College
Governors State University
Greenville College
Illinois College
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois State University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Judson College
Kendall College
Knox College
Lake Forest College
Lakeview College of Nursing
Lewis University
Lincoln Christian College and Seminary
Loyola University Chicago
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
McKendree College
McMurray College
Midwestern University
Millikin University
Monmouth College
Moody Bible Institute
National University of Health Sciences
National-Louis University
North Central College
North Park College and Theological Seminary
Northeastern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northwestern University
Olivet Nazarene University
Principia College
Quincy University
Robert Morris College
Rockford College
Roosevelt University
Rush University
Saint Anthony College of Nursing
St. Xavier University
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Shimer College
Southern Illinois University System
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
Trinity Christian College
Trinity International University
University of Chicago
University of Illinois System
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Springfield
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of St. Francis
Western Illinois University
Wheaton College
Professional sports teams
National Football League
Chicago Bears
National Basketball Association
Chicago Bulls
National Hockey League
Chicago Blackhawks
Major League Soccer
Chicago Fire
Major League Baseball:
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Minor League baseball teams:
Peoria Chiefs
Kane County Cougars
Cook County Cheetahs
Gateway Grizzlies
Rockford RiverHawks
State symbols
State Animal: White-tailed deer
State Bird: Cardinal
State Capital: Springfield
State Fish: Bluegill
State Flower: Purple violet
State Insect: Monarch butterfly
State Slogan: "Land of Lincoln"
State Song: "Illinois"
State Tree: White oak
Miscellaneous information
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, lived in
Illinois from a young age, and eventually served four terms in the
Illinois General Assembly. Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, was born in
Tampico, Illinois.
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