The first Europeans to visit Illinois were French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette in 1673, but the region was ceded to Britain after the French and Indian War. After the American Revolution, Illinois became a territory of the United States and became a state in 1818.
Located on Lake Michigan, and connected to the eastern ports by the Erie Canal, Chicago became a thriving metropolis, and even the fire of 1871 failed to stunt its growth. In the second half of the 19th century, the great need for workers for the factories, railroads, and slaughterhouses made Chicago a popular destination for immigrants and liberated blacks.
During Prohibition, Chicago became synonymous with illegal booze and mobsters like Al Capone.
Geography
Illinois is located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Wisconsin to the north, Iowa to the west, Missouri and Kentucky to the south, and Indiana to the east. The Mississippi River forms part of its western border. Illinois has an area of 57,914 square miles (150,000 km2), making it the 25th largest state in America. Its population is approximately 12.7 million people and it is divided into 102 counties and 1,299 municipalities.
The geography of Illinois is varied with flat plains in the northern regions and rolling hills in the southern regions. The northern region includes parts of the Great Lakes Plain, while most of central Illinois consists of prairies and rolling hills. The southern region consists mostly of lowlands along with some hills and bluffs along rivers such as the Ohio River and Mississippi River. The highest point in Illinois is Charles Mound at 1,235 feet (376 m).
The state contains numerous rivers such as the Illinois River, Des Plaines River, Kankakee River, Fox River and Rock River which all flow into or near Lake Michigan or Mississippi river which forms part of its western border. There are also several large natural lakes including Lake Michigan which forms much of its eastern border with Indiana; Carlyle Lake; Rend Lake; Lake Shelbyville; Crab Orchard Lake; Lake Springfield; and Evergreen Lake among others. Much of this water eventually flows into either one of two major drainage basins: The Great Lakes Basin or The Gulf Of Mexico Basin via various other rivers like Wabash river or Ohio river before finally reaching their respective destinations.
Illinois also contains a number of wildlife preserves including Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge near Marion; Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge near Havana; LaSalle Fish & Wildlife Area near Ottawa; Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge near Havana; Kankakee Sands Prairie Restoration near Morocco as well as many other smaller wildlife preserves scattered across various parts of state making them ideal spots for bird watching enthusiasts or nature lovers alike.
Additionally, there are several State Parks located throughout Illinois including Starved Rock State Park near Oglesby; Giant City State Park near Makanda; Pere Marquette State Park near Grafton; Moraine View State Recreation Area near LeRoy; Matthiessen State Park near Oglesby among many others offering camping sites, hiking trails, fishing spots, canoeing/ kayaking locations etc.. making them perfect places for outdoor activities like camping, hiking, fishing etc.
Cities in Illinois
Below are the top 15 cities by population in Illinois. For all cities and towns in the state, please see Illinois cities list.
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago | 2,742,119 |
| 2 | Aurora | 183,447 |
| 3 | Joliet | 150,323 |
| 4 | Naperville | 149,013 |
| 5 | Rockford | 148,942 |
| 6 | Springfield | 114,672 |
| 7 | Elgin | 114,156 |
| 8 | Peoria | 113,672 |
| 9 | Waukegan | 89,751 |
| 10 | Champaign | 88,343 |
| 11 | Cicero | 84,905 |
| 12 | Evanston | 78,454 |
| 13 | Bloomington | 78,372 |
| 14 | Schaumburg | 78,053 |
| 15 | Arlington Heights | 77,283 |
Counties in Illinois
The State of Illinois consists of 102 counties. They are:
- Adams County, Illinois
- Alexander County, Illinois
- Bond County, Illinois
- Boone County, Illinois
- Brown County, Illinois
- Bureau County, Illinois
- Calhoun County, Illinois
- Carroll County, Illinois
- Cass County, Illinois
- Champaign County, Illinois
- Christian County, Illinois
- Clark County, Illinois
- Clay County, Illinois
- Clinton County, Illinois
- Coles County, Illinois
- Cook County, Illinois
- Crawford County, Illinois
- Cumberland County, Illinois
- DeKalb County, Illinois
- DeWitt County, Illinois
- Douglas County, Illinois
- DuPage County, Illinois
- Edgar County, Illinois
- Edwards County, Illinois
- Effingham County, Illinois
- Fayette County, Illinois
- Ford County, Illinois
- Franklin County, Illinois
- Fulton County, Illinois
- Gallatin County, Illinois
- Greene County, Illinois
- Grundy County, Illinois
- Hamilton County, Illinois
- Hancock County, Illinois
- Hardin County, Illinois
- Henderson County, Illinois
- Henry County, Illinois
- Iroquois County, Illinois
- Jackson County, Illinois
- Jasper County, Illinois
- Jefferson County, Illinois
- Jersey County, Illinois
- Jo Daviess County, Illinois
- Johnson County, Illinois
- Kane County, Illinois
- Kankakee County, Illinois
- Kendall County, Illinois
- Knox County, Illinois
- Lake County, Illinois
- LaSalle County, Illinois
- Lawrence County, Illinois
- Lee County, Illinois
- Livingston County, Illinois
- Logan County, Illinois
- Macon County, Illinois
- Macoupin County, Illinois
- Madison County, Illinois
- Marion County, Illinois
- Marshall County, Illinois
- Mason County, Illinois
- Massac County, Illinois
- McDonough County, Illinois
- McHenry County, Illinois
- McLean County, Illinois
- Menard County, Illinois
- Mercer County, Illinois
- Monroe County, Illinois
- Montgomery County, Illinois
- Morgan County, Illinois
- Moultrie County, Illinois
- Ogle County, Illinois
- Peoria County, Illinois
- Perry County, Illinois
- Piatt County, Illinois
- Pike County, Illinois
- Pope County, Illinois
- Pulaski County, Illinois
- Putnam County, Illinois
- Randolph County, Illinois
- Richland County, Illinois
- Rock Island County, Illinois
- Saint Clair County, Illinois
- Saline County, Illinois
- Sangamon County, Illinois
- Schuyler County, Illinois
- Scott County, Illinois
- Shelby County, Illinois
- Stark County, Illinois
- Stephenson County, Illinois
- Tazewell County, Illinois
- Union County, Illinois
- Vermilion County, Illinois
- Wabash County, Illinois
- Warren County, Illinois
- Washington County, Illinois
- Wayne County, Illinois
- White County, Illinois
- Whiteside County, Illinois
- Will County, Illinois
- Williamson County, Illinois
- Winnebago County, Illinois
- Woodford County, Illinois
