Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Illinois
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Facts & Stats
Images & Videos
Illinois: first flag Illinois state seal The cardinal is the state bird of Illinois. The purple violet is the state flower of Illinois. Illinois state map Illinois cornfield Illinois
Illinois: The history and demographics of the Prairie State
Chicago Illinois
For Students
Chicago
Illinois summary
Quizzes
Texas State Capitol building in Austin, Texas. United States
U.S. State Capitals Quiz
Extruded map of the United States of America with states borders on national flag background. (3-d rendering)
Guess the U.S. State by Its Neighbors
USA, United States watercolor map Illustration in rainbow colors
50 States, 50 Fun Facts Quiz
State capitol building in Austin, Texas.
USA Capitals and Nicknames Quiz
Color map of United States. Color USA map. Color USA map. Color dot USA map. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
Anywhere USA
Related Questions
Read Next
Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
United States Presidential Election of 2012. Mitt Romney. Official portrait of President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, Dec. 6, 2012 after his reelection Nov. 6, 2012. Official portrait Obama
10 Democrats Who Made History
US Marines firing at Fallujah, Iraq, during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004. Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq War.
Timeline of the 2000s
The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C., April 14th, 1865; from a lithograph by Currier and Ives.
9 Infamous Assassins and the World Leaders They Dispatched
Abraham Lincoln, photograph by Alexander Gardner, 1863.
Was Abraham Lincoln a Wrestler?
Discover
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides
Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?
New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.
Why Is It Called Black Friday?
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

Illinois: Facts & Stats

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Illinois-state
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As Prairie State
Capital Springfield
Population1 (2020) 12,812,508; (2023 est.) 12,549,689
Governor J.B. Pritzker (Democrat)
Date Of Admission December 3, 1818
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (Democrat) • Tammy Duckworth (Democrat)
State Nickname Prairie State • Land of Lincoln
State Motto "State Sovereignty, National Union"
State Bird northern cardinal
State Flower2 violet
State Song “Illinois”
Seats In U.S. House Of Representatives 18 (of 435)
Time Zone Central (GMT − 6 hours)
Total Area (Sq Km) 149,996
Total Area (Sq Mi) 57,914
1Excluding military abroad.2Species not designated.

Photos and Videos

Illinois: first flag
Illinois state seal
The cardinal is the state bird of Illinois.
The purple violet is the state flower of Illinois.
Illinois state map
Illinois cornfield
Illinois
Chicago
Illinois
United States: The Midwest
Illinois: The history and demographics of the Prairie State
Tour a Deere & Company assembly line to see how John Deere combines are manufactured in East Moline, Illinois
Examine Abraham Lincoln's career in Springfield as a lawyer, politician, and woman's suffrage advocate
See how Lincoln's state was home to Camp Douglas and both Confederate and Union soldiers fighting major battles
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
president of United States
Abraham Lincoln portrait
Abraham Lincoln
president of United States
J.B. Pritzker
J.B. Pritzker
American politician
Adlai E. Stevenson
Adlai E. Stevenson
American statesman
John Peter Altgeld
John Peter Altgeld
governor of Illinois, United States
Carol Moseley Braun
Carol Moseley Braun
United States senator
Robert Michel
American politician
Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie
American pioneer and author
Lowden, Frank Orren
Frank Orren Lowden
American politician
Oglesby, Richard James
Richard James Oglesby
United States senator and governor of Illinois
“Father of Chicago”
Jean-Baptist-Point Du Sable
American pioneer
Alzina Parsons Stevens
American labor leader
Chase, Philander
Philander Chase
American clergyman
John J. Hopfield
John J. Hopfield
American physicist

Related Places

Bayview Bridge
Quincy
Illinois, United States
United States
United States
Chicago skyline
Chicago
Illinois, United States
Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield, Illinois
Springfield
Illinois, United States
Bradley University
Peoria
Illinois, United States
Alice S. Millar Chapel and Religious Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill
Evanston
Illinois, United States
confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers
Cairo
Illinois, United States
Brandon Road Lock, Joliet, Illinois
Joliet
Illinois, United States
Rockford: Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum
Rockford
Illinois, United States
East Saint Louis
Illinois, United States
Joseph Smith Mansion House, Nauvoo, Ill
Nauvoo
Illinois, United States
Decatur: Millikin University
Decatur
Illinois, United States
elevated train line in Chicago's Loop
the Loop
area, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Downtown Alton, Illinois
Alton
Illinois, United States
Steeple Building, Bishop Hill State Historic Site, Illinois, U.S.
Bishop Hill State Historic Site
historical site, Illinois, United States

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Close-up of a weathered, old American flag of the United States of America, used as a patriotic decoration on Fourth of July (Independence Day), Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and other national holidays.
U.S. State Nicknames Quiz
Color map of United States. Color USA map. Color USA map. Color dot USA map. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
Anywhere USA
Texas State Capitol building in Austin, Texas. United States
U.S. State Capitals Quiz
Extruded map of the United States of America with states borders on national flag background. (3-d rendering)
Guess the U.S. State by Its Neighbors
State capitol building in Austin, Texas.
USA Capitals and Nicknames Quiz
USA, United States watercolor map Illustration in rainbow colors
50 States, 50 Fun Facts Quiz