Illinois

Garden of the Gods, Shawnee National Forest, Illinois
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Garden_of_the_gods.jpg
Author: Daniel Schwen


Illinois is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Its name comes from the French spelling of the Illinois tribe of Native American. The word is derived from Iliniwek, which is said to mean "men" in the Miami-Illinois language, or rather, "tribe of superior men". The Illinois tribe however refered to themselves as the Inoka.

Sunset at Champaign, Illinois
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sunset_at_Grain_Elevator_012_Cropped_more.jpg
Author: Shakil Mustafa


The state of Illinois covers an area of 57,918 sq miles (140,998 sq km) and has a population of 12.9 million people. It is the most populous Midwestern state and the fifth most populous in the country. It borders on Lake Michigan to the northeast. The 42°30' north latitude forms its northern border with Wisconsin. The Mississippi River forms its western border across from Missouri and Iowa. To the east, the 87°31'30" west longtitude forms the eastern border with Indiana until Post Vincennes, thereafter the border follows the Wabash River. The northern shore of the Ohio River forms the border with Kentucky.

Illinois comprises three major geographical divisions: Northern Illinois is dominated by the Chicago metropolitan area; Central Illinois, also called the Heart of Illinois, characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities; and Southern Illinois, characterized by its warmer climate and different types of crops.

Piney Creek Ravine, Illinois
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piney_Creek_9134_Rocks.jpg
Author: Edbwiki

Travel to Illinois

The most convenient way to reach Illinois is by road. From Wisconsin, you can take Interstate-39, 90 and 94; from Iowa, take I-74 and I-80; from Missouri, take I-55, I-57, I-64, I-70 and I-72; from Kentucky, take I-24; and from Indiana, take I-64, I-70, I-74, I-80, I-90 or I-94.

You can also take the Amtrak trains terminating in Chicago from Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston. By flight, the two main airports for Chicago are O'Hare and Midway. Smaller airports are located in Springfield, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal.

Travel within Illinois

If you intend to explore the state extensively, the best way is to do it by car. Many of the highways around Chicago are tollways (if you are from northeastern United States, you can use your E-ZPass and pay half the cash price).

Chicago, Illinois
© https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2010-02-19_3000x2000_chicago_skyline.jpg
Author: J. Crocker

Cities in Illinois

Places of Interest in Illinois

World Heritage Sites in Illinois

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.