Posted on 17.12.2015, 20.02.2016
Located between Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan, Illinois is often noted as a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a diverse economic base and is a major transportation hub. The Port of Chicago connects the state to other global ports from the Great Lakes, to the Atlantic Ocean, and to the Mississippi River.
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Though Illinois lies entirely in the Interior Plains, it does have some minor variation in its elevation. It has three major geographical divisions: Northern Illinois, dominated by Chicagoland; Central Illinois, mostly prairie, characterized by small towns and medium-small cities; Southern Illinois, the site of the ancient city of Cahokia, as well as the site of the first state capital at Kaskaskia. The capital city of the state is Springfield, and the largest city is Chicago, the third most populous city in the US.
Though Illinois lies entirely in the Interior Plains, it does have some minor variation in its elevation. It has three major geographical divisions: Northern Illinois, dominated by Chicagoland; Central Illinois, mostly prairie, characterized by small towns and medium-small cities; Southern Illinois, the site of the ancient city of Cahokia, as well as the site of the first state capital at Kaskaskia. The capital city of the state is Springfield, and the largest city is Chicago, the third most populous city in the US.