The state of Illinois became the official state of the United States in 1818 as the 21st state in a row. Illinois is located in the central part of the state in the Great Lakes region and borders five other states – Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin. Illinois is the main commercial center of Chicago, but the capital is Springfield.

The territory of present-day Illinois was settled by the first French colonists; after the Seven Years’ War, however, the territory fell to Britain in 1763. The Illinois Territory was created in 1809, and after some debate over the state’s northern border, Illinois was accepted into the Union as an official state in 1818. The capital was originally the city of Kaskaskia, then moved to Vandalia for another in 1837. for the time being, move to Springfield.

Illinois is located in the northern United States in the Great Lakes region; part of its border forms the southwestern part of Lake Michigan. The state is not significantly vertically divided, the average altitude is 180 meters. The climate in most of the state has a humid, continental character with warm and humid summers and very cold winters with heavy snowfall, especially in the north of the state.

• Illinois Zip Codes: Offers a complete list of all postal codes in Illinois by city and county.

Illinois has a diversified economic structure; The main business center is the metropolitan area around Chicago, which is home to a number of large companies. Chicago International Airport is a major transportation hub and one of the busiest airports in the world.

Although Chicago, with a population of 2.5 million, is the largest city in Illinois, the capital has been Springfield since 1837. Other larger cities are Aurora with 200,000 inhabitants and Rockford, where 150,000 residents live.

The capital of Illinois – Springfield

The capital of the state of Illinois is the city of Springfield, which became one in 1839. Springfield is located in the central part of the state and has a population of about 120,000. It is the sixth largest city in Illinois, but the second largest outside the Chicago metropolitan area.

The area of ​​present-day Springfield was first settled in the late 1920s; the original settlement was named Calhoun after a senator from South Carolina. In 1832, the city was named Springfield after the model of the city of the same name from the state of Massachusetts. Seven years later, Springfield was named the capital of Illinois, which was especially credited to Abraham Lincoln, who lived in the city for a long time.

Springfield is located in central Illinois at an altitude of about 180 meters. Springfield’s climate is humid and continental – warm summers and cold winters rich in snowfall. The highest average temperature in summer is around 30 degrees Celsius in July, the lowest average temperature in December drops below -8 degrees Celsius.

The Illinois state flag was adopted in 1969.

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