Table of Contents
Fast Facts
Quizzes
Geography & Travel
Illinois
state, United States
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Category:
Geography & Travel
- Capital:
- Springfield
- Population:
- (2020) 12,812,508; (2022 est.) 12,582,032
- Governor:
- J.B. Pritzker (Democrat)
- Date Of Admission:
- December 3, 1818
- U.S. Senators:
- Dick Durbin (Democrat) Tammy Duckworth (Democrat)
Recent News
Jul. 27, 2023, 5:53 PM ET (AP)
Misleading clients on abortion could cost Illinois pregnancy centers
Jul. 22, 2023, 4:40 PM ET (AP)
Rangers put All-Star SS Corey Seager on IL with sprained right thumb
Jul. 20, 2023, 3:35 PM ET (AP)
Kicked cooler lands Mariners OF Jarred Kelenic on IL with broken foot
Jul. 18, 2023, 5:37 PM ET (AP)
Illinois is first state to eliminate cash bail, a penalty affecting low-income communities most
Jul. 14, 2023, 4:59 PM ET (AP)
NTSB looking at risk parked semis posed to Greyhound bus in fatal Illinois accident
Illinois, constituent state of the United States of America. It stretches southward 385 miles (620 km) from the Wisconsin border in the north to Cairo in the south. In addition to Wisconsin, the state borders Lake Michigan to the northeast, Indiana to the east, Kentucky to the southeast, Missouri to the west, and Iowa to the northwest. Illinois was named for the Illinois Indians. The capital is Springfield, in the west-central part of the state. Admitted as the 21st member of the union on December 3, 1818, Illinois lies within both the so-called old industrial belt and the fertile agricultural ...(100 of 6015 words)