State Flag and Seal
• Adopted June 27, 1969• White background with
the State Seal
• Adopted in 1819 • Bald Eagle on rock
carrying a shield and banner with the state motto
• “State Sovereignty, National Union."
Fun Facts
• Became a state on Dec 3, 1818• 2012 population 12,869,257• Nickname = Prairie State• Metropolis, IL is the home of
Superman• Kaskaskia and Vandalia were capitals
before Springfield
Fun Facts
• The world’s 1st skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885• Sears Tower (Willis Tower) was the
tallest building in the world for nearly 25 years• The Ferris Wheel debut at the World’s
Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893• Has the world’s largest catsup bottle• Home of Abraham Lincoln
State Bird, Flower & Tree
CARDINAL WHITE OAKPURPLE VIOLET
Students selected in 1929
Males = redFemales = brown, red
wingsBlack masks
Students selected in 1907
Purple blossomsPetals are edible and
often covered with sugar and used as cake
decorations
Students selected in 1973
Leaves are 4-7 inchesGrows up to 100 ft tall
20 yrs old produces acorns
State Quarter & License Plate
Released Jan 2, 200321st State Quarter
Young Abraham LincolnLand of Lincoln
Agriculture and Chicago Skyline
Blue and WhiteLand of Lincoln
TRIVIA: In 1943 in order to conserve metal during the war, what did they
make license plates out of?
ANSWER: Soybeans, but they stopped because the goats were eating them!
Agriculture & Industries
• Agriculture: Corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products and wheat• Amongst the highest production of soybeans and corn• Leader in food manufacturing and meat processing• 2nd nationally in the export of agricultural products shipped to other
countries each year• Leading manufacturer of machinery (construction equipment, farm
machinery, machine tools)• Coal is the most important mined product
Places of Interest
Six Flags Great America
Lincoln Park Zoo
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and
Museum
Wrigley FieldHome of the Chicago
Cubs
Chicago Skyline
At first the Northern border of Illinois lined up with Indiana but was extended north to add 50
miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and the Chicago River.
Willis Tower (formally Sears Tower)
110 stories104 elevators1,730 feet high with antennaeWorld’s tallest building until 19988th tallest building in the worldTallest in Western HemisphereSee 4 states: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin & Michigan
103rd floor