Illinois

Algonquin indian name meaning «warriors, brave men»

Nickname: Land of Lincoln

State bird: Springfield Cardinal

State flower: Native Violet

Capital: Springfield

Time: Central (GMT – 6)

The State: Illinois, stretching from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River, embraces vast, rich farmlands, the giant city of Chicago, rolling glacial plains and, to the south, the hills and valleys of the Illinois Ozarks.

Illinois boasts 6900km (4300 miles) of scenic shoreline, 1100 historic sites and half a million acres of state parks. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US President, spent most of his professional (he was a lawyer) and political life here.