Illinois What do you know about your state? Why is Illinois so flat?

“Illinois is a state which, at the very heart of the “Corn Belt,” contains fields as fertile as any to be found anywhere in the world, and yet under its richly productive soil lie bituminous coal reserves greater than those of any other state. Nature has placed Illinois at the center of the waterways represented by the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River System, and man in slightly more than a century has added a vast railroad network and a series of highways totaling thousands of miles.” -Source: The Heartland: Pages from Illinois History

Illinois – Illiniwek - Algonquin for “Tribe of superior men” (Tribe of the Illini name given by the French)

Geography 60% prairie, 30% hills with prairie, and 10% hills

Illinois Great Lakes counties counted nearly 170,000 acres of prairie prior to European settlement. Today, only 671 acres of that original prairie habitat remain.

Thornton Quarries

About 425 million years ago, the land that is now our Village was a clear, shallow sea.  The sea grew coral that became immense reefs.  The Thornton quarry covers 550 acres of the coral reef, and Silurian age animals and their fossils can still be found there today!

Illinois State Dinosaur No dinosaur remains have ever been found in the Chgo Southland because glaciers scraped away the geologic layers where dinosaur bones would be preserved. Shark fossils discovered in IL http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-78816192/ Tully Monster (Tullimonstrum gregarium)

Moraine Valley

When you travel south on Archer Ave after turning off 95th Street, the high hill on your left is an edge of a moraine! The greenish boulders found around Maple Lake originated in Wisconsin, were transported by glacier to Illinois, and left behind when the glaciers melted.

New Madrid Fault http://www. weather

History Illinois was discovered in 1673 by Joliet & Marquette

How Does Illinois Compare to Other States? Size: ____ out of 50 Highway system: ____ out of 50 Railroad system: ____ out of 50 Soybean production: ____ out of 50 Corn production: ____ out of 50 Coal: ____ out of 50 Oil: ____ out of 50 Population: ____ out of 50

385 miles long 218 miles wide 25th largest state Temperatures generally vary by 10 to 12 degrees from one end of the state to the other. Cold, fairly dry winters and warm, humid summers with ample rainfall allow the land to support many kinds of crops and livestock.

Illinois ranks number 1 in total value of truck shipments and the value of shipments originating in the state

3rd Largest Highway System

2nd Largest Railroads system

2nd Busiest Airport

Illinois ranks 5th in the nation in the number of manufacturing plants

#1 Leading Soybean Producer

#2 Corn Producer

7th Leading Coal Producer

14th Oil-Producing State

5th Most Populated State in the Country

In the Chicago area… Highest Point – Charles Mound Lowest Point – 4 miles west of Morris 475ft Lake Michigan is 580 feet above sea level Oak Lawn is 615 feet above sea level

Illinois Facts http://dnr.state.il.us/education/CLASSRM/IllinoisFactsFinal.pdf