īy 1900, the growth of industrial jobs in the northern cities, and coal mining in the central and southern areas, attracted immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. In the mid 19th century, the Illinois and Michigan Canal and a sprawling railroad network greatly facilitated trade, commerce, and settlement, making the state a transportation hub for the nation. The invention of the self-scouring steel plow by Illinoian John Deere turned the state's rich prairie into some of the world's most productive and valuable farmland, attracting immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden. The Erie Canal brought increased commercial activity in the Great Lakes, and the small settlement of Chicago became one of the fastest growing cities in the world, benefiting from its location as one of the few natural harbors in south-western Lake Michigan. Illinois was part of the United States' oldest territory, the Northwest Territory, and in 1818 it achieved statehood. independence in 1783, American settlers began arriving from Kentucky via the Ohio River, and the population grew from south to north. The French were the first Europeans to arrive, settling near the Mississippi River in the 17th century, in the region they called Illinois Country, part of the sprawling colony of New France. What is now Illinois was inhabited for thousands of years by various indigenous cultures, including the advanced civilization centered in the Cahokia region. Described as a microcosm of the entire United States, Illinois has long been considered a bellwether in social, cultural, and political terms.

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has been among the world's ten busiest airports for decades. Additionally, the Mississippi, Ohio, and Wabash rivers form parts of the state's boundaries. Owing to its central location and geography, the state is a major transportation hub: the Port of Chicago enjoys access to the Atlantic Ocean through the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway, and to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River via the Illinois Waterway. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and immense farmland in the north and center, and natural resources such as coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a highly diverse economy. states, Illinois has the fifth largest gross domestic product (GDP), the sixth largest population, and the 25th largest land area.

Chicago is its largest city, and the state's capital is Springfield other major metropolitan areas include Metro East (of Greater St. Illinois ( / ˌ ɪ l ə ˈ n ɔɪ/ ( listen) IL-ə- NOY) is a state in the Midwestern United States.

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