Illinois Geography

Illinois Geography, Illinois Facts

About half of Alabama

Broad, level lands known as the Central Plains, gave Illinois its nickname - the Prairie State. These Central Plains cover nearly 90% of the state. This gently rolling land was created during the Ice Age when glaciers leveled the area and deposited material that would later become soil. More than 275 rivers from this region flow into the Mississippi-Ohio river system.

The Central Plains region includes an area of rich farmland known as the Till Plains. These plains are part of the Midwestern Corn Belt, extending from Ohio to Kansas.

The industrial area surrounding Chicago is part of the Great Lakes Plains. Once covered by Lake Michigan, this region has small hills, lakes, and marshes. Illinois has 63 miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan.

Illinois tallest hills and deepest valleys are found in the northwest corner of the state. The highest point in Illinois, Charles Mound (1,235 feet), is located there. The Shawnee Hills in the southern part of the state range from 300 to 1,065 feet above sea level. This is an area of forested hills, valleys, woods, and river bluffs.

The lowest point in Illinois (279 feet above sea level) is found in the Gulf Coastal Plain at the very southern tip of the state. The Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet here. Early settlers believed the land between the Ohio and Mississippi resembled the Nile River delta and so named this region Egypt.

Geography Information from Teachersfirst.com

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