Farmland covers nearly 80 percent of the state, and Illinois is a major exporter of farm products. Chicago is home to nearly one-quarter of all Illinoisans. No other U.S. city moves more freight by train and truck. Linked to the Atlantic by the St. Lawrence Seaway, Chicago sends cargo into the U.S. interior; canals and the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers extend its reach to the Gulf of Mexico.
ECONOMYIndustry: industrial machinery, electronic equipment, food processing, chemicals, metals, printing and publishing, rubber and plastics, motor vehicles.
Agriculture: corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products, nursery stock.Text source:
National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
