Illinois GeographyOnline Field TripIllinois Geography studies almost always begin with "What is the Capital?" Illinois CapitalDo you know the capital of Illinois?Let me ask my daugther and see if she remembers....she says it is, "Springfield." And she is RIGHT! Now, she is asking me what the capital of Turkey is.... Rats! I don't know. Something else for me to look up later. For now, let's discover what we can about Illinois. Forget yucky, boring facts. Let's have some fun. If you are interested in what other visitors have shared about Illinois or want to share about your favorite Illinois places or events follow the link or scroll down to the bottom of this page. Illinois Geography: Festivals and FairsBesides the normal things like county and state fairs, Illinois has some fun festivals. There is the Apple Festival in Murphysboro, a Peach Festival in Cobden, a Superman Festival in Metropolis, a Popeye Festival in Chester, a Ketchup Festival in Collinsville, Balloon Fests in Centralia and Carbondale and a Corn Fest in Dekalb, to name a few.Here is a link to a blog that talks about the Popoye Festival and a Balloon Fest as possible field trips and has some really nice pictures. The DeKalb Corn Fest is hailed as the last free musical festival in Illinois. Held over three days, it includes a carnival with rides and food and music. Sounds like fun. Maybe next year we'll go. After all I need to have pictures to put up here for you. The Ketchup Festival is a mix of hot dogs, ketchup, classic cars and music. The link is to a page with several pictures. If you have a slow connection and still want information about this festival, try this link. This festival is in Collinsville. The picture on the right is their water tower. Isn't it awesome. Springfield and Duquoin both hold Illinois State Fairs. Both are in August and it usually is hot and sticky but a lot of fun anyway. Who can resist cotton candy, taffy, free pencils and bags and carnival games and rides? I did, but my sense of adventure and taste was piqued by the fried, chocolate covered twinkie. If you get a chance, try them. They are pretty good. See recipe below. Illinois Geography: Exploring NatureIn Southern Illinois there are many places to go to explore and to learn about nature. Here is a list of a few of those places. If you have a story or another place from anywhere in Illinois about nature, send me your story and permission to use and you may find it here soon afterward. Thanks.Shawnee National Forest Crab Orchard Wild Life Refuge Giant City Rend Lake Ferne Cliff Garden of the Gods Illinois Geography:
Landforms
Highest
SummitCharles Mound is the highest summit of Illinois. Islands
Lakes
Illinois Geography: Cities and TownsMain StreetsLet's take a peek at some Illinois communities. From small towns to large cities, here are a few examples of what they look like. Carbondale Urbana Makanda 
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Illinois Geography: Counties Below is a list of the 102 counties in Illinois along with their County Seats. What is a County Seat? The County Seat is a city in the county that serves as a hub for the county's government. A few states may have counties with more than one County Seat. Does Illinois have any counties with more than one County Seat? Illinois Geography: Counties and their County SeatAdams County-
County Seat Quincy, Illinois
Alexander County- County Seat Cairo Bond County- County Seat Greenville Boone County-County Seat Belvidere Brown County-County Seat Mount Sterling Bureau County-County Seat Princeton Calhoun County-County Seat Hardin Carroll County-County Seat Mount Carroll Cass County-County Seat Virginia Champaign County-County Seat Urbana Christian County-County Seat Taylorville Clark County-County Seat Marshall Clay County-County Seat Louisville Clinton County-County Seat Carlyle Coles County-County Seat Charleston Cook County-County Seat Chicago Crawford County-County Seat Robinson Cumberland County-County Seat Toledo De Witt County-County Seat Clinton DeKalb County-County Seat Sycamore Douglas County-County Seat Tuscola DuPage County -County Seat Wheaton Edgar County-County Seat Paris Edwards County-County Seat Albion Effingham County -County Seat Effingham Fayette County-County Seat Vandalia Ford County-County Seat Paxton Franklin County-County Seat Lewiston Gallatin County -County Seat Shawneetown Greene County-County Seat Carrollton Grundy County-County Seat Morris Hamilton County -County Seat McLeansboro Hancock-County Seat Carthage Hardin County-County Seat Elizabethtown Henderson County-County Seat Oquawka Henry County-County Seat Cambridge Iroquois County-County Seat Watseka Jackson County-County Seat Murphysboro Jasper County-County Seat Newton Jefferson County-County Seat Mount Vernon Jersey County-County Seat Jerseyville Jo Daviess County- County SeatGalena Johnson County-County Seat Vienna Kane County -County Seat Geneva Kankakee County-County Seat Kankakee Kendall County-County Seat Yorkville Knox County- County Seat Galesburg Lake County-County Seat Waukegan LaSalle County-County Seat Ottawa Lawrence County-County Seat Lawrenceville Lee County-County Seat Dixon Livingston County-County Seat Pontiac Logan County-County Seat Lincoln Macon County-County Seat Decatur Macoupin County-County Seat Carlinville Madison County-County Seat Edwardsville Marion County-County Seat Salem Marshall County-County Seat Lacon Mason County-County Seat Havana Massac County-County Seat Metropolis Mcdonough County-County Seat Macomb McHenry County-County Seat Woodstock McLean County-County Seat Bloomington Menard County-County Seat Petersburg Mercer County-County Seat Aledo Monroe County-County Seat Waterloo Montgomery County-County Seat Hillsboro Morgan County-County Seat Jacksonville Moultrie County-County Seat Sullivan Ogle County-County Seat Oregon Peoria County-County Seat Peoria Perry County-County Seat Pickneyville Piatt County-County Seat Monticello Pike County-County Seat Pittsfield Pope County-County Seat Golconda Pulaski County-County Seat Mound Putnam County-County Seat Hennepin Randolph County-County Seat Chester Richland County-County Seat Olney Rock Island County-County Seat Rock Island Saline County-County Seat Harrisburg Sangamon County-County Seat Springfield Schuyler County-County Seat Rushville Scott County-County Seat Winchester Shelby County-County Seat Shelbyville St. Clair County-County Seat Belleville Stark County-County Seat Toulon Stephenson County-County Seat Freeport Tazewell County-County Seat Pekin Union County-County Seat Jonesboro Vermilion County-County Seat Danville Wabash County-County Seat Mount Carmel Warren County-County Seat Monmouth Washington County-County Seat Nashville Wayne County-County Seat Fairfield White County-County Seat Carmi Whiteside County-County Seat Morrison Will County-County Seat Joliet Williamson County-County Seat Marion Winnebago County-County Seat Rockford Woodford County-County Seat Eureka Whew, that is a
lot of counties. I know Illinois is a long, big, state but 102 counties.
Click here for an enlarged image of the Illinois county map above. Print it out. Get a map or globe with the Illinois counties listed on it. Set a timer and see if you can beat my daughter's record of 47. Ready. Set. Go! Illinois Geography: Historical PlacesLincoln's New Salem State Historic Site is a re-creation of an 1830's log village where Abraham Lincoln lived for six years. Truly fascinating. If you check out the website make sure you go down the page for links to 360 degree visuals and clips. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site will be hosting this September an American Indian Educational Day. On their site they have a calendar of events that if you are going to be in the area you might want to check it out. Trail of Tears: When they were forced to move from their homelands, many Native Indians traveling along this trail died from starvation, exposure and diseases on their way to Oklahoma.  Spend some time learning about this Historic trail. Travel part of it or all of it if you can. The Trail of Tears is approximately 2200 miles long. This is not a day trip. Read some stories about this time in our history. Illinois Geography: AnimalsMy daughter loves animals, so wherever we travel or go, I like to know what kind of animals she might encounter and if they are poisonous. Here are some of the poisonous creatures you need to watch out for when visiting Illinois. Note: Most of these will be found only in Southern Illinois.Brown Recluse Spider Black Widow Spider 
 Image from CDC Image from Wikimedia user Pollinator Cottonmouth Snake  Wikimedia user TimVickers Copperhead Snake  WikiMedia Michael Page Timber Rattlesnake 
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