Facts about the state of Illinois

State flower :

Native Violet

State Bird :

Cardinal

State Tree :

White Oak

State Motto :

State sovereignty, national union.

• The state capital is Springfield.
• The state is named for the Illinois , or Illini, a confederation of Native Americans of various tribes who inhabited Illinois and other sections of the Midwest at the time the first French explorers entered the region. The name Illinois is said to have been a French version of the Illini word for themselves.
• Abraham Lincoln lived and practiced law in Springfield from 1837 until he became president in 1861.