Central Illinois
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Can you guess why Illinois is called "the prairie state"? That's right, it contains lots of prairieland. It used to be mostly prairie, but with the Europeans came modern farming. Most of Illinois, and especially Central Illinois, is now made up of farms.

Prairies are long stretches of flat grassland. They are like forests with grass instead of trees. This isn't the grass we see in the city, though — some of it can be much taller than you! There are also a variety of flowers and other plants in a prairie. The prairie provides food for animals like bison, and shelter to little animals like groundhogs.

Illinois is one of the most important farming states today. The state is a leader in producing soybean and corn. These are two very important crops; just think of all of the things you eat that have corn in them. And corn and soybeans are used for everything from food products to making inks, fuels, and plastics.

Illinois is such a big farming state because the land is so good for growing things. And because it is right in the middle of the country, and Chicago is so important in transportation, Illinois can quickly and easily ship out all of the things it grows. They go not only to feed the rest of the country, but the world too: Illinois ranks second in the country for sending farm products to other countries.

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