【Name】State of Illinois, IL, also called as the “Land of Lincoln” or “Prairie State”. The name was originated from the Illiniwek Native American tribe that once lived here, meaning “men/tribe of superior men”.

【Geography】The state has a total area of 149,997 square kilometers, ranking the 25th-largest by area in the United States. It is located in the Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash and Ohio rivers to its south.

【Population】The population is approximately 12.719 million (2025 data), ranking 6th in the United States. Racial and ethnic composition: White 58.3%, Hispanic or Latino 18.2%, Black or African American 13.9%, Asian 5.8%, Native American 0.1%, and other 3.7%. 

【History】The Illinois Territory was created on February 3, 1809, and the state of Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state of the United States. Since the 19th century, owing to its favorable geography location and a sprawling railroad network, it has become a national transportation hub and a major manufacturing center.

【Politics】The current governor is Jay Robert Pritzker. The capital is Springfield, and its mayor is Misty Buscher. The largest city is Chicago, and its mayor is Brandon Johnson.

【Economy】The economy of Illinois is highly diversified. Its industries include finance and insurance, advanced manufacturing, food processing, agricultural machinery, biopharmaceuticals, information technology, transportation and logistics, and others. Its major agricultural outputs are corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products, and wheat.

In 2025, its nominal GDP was approximately $1.202 trillion, ranking 12th in the United States, with real GDP growth of 1.6%; per capita GDP was approximately $94,503, ranking 12th in the United States; and total exports of goods amounted to $80 billion.

The largest city, Chicago, has a total area of 606 square kilometers. The population is approximately 2.73 million (2025 data), making it the third-most populous city in the United States. In 2025, its nominal GDP was approximately $929 billion. It is a major financial, industrial, transportation, and cultural and educational hub in the United States. It is also home to the world’s first futures and options exchanges and is renowned for its skyline of skyscrapers, rich arts and culture, and deep-rooted jazz and blues music scene. The total trade volume with China reached USD 26.274 billion, including USD 23.346 billion in imports from China and USD 2.928 billion in exports to China.

【Sister Cities with China】Illinois and China’s Liaoning Province established a sister state relationship in 1982. Sister city relationships were established between Chicago and Shanghai (1985), Chicago and Shenyang (1985), Joliet and Liaoyang (1988), Peoria and Benxi (1994), Rockford and Changzhou (1999), Bolingbrook and Xuchang (2005), Galesburg and Ma’anshan (2008), and Urbana and Haizhu District, Guangzhou (2012).