Illinois: An Island in a Sea of... Other States?
Ah, Illinois. The Land of Lincoln, deep dish pizza, and... a surprisingly complicated border situation. You might think, with all that glorious cornfield real estate, Illinois would have a nice, simple "next-door neighbor" situation. But nope, things get a little twisty-turny. Buckle up, geography lovers, because we're about to untangle the mysterious case of Illinois's border buddies.
The Straight and Narrow (Mostly)
Let's get the obvious ones out of the way first. Illinois shares a good chunk of its northern border with the cheeseheads of Wisconsin. To the west, it's the mighty Mississippi River that separates Illinois from Iowa and Missouri (although there is a fun little quirk with an Illinois exclave west of the river, but we'll get to that later). Down south, it's the Ohio River forming a natural border with Kentucky. And rounding out the eastern side, Illinois cozies up to Indiana. Easy peasy, right? Well, not quite...
A watery Interruption: The Case of Michigan
Here's where things get interesting. You see, Illinois also has a border with Michigan, but it's not your typical land-based situation. Nope, these two states are BFFs across the vast expanse of Lake Michigan. That's right, a water border! So, technically, Illinois can claim six bordering states, with Michigan being the slightly damp outlier.
Fun Fact: If you're ever feeling fancy, you can impress your friends by calling Michigan Illinois's "translacustrine" neighbor. Transla-what? It just means "across the lake" in fancy talk. Boom!
The Illinois Border: More Twists than a Pretzel
Now, we mentioned that Illinois has an exclave. An exclave, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a little piece of a state that's totally detached from the main body and surrounded by another state. Kind of like a geographical island within an island. In Illinois's case, there's a tiny sliver of land called Kaskaskia that chills west of the Mississippi River, surrounded by Missouri. How'd that happen? Well, that's a whole other story for another time!
So, How Many Border Buddies Does Illinois Have?
The answer, depending on how you count, is either 5 or 6. It all depends on whether you consider a water border (Lake Michigan with Michigan) as a legitimate one. But hey, who are we to judge? Illinois can have as many watery or landy friends as it wants!
Illinois Border FAQs: You Asked, We Answered (Kinda)
How to impress your friends with Illinois border trivia?
Drop that "translacustrine neighbor" knowledge bomb about Michigan. They'll be googling for days.
How to avoid getting lost in the Illinois-Missouri border drama?
Just stick to the eastern side of the Mississippi. Problem solved (mostly).
How to explain the Kaskaskia exclave situation to your confused neighbor?
Let's just say history is a funny thing, and leave it at that.
How to score major points on an Illinois geography quiz?
Remember the 5 (or 6) bordering states, the Mississippi River magic, and the watery wonder of Lake Michigan. You're golden!
How to celebrate Illinois's unique border situation?
Throw a giant border bash with all the bordering states (boats required for Michigan). Deep dish pizza and cheese curds for everyone!
