Cairo, Illinois

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cairo-illinois

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How high is Cairo, Illinois?The lowest elevation of any location within the state of Illinois
2. When was Cairo, Illinois built?Settlement began in earnest in the 1830s, developing as a river port
3. What is the population peak?15,203 residents in 1920
4. What is the population (2020)?1,733 residents
5. What makes Cairo, Illinois special because of rivers?Cairo sits where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers meet, making it the lowest point in Illinois. The city is surrounded by big levee walls to keep the rivers from flooding it.
6. Why did the Civil War leaders care about Cairo?Union General Ulysses S. Grant built Fort Defiance in Cairo to control river traffic and help Union armies move south during the war.

Confluence: The junction where two or more rivers or streams meet and merge into a single waterway.
Levees: Artificial embankments constructed along riverbanks to prevent overflow and protect adjacent land from flooding.
Civil War: The armed conflict fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865 between the Union and the Confederacy.
National Register of Historic Places: The official list maintained by the National Park Service of buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture.