Chicago (city, Illinois) is a city and seat of Cook County, located in northeastern Illinois, to the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Chicago River. Chicago is the third largest city in the United States and one of the country's major industrial, commercial, transportation, and financial centers.
Chicago covers a land area of 588.2 sq km (227.1 sq mi) and extends 47 km (29 mi) along Lake Michigan. It occupies flatland traversed by two short rivers: the Chicago River, which flows west from the lake through the downtown area, where it forks into a North Branch and also a South Branch; and the Calumet River, within the south, which connects with the small Lake Calumet. Both rivers are connected through canals with the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, establishing Chicago as the connecting point in the waterway amongst the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Seaway. The city's rapid growth was due in large part to its area, with ready access to markets and also raw materials.
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