Situated between the Wabash, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, the Southern Illinois country is rich in history, folk lore, scenery, and natural resources. At about the latitude of southern Virginia, and extending from the flat prairie farm land of central Illinois to the rugged Illinois Ozarks, the area is the natural terminal boundary for hundreds of plant species reaching out to all points of the compass. It is also the oldest and most sparsely populated part of Illinois, a region of small towns and independent people.