Little Egypt (region) in the context of Granite City, Illinois

Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 34,962. Its county seat and largest city is Waterloo. Monroe County is included in the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known historically as "Little Egypt".

Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,193. Its county seat is Mound City. Its largest city is Mounds. It is located along the Ohio River in the southwestern portion of the state, known locally as "Little Egypt".

The Cache River is a 92-mile-long (148 km) waterway in southernmost Illinois, in a region sometimes called Little Egypt. The basin spans 737 square miles (1,910 km) and six counties: Alexander, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, and Union. Located at the convergence of four major physiographic regions, the river is part of the largest complex of wetlands in Illinois. The Cache River Wetlands is America's northernmost cypress/tupelo swamp and harbors 91 percent of the state's high quality swamp and wetland communities. It provides habitat for more than 100 threatened and endangered species in Illinois. In 1996, the Cache was designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.

A significant portion of the Cache River Wetlands are protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1990, covers 15,000 acres (61 km) of aquatic and riparian habitat, and is eventually planned to expand to 35,500 acres (144 km). The Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Cache River State Natural Area protects another 14,489 acres (58.63 km). Local landowners, through Wetlands Reserve Program easements with Natural Resources Conservation Service, protect an additional 13,500 acres (55 km) of restored wetlands. Also through NRCS, landowners are using a variety of conservation practices, such as conservation tillage, grassed waterways, and reforestation; many of these practices are through NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives and Wildlife Habitat Programs. In all, more than 45,000 acres (180 km) of private lands are using some sort of NRCS conservation program in the Cache River Watershed.

Massac County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 14,169. Established in 1843 and named for a French fort founded in the 18th century, its county seat is Metropolis. Massac County is included in the Paducah, KY-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located along the Ohio River, in the portion of the state known locally as "Little Egypt".