US States Quiz
Nicknames, borders, first and last to join: 15 questions on the fifty states and the quirks that make them.
Which state is the largest in the United States by area?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Alaska
Alaska covers about 665,000 square miles (1.72 million square km), more than twice the area of Texas, which is the second largest state at roughly 269,000 square miles.
Alaska is so large that if it were laid over the lower 48 it would stretch from Florida to California.
Which state is nicknamed the Sunshine State?
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Florida
Florida adopted the Sunshine State nickname officially in 1970, and it appears on the state's license plates, a nod to the warm climate that drives its tourism industry.
Despite the nickname, Florida gets more thunderstorms than any other state and Tampa is often called the lightning capital of the country.
Which state is known as the Empire State?
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New York
New York has been called the Empire State since the early 1800s, a reference to its wealth, size and influence, and the name was later borrowed by the Empire State Building in Manhattan.
The nickname is often traced to George Washington, who in 1785 described New York as the seat of a future empire.
Which state is the smallest in the United States by area?
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Rhode Island
Rhode Island covers just 1,214 square miles (3,144 square km), which makes it the smallest state by a wide margin. Delaware is the second smallest at roughly 2,489 square miles (6,446 square km).
Rhode Island's official name was shortened in 2020 when voters dropped 'and Providence Plantations' from the state title.
Which state was the 50th and most recent to join the Union?
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Hawaii
Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state on August 21, 1959, a few months after Alaska became the 49th state on January 3 of the same year.
Arizona was the last of the contiguous states to join, becoming the 48th state on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1912.
Which state has the most counties of any state in the country?
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Texas
Texas has 254 counties, far more than Georgia, which is second with 159. The founders wanted every resident to be within a day's ride of a county seat.
Loving County in West Texas is the least populous county in the United States, with fewer than 100 residents at the 2020 census.
Which state was the first to ratify the United States Constitution?
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Delaware
Delaware ratified the Constitution on December 7, 1787, five days before Pennsylvania, which is why it calls itself the First State and leads off the order of statehood.
Rhode Island was the last of the original 13 states to ratify, holding out until May 1790, more than a year after George Washington took office.
Which state is nicknamed the Keystone State?
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Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is the Keystone State because it sat in the geographic middle of the original 13 colonies, like the central stone that holds an arch together.
Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed in Philadelphia, which cemented the state's central role in the young nation.
Which of these states is NOT one of the Four Corners states?
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Nevada
The Four Corners Monument marks the only spot in the United States where four states meet: Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. Nevada lies farther west.
The monument sits on Navajo Nation land, and visitors can stand with a hand or foot in each of the four states at once.
Which state shares a border with only one other state?
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Maine
Maine touches only New Hampshire, with the rest of its land border running along Canada and the Atlantic coast making up the remainder. Every other contiguous state borders at least two.
Maine is also the only state with a one syllable name, and it is the easternmost state in the country.
Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, lies in which state?
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California
Badwater Basin sits in Death Valley National Park in eastern California, at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level, which makes it the lowest point on the entire continent.
Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States, is also in California, only about 85 miles (136 km) from Badwater.
Which state is nicknamed the Badger State?
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin is the Badger State, a nickname from the 1800s lead miners who dug temporary homes into hillsides and were said to live like badgers.
The University of Wisconsin's teams are the Badgers, and the mascot Bucky Badger has appeared at games since the 1940s.
Which state has the only unicameral, or single chamber, legislature in the country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Nebraska
Nebraska abolished its lower house in 1937 after voters approved a 1934 amendment championed by Senator George Norris. Its one chamber legislature is also officially nonpartisan.
Nebraska's lawmakers are all called senators, and the 49 member body is the smallest state legislature in the United States.
The geographic center of the contiguous 48 states is in which state?
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Kansas
A 1918 government survey placed the center of the lower 48 states about 2.6 miles northwest of Lebanon, Kansas, and a stone monument was dedicated there in 1941.
When Alaska and Hawaii joined in 1959, the center of the whole country moved roughly 550 miles northwest to a spot near Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
Which state was an independent republic for 14 years before becoming the 14th state in 1791?
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Vermont
Vermont declared independence in 1777 and ran its own government, with its own coins and postal service, until it was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791.
Vermont's 1777 constitution was the first in North America to outlaw adult slavery and to grant voting rights to men who owned no property.
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All Geography quizzes →About the US States Quiz
Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas, Rhode Island would fit inside it hundreds of times over, and Texas runs 254 counties, nearly 100 more than any other state. The fifty states are packed with numbers, nicknames and oddities that make for great trivia.
These 15 questions cover the biggest and smallest states, famous nicknames like the Keystone State and the Badger State, the order of admission to the Union, borders and a few deeper cuts on state government and geography. It suits anyone who grew up with a wall map of the United States, road trippers, students revising for a geography test and pub quiz regulars who want to prove they know the country better than their friends do.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
Which state is the biggest in the United States?
Alaska is the largest state by area at about 665,000 square miles (1.72 million square km), more than twice the size of Texas, which is second.
Which state was the last to join the Union?
Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959, less than eight months after Alaska became the 49th in January of the same year.
Which state has only one neighboring state?
Maine borders only New Hampshire. Every other state in the contiguous United States touches at least two other states.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which state is the largest in the United States by area?
Alaska Alaska covers about 665,000 square miles (1.72 million square km), more than twice the area of Texas, which is the second largest state at roughly 269,000 square miles. Alaska is so large that if it were laid over the lower 48 it would stretch from Florida to California. - Which state is nicknamed the Sunshine State?
Florida Florida adopted the Sunshine State nickname officially in 1970, and it appears on the state's license plates, a nod to the warm climate that drives its tourism industry. Despite the nickname, Florida gets more thunderstorms than any other state and Tampa is often called the lightning capital of the country. - Which state is known as the Empire State?
New York New York has been called the Empire State since the early 1800s, a reference to its wealth, size and influence, and the name was later borrowed by the Empire State Building in Manhattan. The nickname is often traced to George Washington, who in 1785 described New York as the seat of a future empire. - Which state is the smallest in the United States by area?
Rhode Island Rhode Island covers just 1,214 square miles (3,144 square km), which makes it the smallest state by a wide margin. Delaware is the second smallest at roughly 2,489 square miles (6,446 square km). Rhode Island's official name was shortened in 2020 when voters dropped 'and Providence Plantations' from the state title. - Which state was the 50th and most recent to join the Union?
Hawaii Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state on August 21, 1959, a few months after Alaska became the 49th state on January 3 of the same year. Arizona was the last of the contiguous states to join, becoming the 48th state on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1912. - Which state has the most counties of any state in the country?
Texas Texas has 254 counties, far more than Georgia, which is second with 159. The founders wanted every resident to be within a day's ride of a county seat. Loving County in West Texas is the least populous county in the United States, with fewer than 100 residents at the 2020 census. - Which state was the first to ratify the United States Constitution?
Delaware Delaware ratified the Constitution on December 7, 1787, five days before Pennsylvania, which is why it calls itself the First State and leads off the order of statehood. Rhode Island was the last of the original 13 states to ratify, holding out until May 1790, more than a year after George Washington took office. - Which state is nicknamed the Keystone State?
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania is the Keystone State because it sat in the geographic middle of the original 13 colonies, like the central stone that holds an arch together. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed in Philadelphia, which cemented the state's central role in the young nation. - Which of these states is NOT one of the Four Corners states?
Nevada The Four Corners Monument marks the only spot in the United States where four states meet: Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. Nevada lies farther west. The monument sits on Navajo Nation land, and visitors can stand with a hand or foot in each of the four states at once. - Which state shares a border with only one other state?
Maine Maine touches only New Hampshire, with the rest of its land border running along Canada and the Atlantic coast making up the remainder. Every other contiguous state borders at least two. Maine is also the only state with a one syllable name, and it is the easternmost state in the country. - Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, lies in which state?
California Badwater Basin sits in Death Valley National Park in eastern California, at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level, which makes it the lowest point on the entire continent. Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States, is also in California, only about 85 miles (136 km) from Badwater. - Which state is nicknamed the Badger State?
Wisconsin Wisconsin is the Badger State, a nickname from the 1800s lead miners who dug temporary homes into hillsides and were said to live like badgers. The University of Wisconsin's teams are the Badgers, and the mascot Bucky Badger has appeared at games since the 1940s. - Which state has the only unicameral, or single chamber, legislature in the country?
Nebraska Nebraska abolished its lower house in 1937 after voters approved a 1934 amendment championed by Senator George Norris. Its one chamber legislature is also officially nonpartisan. Nebraska's lawmakers are all called senators, and the 49 member body is the smallest state legislature in the United States. - The geographic center of the contiguous 48 states is in which state?
Kansas A 1918 government survey placed the center of the lower 48 states about 2.6 miles northwest of Lebanon, Kansas, and a stone monument was dedicated there in 1941. When Alaska and Hawaii joined in 1959, the center of the whole country moved roughly 550 miles northwest to a spot near Belle Fourche, South Dakota. - Which state was an independent republic for 14 years before becoming the 14th state in 1791?
Vermont Vermont declared independence in 1777 and ran its own government, with its own coins and postal service, until it was admitted to the Union on March 4, 1791. Vermont's 1777 constitution was the first in North America to outlaw adult slavery and to grant voting rights to men who owned no property.
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