About this quiz

The United States has fifty states, and most people can only name a handful of facts about them. This geography quiz asks twenty questions about state capitals, nicknames, landmarks and records, from the biggest state to the smallest capital.

It starts with the famous ones and gets trickier as it goes. Every answer comes with a fun fact, so you'll learn something about America whichever side of the Atlantic you're on.

Answers explained

Show the answers (spoilers)

  1. Which is the largest US state by area?

    Alaska. Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas.

  2. Which US state is made up entirely of islands?

    Hawaii. Hawaii is the only US state that sits outside North America, in the middle of the Pacific.

  3. Which state is known as the Sunshine State?

    Florida. Florida made “the Sunshine State” its official nickname in 1970.

  4. Which is the smallest US state by area?

    Rhode Island. You could fit Rhode Island into Alaska more than 400 times.

  5. Las Vegas is in which state?

    Nevada. Las Vegas is Nevada’s biggest city, but the state capital is Carson City.

  6. Which state has the most people?

    California. More than one in every ten Americans lives in California.

  7. Mount Rushmore is in which state?

    South Dakota. The faces of four presidents were carved into the mountain between 1927 and 1941.

  8. What is the capital of New York State?

    Albany. Albany has been New York’s capital since 1797.

  9. Which state is nicknamed the Lone Star State?

    Texas. The single star on its flag recalls Texas’s years as an independent republic, from 1836 to 1845.

  10. The Grand Canyon is in which state?

    Arizona. The canyon is about 277 miles long and more than a mile deep in places.

  11. Which was the first state to join the Union?

    Delaware. Delaware approved the US Constitution on 7 December 1787, earning the nickname “the First State”.

  12. What is the capital of California?

    Sacramento. Sacramento boomed during the California Gold Rush of the late 1840s.

  13. Which is the only US state named after a president?

    Washington. Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas were named after English royals instead.

  14. How many US states share a border with Canada?

    13. Thirteen states border Canada, though Ohio and Pennsylvania only meet it across Lake Erie.

  15. Which state has the longest coastline?

    Alaska. Alaska has more coastline than all the other states put together.

  16. Which state is home to the Great Salt Lake?

    Utah. The lake is saltier than the sea because water only leaves it by evaporating.

  17. What is the capital of Texas?

    Austin. The Texas State Capitol in Austin is taller than the US Capitol in Washington.

  18. Which two states don’t use daylight saving time?

    Hawaii and Arizona. Most of Arizona skips it, but the Navajo Nation in the state’s northeast does change its clocks.

  19. Which was the last state to join the Union?

    Hawaii. Hawaii became the 50th state in August 1959, seven months after Alaska.

  20. Which state capital has the smallest population?

    Montpelier, Vermont. Montpelier has only around 8,000 residents.