Illinois

Illinois was named for the Illinois Indians. The capital is Springfield, in the west-central part of the state.

Indiana

Indiana sits, as its motto claims, at “the crossroads of America.” It borders Lake Michigan and the state of Michigan to the north, Ohio to the east, Kentucky to the south, and Illinois to the west, making it an integral part of the American Midwest. Except for Hawaii, Indiana is the smallest state west of the Appalachian Mountains. With a name that is generally thought to mean “land of the Indians,” Indiana was admitted on Dec. 11, 1816, as the 19th state of the union. Its capital has been at Indianapolis since 1825.

Iowa 

Iowa was admitted to the union as the 29th state on Dec. 28, 1846. As a Midwestern state, Iowa forms a bridge between the forests of the east and the grasslands of the high prairie plains to the west. Des Moines, in the south-central part of the state, is the capital. The state name is derived from the Iowa Native American people who once inhabited the area.

Kansas 

Kansas became the 34th state on Jan. 29, 1861. The state's name is derived from that of the Kansa, or Kaw, whose name comes from a Siouan-language phrase meaning “people of the south wind.”

Kentucky

Rivers define Kentucky's boundaries except on the south, where it shares a border with Tennessee along a nearly straight line of about 425 miles (685 km), and on the southeast, where it shares an irregular, mountainous border with Virginia. The capital, Frankfort, lies between the two major cities— Louisville, which is on the Ohio River, and Lexington.

Louisiana 

The area of Louisiana includes more than 3,000 square miles (7,770 square km) of inland waters. The capital is Baton Rouge.

Maine

Maine is the largest of the six New England states in area. Maine was admitted to the Union on March 15, 1820, as the 23rd state; its capital is Augusta. The Algonquian-speaking peoples inhabiting the region called it “Land of the Frozen Ground,” and there are two theories of the derivation of the state's English name: that it was named for the former French province of Maine and that it was so named for being the “mainland,” as opposed to the coastal islands.

Maryland 

One of the original 13 states, Maryland lies at the centre of the Eastern Seaboard, amid the great commercial and population complex that stretches from Maine to Virginia. Its small size belies the great diversity of its landscapes and of the ways of life that they foster, from the low-lying and water-oriented Eastern Shore and Chesapeake Bay area, through the metropolitan hurly-burly of Baltimore, its largest city, to the forested Appalachian foothills and mountains of its western reaches.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is one of the original 13 states and one of the six New England states. Massachusetts is officially called a commonwealth. It is the sixth smallest of the U.S. states in area. The capital is Boston. English explorer and colonist John Smith named the state for the Massachuset tribe, whose name meant “near the great hill”—believed to refer to Blue Hill, which rises south of Boston in an otherwise flat area.

Michigan

Michigan ranks only 23rd of the 50 state by size. The capital is Lansing, in south-central Michigan. The state's name is derived from michi-gama, an Ojibwa (Chippewa) word meaning "large lake."

Minnesota 

Minnesota became the 32nd state of the Union on May 11, 1858. It is bounded by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north, by Lake Superior and the state of Wisconsin to the east, and by the states of Iowa to the south and South Dakota and North Dakota to the west.

Mississippi 

Mississippi's name derives from a Native American word meaning “great waters” or “father of waters.” It became the 20th state of the Union in 1817. Jackson is the state capital.

Missouri 

With the exception of Tennessee, Missouri has more neighbouring states than any other U.S. state. Missouri was the name of a group of indigenous people who lived in the area at the time of European settlement; the French named the river after the native community, and the river, in turn, gave its name to the state.

Montana 

Only three states— Alaska, Texas, and California—have an area larger than Montana's, and only two states—Alaska and Wyoming—have a lower population density. Although its name is derived from the Spanish montaña (“mountain” or “mountainous region”). The Rocky Mountains sweep down from British Columbia, trending northwest-southeast into western Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Helena is the capital.

Nebraska 

Nebraska was admitted to the Union as the 37th state on March 1, 1867. Lincoln is the capital.

Nevada 

Nevada is the seventh largest of the 50 states. It also, however, is one of the most sparsely settled. Carson City, in the western part of the state, is the capital. Nevada became the 36th state of the Union on Oct. 31, 1864.

New Hampshire 

One of the 13 original U.S. states, New Hampshire is located in New England at the extreme north eastern corner of the country. The capital is Concord, located in the south-central part of the state.

New Jersey 

New Jersey is one of the original 13 states. The state was named for the island of Jersey in the English Channel. The capital is Trenton.

New Mexico 

New Mexico became the 47th state of the Union in 1912. New Mexico is the fifth largest U.S. state. The capital of New Mexico is Santa Fe.

New York 

A constituent state of the United States of America, New York is one of the 13 original colonies. The capital is Albany.

North Carolina 

One of the 13 original states, North Carolina lies on the Atlantic coast midway between New York and Florida and is bounded to the north by Virginia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by South Carolina and Georgia, and to the west by Tennessee. The capital is Raleigh.

North Dakota 

North Dakota was admitted to the Union as the 39th state on Nov. 2, 1889. The North Dakota town of Rugby is considered to be the geographic centre of the North American continent. Bismarck, located in the centre of the state, is the capital.

Ohio

Ohio ranks only 35th in size among the 50 states, and it is one of the smallest states west of the Appalachian Mountains. The state ranks near the top, however, in population. Ohio's capital after being located in Chillicothe and Zanesville during the early years of statehood was finally established in newly founded and centrally located Columbus in 1816. The state takes its name from the Ohio River, which in turn traces its name to an Iroquoian word meaning “great water.”

Oklahoma 

Oklahoma borders Colorado and Kansas to the north, Missouri and Arkansas to the east, Texas to the south and west, and New Mexico to the west of its Panhandle region. In its land and its people, Oklahoma is a state of contrast and of the unexpected. The capital is Oklahoma City, near the centre of the state.

Oregon 

Oregon is bounded to the north by Washington state, from which it receives the waters of the Columbia River. The capital is Salem, in the north western part of the state.

Pennsylvania 

Pennsylvania is one of the original 13 American colonies. Harrisburg, nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, is the capital.

Rhode Island 

Rode Island is one of the original 13 states and one of the six New England states. It is the smallest state in the Union—only about 48 miles (77 km) long and 37 miles (60 km) wide—but is, however, one of the most densely populated states. The capital is Providence.

South Carolina 

One of the 13 original colonies, South Carolina lies on the southern Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Columbia, located in the centre of the state, is the capital and largest city.

South Dakota 

South Dakota became the 40th state of the Union on Nov. 2, 1889. The state has two unique physical features: it contains the geographic centre of the United States, which is located just north of Belle Fourche, and it has its own continental divide, as a result of which Lake Traverse, in the south eastern corner of the state, flows northward to Hudson Bay, and Big Stone Lake, on the Minnesota border, flows southward to the Gulf of Mexico. Pierre, in central South Dakota, is one of the country's smallest state capitals.

Tennessee

Tennessee became the 16th state of the Union in 1796. The geography of Tennessee is unique. Nashville is the capital and Memphis the largest city.

Texas 

Texas became the 28th state of the Union in 1845. It occupies the south-central segment of the country and is the largest state in area except for Alaska.

Utah 

Mountains, high plateaus, and deserts form most of Utah's landscape. The capital, Salt Lake City, is located in the north-central region of the state. Utah became the 45th member of the Union on Jan. 4, 1896.