Image: shutterstock
About This Quiz
"Oh, beautiful for spacious skies! For amber waves of grain." While "America the Beautiful" isn't the national anthem, it definitely speaks true to the geography of the United States. A diverse region, the United States is the third largest country in the world with thousands of cities, states, landmarks and bodies of water that attribute to its landscape. From its bordering oceans to its narrow rivers, can you pass the toughest U.S. geography quiz of all time?
As the third largest country, one could expect that the geography of the United States varies greatly. While temperatures in Alaska can easily fall in the negatives, it comes as no shock when temperatures in Death Valley reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. One could witness the dry deserts of Nevada and then travel to Florida to visit the tropical wetlands of the Everglades. There's a lot more to U.S. geography than just states and capitals, but even that can sometimes get tricky. Identifying capitals like Atlanta for Georgia and Denver for Colorado might be easy, but what about the capitals for states like Maine, Nebraska and Washington? From the arctic regions of Alaska to the tips of Florida, can you score at least 29/35 on the toughest U.S. geography quiz? Let's find out!
Yellowstone National Park spans the borders of three states. Which of the following is not one of them?
Wyoming
Montana
Colorado
Yellowstone National Park is one of the gems within the United States. As the first national park in the United States, it also spans a large region, falling along the borders of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Idaho
If it is 10 a.m. in New York, what time is it in Hawaii?
12 a.m.
2 a.m.
4 a.m.
New York falls within the Eastern Time Zone, while Hawaii has its own time zone. These areas are six hours apart meaning that if it is 10 a.m. in New York, it would be 4 a.m. in Hawaii.
6 a.m.
What time zone does Michigan fall in?
Eastern
Michigan is one of the last states traveling West that is in the Eastern Time Zone. Indiana, which is south of Michigan, has portions of its land that fall within both the Eastern and Central Time Zone.
Central
Mountain
None of the above
Advertisement
What is the longest U.S. river?
Rio Grande
Mississippi
Missouri
The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States at 2341 miles long, just 21 longer than the Mississippi River.
Yukon
The Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico through which state?
Texas
Florida
Mississippi
Louisiana
The Mississippi is the second longest river in the United States. It flows along the border of or through the following states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico
New York City, the largest and most populous city in the United States, is made up of five boroughs. Which of the following is not one of them?
Manhattan
Staten Island
Long Island
New York City's five boroughs are Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Long Island is made up of Queens and Brooklyn regions as well as other counties, but it is not one of the five boroughs.
Queens
Advertisement
North, South, East, West. How many states have a cardinal direction in their name?
5
There are 5 U.S. states that have a cardinal direction in their name. There's North and South Carolina, North and South Dakota, and don't forget West Virginia!
6
7
8
What is the capital of Texas?
Austin
Many people often get confused about Texas's capital because the state has many large cities. Don't be mistaken! While Dallas and Houston are two MAJOR cities, Texas's capital is Austin!
Dallas
Houston
San Antonio
Which of the following states shares a border with Maine?
Vermont
New York
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Maine is one of the only states that shares a border with just one state. Its only U.S. border is with New Hampshire.
Advertisement
The "Four Corners Monument" is the only place in the United States where four states meet. In which region can you find it?
Northeast
Southeast
Northwest
Southwest
While its reason might seem a bit silly, the Four Corners Monument is to recognize the four U.S. states that meet.
What is the tallest building in the United States?
Sears Tower
Willis Tower
One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center was built in 2014 to commemorate the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The building stands at 1776 feet. This number is used because it is the year that the United States declared independence to become its own.
Empire State Building
Which state has the largest population?
New York
Texas
California
California is the most populous state with a population upward of 39 million.
Florida
Advertisement
This state is known for its high population of Mormons.
Pennsylvania
Utah
Mormons belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Utah is known for having the largest Mormon population with in the United States.
Oregon
Wyoming
Which of the following states has a capital that is six letters long?
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas
Kansas is the only listed state whose capital is six letters long. Georgia, Illinois, and New Jersey's capitals are Atlanta, Springfield, and Trenton, respectively. Kansas' capital is Topeka.
New Jersey
While the U.S. is said to have 16 territories, how many of them are permanently inhabited?
1
5
The U.S. only has five territories that are permanently inhabited. They range from the Caribbean to the southern Pacific Ocean.
9
13
Advertisement
A peninsula is "a piece of land almost surrounded by water." Which of the following states is a well-known peninsula?
California
Maine
Florida
Florida is the only state that is considered a peninsula while Michigan is often referred to as a "bi-peninsula."
Hawaii
Which of the following is not one of the United States inhabited territories?
Marshall Islands
Out of its 16 territories, there are only 5 that are permanently inhabited. They are: Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands.
Guam
Samoa
Virgin Islands
Which of the Great Lakes is found entirely within the United States border?
Huron
Ontario
Michigan
The Great Lakes are a group of northern lakes that the United States shares with Canada. While Huron, Ontario, Erie and Superior all cross the border between Canada and the United States, Lake Michigan is fully within the U.S. border.
Erie
Advertisement
Where would you find Mount Rushmore?
North Dakota
South Dakota
Mount Rushmore is the popular landmark where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln's faces are carved into. It can be found in Keystone, South Dakota.
Iowa
Montana
How many time zones are on the mainland United States?
3
4
There are 4 time zones on mainland United States: Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern.
5
6
How many states border Mexico?
2
3
4
There are four states that share a border with Mexico: California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
5
Advertisement
Which of the following is not a Four Corners state?
Arizona
Colorado
Nevada
The Four Corners is the only location in the United States where four states come in contact with each other. The Four Corner states are Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
Utah
There are just 55 miles of water separating the land between Alaska and Russia. What body of water is this?
Panama Canal
Mediterranean Sea
Black Sea
Bering Strait
Alaska's land is the westernmost area of the United States. The country lies very close to Russia, separated by the Bering Strait.
The Grand Canyon naturally formed around which river?
Missouri
Hudson
Colorado
The Grand Canyon is considered one of the United States' natural marvels. The canyon naturally formed around the Colorado River.
Mississippi
Advertisement
Which of the following states doesn't share a border with the Gulf of Mexico?
Alabama
Mississippi
Louisiana
Arkansas
The Gulf of Mexico is a body of water that is found south of the United States and East of Mexico. It shares a order with Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
We don't like old things, but new! How many U.S. states have "New" at the beginning of their name?
2
3
4
There are four US states with "New" in their name, three in the Northeast, and one in the Southwest. They are: New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York.
5
How many states border Canada?
4
9
13
There are 13 US states that share a border with Canada. They are: Alaska, Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
16
Advertisement
What is the largest state?
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state of the United States. It is approximately 663,300 square miles.
California
New York
Texas
While this state is officially the "Keystone State," it has also been known as the Quaker State.
Wyoming
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania became known as the Quaker State because of its founder, William Penn, who was a Quaker.
Oklahoma
Ohio
In which state would you find the Aleutian Islands?
Alaska
The Aleutian Islands are part of Alaska. Since they fall between the International Date Line, these islands are actually the westernmost point of the United States.
California
Florida
Hawaii
Advertisement
The Finger Lakes are a group of long, narrow rivers located in New York. How many are there?
5
7
9
11
The Finger Lakes are located in Central New York near the Rochester/Ithaca region. There are 11 lakes: Conesus, Hemlock, Canadice, Honeoye, Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles and Otisco.
The tallest mountain in the United States is Mt. McKinley. It also goes by what name?
Mt. Whitney
Humphrey's Peak
Uluru
Denali
Mt. McKinley is the tallest point in the United States at over 20,000 feet tall. It is now referred to as Denali, the name that the native Koyukon people call the mountain.
Which of the following state capitals doesn't match up?
Annapolis, Maryland
Lansing, Michigan
Helena, Montana
Las Vegas, Nevada
Don't get tricked by this question! While many like to believe a state's largest is its capital, that's rarely true! The only capital that doesn't match up in this question is Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevada's capital is Carson City.
Advertisement
There is only one state whose capital is made of three words. Which state is it?
Louisiana
Nevada
Oklahoma
Utah
Utah is the only state whose capital is comprised of three words. If you didn't already know it, Utah's capital is Salt Lake City!
When it comes to the Top 10 tallest buildings in the country, 8 of them are divided between two cities. Which cities are they?
Los Angeles and New York City
New York City and Chicago
New York City and Chicago each have four of the tallest buildings in America. This list includes One World Trade Center, Willis Tower, Empire State Building and the Aon Center.
Washinton, D.C. and New York City
New York City and Austin
You Got:
/35
shutterstock