Image: Shutterstock
About This Quiz
Although the 50 U.S. states are just parts of one larger country, they can be compared with other countries in interesting ways. Take this quiz to check your knowledge of geography, culture and more!
Eastern U.S. states are closest in size to which of these?
Asian countries
Western U.S. states
European countries
Eastern U.S. states are smaller than western U.S. states, Canadian provinces and most Asian countries. They're most comparable in size to European countries.
Canadian provinces
Ukraine, the second-largest country in Europe, is about the same size as which U.S. state?
Missouri
Colorado
California
Texas
Texas is the second-largest U.S. state, and Ukraine is the second-largest European country. Texas is 801 miles at its longest, and Ukraine is 818 miles at its longest.
Uruguay is about the same size as which states?
Missouri and Oklahoma
The Oriental Republic of Uruguay, which borders Argentina and Brazil in South America, has 68,037 square miles. Missouri has 69,704 square miles, and Oklahoma, 69,960.
Hawaii and North Dakota
California and Rhode Island
Alaska and Florida
Advertisement
As of the early 2010s, California's GDP ranks between which two countries?
Ukraine and Chad
Italy and Brazil
California's economy ranks between Italy and Brazil. That's pretty impressive, considering that California is only a small part of the U.S.
Japan and Brunei
Afghanistan and Congo
Which of these countries is smaller than Rhode Island?
Monaco
Barbados
Tuvalu
All of the above
Although Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state, at a mere 4,002 square miles, all three of these countries are smaller. So are many more, including Andorra, Singapore, Bermuda, Luxembourg, Kiribati, Macau, Palau, Bahrain and Grenada.
South Africa is about the same size as which U.S. state?
Alaska
Alaska is about the same size as South Africa. Other countries in the same size range include Mexico, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia and Greenland.
Hawaii
Connecticut
Vermont
Advertisement
What do Hawaii and Indonesia have in common?
Residents speak the same language.
They are both island groups.
Indonesia is the world's largest island nation, both by size and population. It is located in Southeast Asia.
Poi is an important part of their culture.
Both are primarily Muslim.
Kyrgyzstan and Senegal are about the same size as which state, that contains Mount Rushmore?
South Dakota
South Dakota boasts the coyote as its state animal and the honey bee as its state insect. Top crops include sunflowers, soybeans and corn.
Florida
Indiana
Illinois
What do Washington State and Ethiopia have in common?
Tornadoes
Rain forests
Swamps
Volcanoes
Washington State has a number of volcanoes, including Mount St. Helens, Mount Baker and Mount Rainier. Ethiopia has dozens of volcanoes, including Erta Ale, which features a boiling lava lake.
Advertisement
Connecticut is about the same size as which country?
Jamaica
Connecticut is about the same size as the island nation of Jamaica. Of course, their climates are not quite the same.
Australia
China
The U.S.
Which country is about the same size as Louisiana?
Greece
Louisiana and Greece are both famous for great food. Try Louisiana for crawfish gumbo and beignets, or Greece for moussaka and baklava.
Canada
India
China
Which country is about the same size as Massachusetts?
Mexico
Haiti
Haiti, which borders the Dominican Republic, is about the same size as Massachusetts. Haiti became the world's first independent Caribbean state in the early 19th century.
Canada
Australia
Advertisement
Wyoming and Colorado share their rectangular shape with which country?
France
New Zealand
Egypt
None of the above
No countries are rectangular - sorry, geometry fans! Four U.S. states come together at Four Corners: Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
What do Brazil and Rhode Island have in common?
Both are islands.
They have large Catholic populations.
Italy has a higher percentage of Catholics than any other country, at 97%. Rhode Island has a higher percentage of Catholics than any other U.S. state, at 54%.
Both have nuts named for them.
They have similar climates.
What do Massachusetts and Liechtenstein have in common?
Same official language
Desert climate
Spelled with 13 letters
Massachusetts, North Carolina and South Carolina all have thirteen letters. Liechtenstein, Khmer Republic and Virgin Islands all have thirteen letters, as well. Only Massachusetts and Liechtenstein are single words, though.
Similar cash crops
Advertisement
Louisiana and Romania honor which bird as their official symbol?
Pelican
Louisiana's state bird is the Eastern Brown Pelican. Romania's official bird is the Great White Pelican. Saint Kitts and Nevis displays the Brown Pelican.
Phoenix
Dodo
Tweety
What do Libya and Rhode Island have in common?
Same official food
Same official bird
Disney parks
Longest official names
Both have incredibly long official names - the longest for a country and the longest for a state! Libya's official name is Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma. Little Rhode Island is officially known as Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
Which country is about the same size as New Mexico?
Mexico
Finland
Finland is about as big as New Mexico. Same goes for Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Malaysia, Norway, Oman, Poland and Vietnam.
China
India
Advertisement
Which country and U.S. state have cities called Cairo?
Spain and Delaware
Germany and Florida
Kenya and California
Egypt and Illinois
Everyone's heard of Cairo, the capital of Egypt, right? But Cairo is also the southernmost city in Illinois. There's also a Cairo, Georgia. Pronunciations vary - follow the locals.
What do Montana and Kazakhstan have in common?
They're both landlocked.
Montana is the largest landlocked U.S. state, bordered by the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan and by the U.S. states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho. Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country, bordered by Russia, China, Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
Bananas are their main crop.
They're both tropical.
Both are famous for ocean beaches.
The cities of Milan in New York, Tennessee, Illinois and Washington share their name with a famous fashion capital in what country?
Mexico
Italy
Milan, Italy, is famous for its fashion. It is also home to La Scala, the world-renowned opera house.
Egypt
Chad
Advertisement
Which are the poorest country and U.S. state, per capita?
Central African Republic and Mississippi
The Central African Republic is the poorest country, per capita, followed by Congo and Malawi. Mississippi is the poorest U.S. state, per capita, with West Virginia and Arkansas close behind. These are statistics we should all work to change.
Qatar and California
Japan and Hawaii
Germany and Georgia
New York State and the United Arab Emirates can boast what feature, in the U.S. and world, respectively?
Largest rainforest
Most feet of coastline
Tallest building
One World Trade Center in New York, completed in 2014, is the tallest building in the U.S., at 1,776 feet. Burj Khalifa in Dubai, U.A.E., completed in 2010, is the tallest in the world, at 2,717 feet.
Largest population per square mile
Germany, Japan and Zimbabwe are about the same size as what "Big Sky Country" state?
Michigan
New York
New Jersey
Montana
Montana, of course, is "Big Sky Country." It's the land of mountain ranges, prairies and badlands.
Advertisement
China is about the same size as which U.S. state?
New York
New Mexico
New Hampshire
None of these
This was a trick question: China is roughly the same size as the entire United States. Ditto for Australia, Brazil and Canada.
Which is larger: the number of U.S. states or the number of countries?
Number of countries
The number of countries varies, depending on what criteria are used. 192 countries are recognized by the United Nations, but there are additional territories under other countries' jurisdiction, independent areas and uninhabited islands to consider. No matter what, the number of countries is much larger than the number of U.S. states, at 50.
Number of states
They're equal
No one knows
The United Kingdom is about the same size as which U.S. state, famous for its cars?
Michigan
Michigan is about the same size as the U.K. Michigan has a history with Ford, GM and Chrysler, while the U.K. is known for Aston Martin and Jaguar.
Arizona
Minnesota
Mississippi
Advertisement
The city of Versailles can be found not only in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania, but also in what country?
Cuba
Ethiopia
Japan
France
Next time you travel to Versailles, France, be sure to visit the Palace of Versailles, including the elaborate Gardens of Versailles and the Hall of Mirrors. In the U.S. cities, check with the local chamber of commerce.
Which U.S. state and country have the tallest waterfalls?
Arizona and Ethiopia
Hawaii and Venezuela
Pu'uka'oku Falls in Hawaii is considered to be the tallest waterfall in the U.S., with a drop of 2,756 feet, but some argue that Hawaii's Olo'upena Falls is taller. Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest in the world, with a drop of 3,230 feet.
New Mexico and U.K.
Kansas and India
Regarding countries and states, what do "rain" and "hating snow" have in common?
They describe the weather in Arizona and U.A.E.
They're anagrams.
"Rain" is an anagram for Iran. "Hating snow" is an anagram for Washington. Get it?
They never happen in Washington or Finland.
They have to do with official mottos.
Advertisement
Which South American country is about the same size as Idaho?
Guyana
Guyana is the only South American option here. The others are in Asia, although Cyprus has strong European ties.
Cyprus
Nepal
Jordan
Which cheesy state is about the same size as Suriname and Tunisia?
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is the cheesy state, of course, famous for its cheddar. Suriname and Tunisia are not known for their cheese, despite their similar size.
Hawaii
Georgia
Missouri
What do Alaska and New Zealand have in common?
No snow
No glaciers
No fishing allowed
No venomous snakes
If you have a true fear of venomous snakes, consider Alaska or New Zealand. Other options include Hawaii and Iceland.
Advertisement
Which country shares the city name of Vienna with Illinois and South Dakota?
Mexico
China
Austria
Austria is home to the city of Vienna. Don't miss the Hofburg Imperial Palace and the Lipizzaner stallions.
Kenya
What sporting history do Missouri and Greece share?
Pro baseball champion teams
Hosting the Super Bowl
Hosting the World Cup
Hosting the Olympics
Greece is the original home of the Olympics, and the country hosted modern games in 2004. St. Louis, Missouri, hosted both the Olympics and the World's Fair back in 1904.
You Got:
/35
Shutterstock