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This state trivia quiz covers all 50 US states in 96 questions with answers: capitals and nicknames, which state borders only one other, whose motto is "Live Free or Die", which two states share the white oak as their state tree, and which one has the most lighthouses. The easy ones (Sacramento, the Lone Star State) warm you up; the hard ones will surprise even people who can recite the capitals in order. It works as a classroom geography warm-up, a road-trip game, or a quick round for pub trivia hosts who need US state trivia questions and answers they can trust. Every answer has been checked against a primary source such as the state's official website or a reference encyclopaedia, and each question shows its explanation and citation once you answer. Play through once for a score you can share, then come back and see if you can beat it.
30 of 96 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the capital city of California?
Sacramento
Sacramento became California's permanent state capital in 1854, though it wasn't formally made the capital until 1879.
Q 02Which US state is known as the "Sunshine State"?
Florida
Despite the nickname, severe weather is routine there, and it is one of only two states, with Hawaii, that has regions with a tropical climate.
Q 03How many other US states does Kentucky border?
Seven
Kentucky borders seven states: Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to the north, West Virginia and Virginia to the east, Tennessee to the south and Missouri to the west.
Q 04The northern mockingbird is the official bird of five US states. Which of these is one of them?
Florida
The other four are Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas; South Carolina used to be a sixth before switching to the Carolina wren.
Q 05Which is the smallest US state by land area?
Rhode Island
Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by land area, measuring just 1,033.6 square miles.
Q 06Which US state is the largest by total area?
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by total area, encompassing 665,384 square miles.
Q 07Which state was the first to ratify the U.S. Constitution?
Delaware
Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787.
Q 08The Saguaro cactus blossom is the state flower of which desert state?
Arizona
The Saguaro cactus blossom is the state flower of Arizona.
Q 09Which of the Great Lakes does not border the state of Michigan?
Ontario
Michigan touches four of the five Great Lakes plus Lake St. Clair, giving it the longest freshwater coastline of any US state.
Q 10Which US state has the largest population?
California
California is the most populous state in the United States.
Q 11Mount Rushmore National Memorial is located in which US state?
South Dakota
South Dakota's Black Hills hold the memorial, carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore about 2 miles southwest of Keystone.
Q 12"Ad Astra per Aspera" ("To the Stars Through Difficulties") is the state motto of which US state?
Kansas
The motto was proposed by state senator John James Ingalls, who also designed the Great Seal adopted in May 1861.
Q 13Which pair of states both have the white oak as their state tree?
Maryland and Connecticut
Connecticut's Charter Oak and Maryland's 450-year-old Wye Oak, which fell in a 2002 thunderstorm, were both famous white oaks; Illinois also claims the species.
Q 21Which US state is nicknamed "The Last Frontier"?
Alaska
Alaska is The Last Frontier; the state's own name comes from the Aleut word 'Alyeska', meaning 'great land'.
Q 22Which US state has the largest number of national parks?
California
California boasts the most national parks of any state, with nine, including Yosemite, Sequoia, and Death Valley.
Q 23Which continental US state borders only one other US state?
Maine
Beyond New Hampshire, its neighbours are the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec, plus a maritime border with Nova Scotia.
Q 14Which state is widely known by the nickname "The Lone Star State"?
Texas
The single star on the flag recalls its years as the independent Republic of Texas.
Q 15What is the highest point in Colorado?
Mount Elbert
Mount Elbert, at 14,440 feet (4,401 meters) above sea level, is the highest peak in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains.
Q 16Yellowstone National Park is primarily located in which US state?
Wyoming
Wyoming holds roughly 96% of Yellowstone, a roughly square parcel of volcanic complex that jogs slightly beyond the state's northwestern corner into Montana and Idaho.
Q 17Which US state has the most electoral votes in presidential elections?
California
Its 54 electoral votes follow from having the largest population; from 1952 through 1988 the state went Republican in nine of ten elections.
Q 18Which state is widely known as the "Peach State"?
Georgia
The nickname was earned in the three decades after the Civil War, and the peach is still the official state fruit even though the state's official crop is the peanut.
Q 19Which state is home to the Great Salt Lake?
Utah
It is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and a remnant of prehistoric Lake Bonneville, which once covered much of the state's west.
Q 20The Liberty Bell sits across the street from Independence Hall in which state?
Pennsylvania
It cracked when first rung after arriving in Philadelphia and was twice recast by local workmen John Pass and John Stow, whose surnames appear on the bell.
Q 24Crater Lake National Park surrounds a flooded volcanic caldera in which state?
Oregon
Crater Lake National Park is situated in southern Oregon, preserving the stunning Crater Lake formed within a volcanic caldera.
Q 25Which US state is most widely known for its bourbon whiskey production?
Kentucky
It makes about 95% of the world's supply, and the barrels ageing there, more than 5.7 million, outnumber the state's people.
Q 26Which state has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States?
Florida
That figure of roughly 1,350 miles excludes its many barrier islands.
Q 27Everglades National Park is located in which US state?
Florida
Everglades National Park, a vast wetland ecosystem, is located in the southern tip of Florida.
Q 28The state motto "Live Free or Die" belongs to which US state?
New Hampshire
"Live Free or Die" is the official state motto of New Hampshire.
Q 29The Golden Gate Bridge is located in which US state?
California
The Golden Gate Bridge spans the Golden Gate strait, connecting San Francisco to Marin County in California.
Q 30Which US state is an archipelago?
Hawaii
It consists of 137 volcanic islands, almost the entire Hawaiian chain, with Midway Atoll the lone exception.