The States, Their Capitals, and More

In this lesson you will learn about the 50 states and their capitals. You will also learn the nicknames and postal abbreviations of each state. Capitals: There are 50 states in the United States. That means that there are also 50 capitals. Each state has their own capital. This is where the majority of governmental affairs happen, because this is where the state legislature, senate, governor, and other state offices are located. The capital city does not have to be the largest city in the state. Most often it is not. Most capitals are centrally located in the state, either geographically or by population. Here is a list of the states, their capitals, and nicknames:
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Montgomery Juneau Phoenix Little Rock Sacramento Denver Hartford Dover Tallahassee Atlanta Honolulu Boise Springfield Indianapolis Des Moines Topeka Frankfort Baton Rouge Yellowhammer State The Last Frontier The Grand Canyon State The Natural State The Golden State The Centennial State The Constitution State The First State The Sunshine State The Peach State The Aloha State The Gem State Prairie State The Hoosier State The Hawkeye State The Sunflower State The Bluegrass State The Pelican State

Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Augusta Annapolis Boston Lansing St. Paul Jackson Jefferson City Helena Lincoln Carson City Concord Trenton Santa Fe Albany Raleigh Bismarck Columbus Oklahoma City Salem Harrisburg Providence Columbia Pierre Nashville Austin Salt Lake City Montpelier Richmond Olympia Charleston Madison Cheyenne

The Pine Tree State The Old Line State The Bay State The Great Lakes State The North Star State The Magnolia State The Show Me State The Treasure State The Cornhusker State The Silver State The Granite State The Garden State The Land of Enchantment The Empire State The Tar Heel State The Peace Garden State The Buckeye State The Sooner State The Beaver State The Keystone State The Ocean State The Palmetto State Mount Rushmore State The Volunteer State The Lone Star State The Beehive State The Green Mountain State The Old Dominion State The Evergreen State The Mountain State The Badger State The Equality or Cowboy State
Resource: www.50states.com

Nicknames: Listed above, on the right, are the nicknames of each state. Each nickname is unique because each state is very different than the others. The states got their specific name because of some

feature found in the state, or because of their history. For example, Michigan is The Great Lakes State because it is surrounded by 4 of the 5 Great Lakes. What are reasons for some of the other state nicknames? Why is Louisiana the Pelican State? Why is Hawaii the Aloha State? Louisiana is the Pelican State because pelicans are found there. Hawaii is the Aloha State because Aloha means, hello and goodbye. So, whether you are going to or leaving Hawaii you can say Aloha. Postal Abbreviations: The following list is the postal abbreviations. These are the 2letter codes that the post office and everyone else uses to help tell where the mail is supposed to go. It is easier using 2 letters, rather then spelling the whole state name out. Also, on maps it takes up less room. Some of the abbreviations are a little confusing. For example, does AL mean Alabama or Alaska? It means Alabama. AK means Alaska. So, you have to be careful when choosing the letters because you might think that you mean one state, but actually you mean another.
State
ALABAMA ALASKA ARIZONA ARKANSAS CALIFORNIA COLORADO CONNECTICUT DELAWARE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FLORIDA GEORGIA HAWAII IDAHO ILLINOIS

Abbreviation
AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL

INDIANA IOWA KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA MAINE MARYLAND MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN MINNESOTA MISSISSIPPI MISSOURI MONTANA NEBRASKA NEVADA NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW JERSEY NEW MEXICO NEW YORK NORTH CAROLINA NORTH DAKOTA OHIO OKLAHOMA OREGON PENNSYLVANIA RHODE ISLAND SOUTH CAROLINA SOUTH DAKOTA TENNESSEE TEXAS UTAH VERMONT VIRGINIA WASHINGTON WEST VIRGINIA WISCONSIN WYOMING

IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

More: Each state also has many other things related to it. Each state has a state motto, tree, flag, bird, rock, song, animal, and gemstone, plus many others. All of these are also from things that are found in the state. They normally are things that they are known for, or are found in great abundance. Michigans state flower is the apple blossom, and its animal is the white tailed deer. These both are found all over Michigan.

Map of the U.S.: The following map shows all of the states and their capitals. This map shows you were all of the capitals of the United States are located.

Resource: www.50states.com

On all maps, capitals are illustrated by stars. This helps to identify them from the other cities in the state. This is just an easy way to find a states capital quickly. Things to Do: Now there is a worksheet to complete. It is matching the states to their capitals. Also, there are a few nicknames and postal abbreviations to match. This is a review of what we just learned. There is also a short quiz to see how much you learned about the states, and their capitals, nicknames and abbreviations.