U.

S 101

OTEK BUSINESS CENTRE OTEK ST. BAGUIO CITY

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OVERVIEW

 The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic consisting of

fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central
North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C.,
the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by
Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the
northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west
across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-
Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and
Caribbean. At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 314
million people, the United States is the third- or fourth-largest country by total
area, and the third-largest by both land area and population. It is one of the
world’s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-
scale immigration from many countries.

 Paleoindians migrated from Asia to what is now the United States mainland
around 15,000 years ago. The Native American population descendent from
them was in turn greatly reduced, primarily by disease after European contact
and exacerbated by European colonization. The United States itself was
initially derived from thirteen British colonies located along the Atlantic
seaboard. On July 4, 1776, delegates to the Continental Congress issued the
Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed their right to self-
determination and establishment of a sovereign union. The rebellious states
with direct help from France and several other European powers, defeated the
British Empire, along with its Indian allies and German mercenaries, in the
American Revolution, the first successful colonial war of independence. The
current United States Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787; its
ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic with a
stronger central government. The Bill of Rights, consisting of ten constitutional
amendments guaranteeing many fundamental civil rights and freedoms, was
ratified in 1791.
 Through the 19th century, the United States embarked on a vigorous program
of expansion across North America. It displaced native tribes, acquiring the
Louisiana territory from France and Florida from Spain; annexed the Republic
of Texas in 1845, leading to war in which it conquered half of Mexico; and
purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. During the early territorial expansion,
significant disputes between the agrarian slave-holding South and free-soil
industrial North led to the American Civil War. The North’s victory
reestablished the Union, and led to the ratification of the Thirteenth
Amendment to the United States Constitution, ending legalized slavery in the
United States. The Plains Indian Wars relocated remaining tribes onto confined
reservations, a Congressional Resolution annexed the Republic of Hawaii, then
the treaty ending the Spanish-American War ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, as well
as the Philippines (which later became independent). By the end of the
nineteenth century, its national economy was the world’s largest.
 The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country’s status as a
global military power. The United States emerged from World War II as the first
country with nuclear weapons and a permanent member of the United Nations

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 Security Council. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet
Union left the United States as the sole superpower. The U.S. economy is the
world’s largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion
(22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power
parity). Per capita income is the world’s sixth-highest. The country accounts
for 41% of global military spending, and is a leading economic, political, and
cultural force in the world.

THE 50 UNITED STATES

 A U.S. state is a federated state of the United States of America that shares its
sovereignty with the United States federal government. Since the admission of
Hawaii as a state in August 1959, there have been fifty U.S. states. Because of
the shared sovereignty between a U.S. state and the U.S. federal government,
an American is a citizen of both the federal entity and of his or her state of
domicile. State citizenship and residency are flexible and no government
approval is required nor obtained to move between states, except for persons
covered by certain types of court orders. States are further subdivided into
counties or county-equivalents, which may or may not be assigned some
individual governmental authority. Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and
Virginia use the official title of Commonwealth rather than State.

 The United States Constitution allocates certain powers to the federal

government. It also places limitations on the federal and state governments.
State governments are allocated power by the people through their individual
constitutions. By ratifying the United States Constitution, the States
transferred certain limited sovereign powers to the federal government. Under
the Tenth Amendment, all powers not delegated to the federal government nor
prohibited to the states are retained by the states or the people. Historically,
the tasks of public safety, public education, public health, transportation, and
infrastructure have generally been considered primarily state responsibilities,
although all of these now have significant federal funding and regulation as
well.

 Over time, the U.S. Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and
application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been
toward centralization and incorporation, with the federal government playing a
much larger role than it once did. There is a continuing debate over states’
rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states’ powers and
sovereignty in relation to the federal government as well as the rights of
individual persons. Debates over states’ rights were a contributing factor in the
outbreak of the American Civil War.

 The U.S. Congress may admit new states on an equal footing with existing ones;
this last happened in 1959 with the admission of Alaska and Hawaii. The U.S.
Constitution is silent on the question of whether states have the power to leave
unilaterally, or secede from, the Union, but the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled
secession to be unconstitutional, a position driven in part by the outcome of
the American Civil War.

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STATE S/ F CAPITAL T/Z

ALABAMA AL Montgomery CST

ALASKA AK Juneau AKST

ARIZONA AZ Phoenix MST

ARKANSAS AR Little rock CST

CALIFORNIA CA Sacramento PST

COLORADO CO Denver MST

CONNECTICUT CT Hartford EST

DELAWARE DE Dover EST

DISTRICT OF
DC Washington EST
COLUMBIA

FLORIDA FL Tallahassee EST

GEORGIA GA Atlanta EST

HAWAII ISLANDS HI Honolulu HST

IDAHO ID Boise MST

ILLINOIS IL Springfield CST

INDIANA IN Indiana CST

IOWA IA Des Moines CST

KANSAS KS Topeka CST

KENTUCKY KY Frankfort C5T

Baton
LOUISANA LA CST
Rouge

MAINE ME Augusta EST

MARYLAND MD Annapolis EST

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MASSACHUSETTS MA Boston EST

MICHIGAN Ml Lansing EST

MINNESOTA MN St. Paul CST

MISSISSIPI MS Jackson CST

Jefferson
MISSOURI MO CST
City

MONTANA MT Helena MST

NEBRASKA NE Lincoln MST

NEVADA NV Carson City PST

NEW
NH Concord EST
HAMPSPHIRE

NEW JERSEY NJ Trenton EST

NEW MEXICO NM Santa Fe MST

NEW YORK NY Albany EST

NORTH
NC Raleigh EST
CAROLINA

NORTH DAKOTA ND Bismarck CST

OHIO OH Columbus EST

Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA OK CST
City

OREGON OR Salem MST

PENN5YLAVANIA PA Harrisburg EST

RHODE ISLAND Rl Providence EST

SOUTH
SC Columbia EST
CAROLINA

SOUTH DAKOTA SO Pierre CST

TENNESSEE TN Nashville CST

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TEXAS TX Austin CST

Salt
UTAH UT MST
Lake City

VERMONT VT Monipelier EST

VIRGINIA VA Richmond EST

WASHINGTON WA Olympia PST

WEST VIRGINIA WV Charleston EST

WISCONSIN Wl Madison CST

WYOMING WY Cheyenne MST

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ALABAMA
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is
bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of
Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th-most extensive
and the 23rd-most populous of the 50 United States. At 1,300 miles (2,100 km),
Alabama has one of the longest navigable inland waterways in the nation.
From the American Civil War until World War II, Alabama, like many Southern states,
suffered economic hardship, in part because of continued dependence on agriculture.
Despite the growth of major industries and urban centers, white rural interests
dominated the state legislature until the 1960s, while urban interests and African
Americans were under-represented.
Following World War II, Alabama experienced growth as the economy of the state
transitioned from one primarily based on agriculture to one with diversified interests.
The establishment or expansion of multiple United States Armed Forces installations
added to the state economy and helped bridge the gap between an agricultural and
industrial economy during the mid-20th century. The state economy in the 21st
century is dependent on management, finance, manufacturing, aerospace, mineral
extraction, healthcare, education, retail, and technology.
Alabama is unofficially nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the state bird.
Alabama is also known as the “Heart of Dixie.” The state tree is the Longleaf Pine,
the state flower is the Camellia. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery. The largest
city by population is Birmingham. The largest city by total land area is Huntsville. The
oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists.

ALASKA
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest
extremity of the North American continent, with the international boundary with
Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west
and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait. Alaska is the 4th least
populous and the least densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately half
of Alaska’s 722,718 residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area.
Alaska was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million at
approximately two cents per acre. The land went through several administrative
changes before becoming an organized territory on May 11, 1912, and the 49th state
of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.
The name “Alaska” was already introduced in the Russian colonial period, when it was
used only for the peninsula and is derived from the Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning “the
mainland” or, more literally, “the object towards which the action of the sea is
directed”. It is also known as Alyeska, the “great land”, an Aleut word derived from
the same root.

ARIZONA
Arizona is a U.S. state located in the southwestern region of the United States.
Arizona is also part of the Western United States and of the Mountain West states.
Arizona is the sixth most extensive and the 16th most populous of the 50 states. Its
capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in

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population by eight cities of the Phoenix metropolitan area: Mesa, Chandler,
Glendale, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Tempe, Peoria, and Surprise.
Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the
Union, and it achieved statehood on February 14, 1912. Arizona is noted for its desert
climate in its southern half, where there are very hot summers and quite mild
winters. The northern half of Arizona also features forests of pine, Douglas fir, and
spruce trees, a very large, high and some mountain ranges—such as the San Francisco
Mountains—as well as large, deep canyons, where there is much more moderate
weather for three seasons of the year, plus significant snowfalls. There are ski resorts
in the areas of Flagstaff and Alpine.
Arizona is one of the Four Corners states. Arizona has borders with New Mexico, Utah,
Nevada, California, and Mexico, and it has one point in common with the
southwestern corner of Colorado. Arizona has a 389-mile -long international border
with the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California.
Arizona is the most populous landlocked state of the United States, ranking slightly
ahead of Tennessee as of 2011. In addition to the Grand Canyon National Park, several
national forests, national parks, and national monuments are located in Arizona.
About one-quarter of Arizona is federal land that serves as the home of the Navajo
Nation; the Hopi tribe; the Tohono O’odham; the Apache tribe; the Yaqui peoples;
and various Yuman tribes, such as the Yavapai people, the Quechan people, and the
Hualapai people.

ARKANSAS
Arkansas is a state located in the Southern region of the United States. Its name is an
Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. The state’s diverse geography ranges from
the mountainous regions of the Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains, which make up
the U.S. Interior Highlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the
Arkansas Delta. Arkansas is the 29th most extensive and the 32nd most populous of
the 50 United States. The capital and most populous city is Little Rock, located in the
central portion of the state. The Territory of Arkansas was admitted to the Union as
the 25th state on June 15, 1836.

CALIFORNIA
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the
most populous U.S. state, and the third most extensive (after Alaska and Texas). It is
home to the nation’s 2nd and 6th largest census statistical areas (Los Angeles
metropolitan area and San Francisco Bay Area, respectively), and eight of the nation’s
fifty most populated cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno,
Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland). The capital city is Sacramento.
California’s diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra
Nevada mountains in the east – from the Redwood–Douglas-fir forests of the
northwest, to the Mojave Desert areas in the southeast. The center of the state is
dominated by Central Valley, a major agricultural area. California contains both the
highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney and Death
Valley), and has the 3rd longest coastline of all states (after Alaska and Florida).
Earthquakes are a common occurrence due to the state’s location along the Pacific
Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually.

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The name California once referred to a large area of North America claimed by Spain
that included much of modern-day Southwestern United States and the Baja California
peninsula. Beginning in the late 18th century, the area known as Alta California,
comprising the California territory north of the Baja Peninsula, was colonized by the
Spanish Empire as part of New Spain. In 1821, Alta California became a part of Mexico
following its successful war for independence. Shortly after the beginning of the
Mexican-American War in 1846, a group of American settlers in Sonoma declared an
independent California Republic in Alta California. Though its existence was short-
lived, its flag became the precursor for California’s current state flag. American
victory in the war led to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in which Mexico ceded Alta
California to the United States. Western areas of Alta California became the state of
California, which was admitted as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.
The California Gold Rush beginning in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic
change, with large scale immigration from the U.S. and abroad and an accompanying
economic boom. Key developments in the early 20th century included the emergence
of Los Angeles as the center of the American entertainment industry, and the growth
of a large, state-wide tourism sector. The late 20th century saw the development of
the technology and information sectors, punctuated by the growth of Silicon Valley.
California’s prosperous agricultural industry also emerged; at least half of the fresh
fruit produced in the United States are now cultivated in California, and the state also
leads in the production of vegetables.[18] Other important contributors to its
economy include aerospace, education, and manufacturing. If California were a
country, it would have the 8th largest economy in the world and it would be the 34th
most populous nation.

COLORADO
Colorado (Spanish: red colored) is the U.S. state that encompasses most of the
Southern Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau
and the western edge of the Great Plains. Colorado is part of the Western United
States, the Southwestern United States, and the Mountain States. Colorado is the 8th
most extensive and the 22nd most populous of the 50 United States. The United
States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Colorado was 5,116,796 on July
1, 2011.
The state was named for the Colorado River, which early Spanish explorers named the
Río Colorado for the red colored (Spanish: colorado) silt the river carried from the
mountains. On August 1, 1876, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a proclamation
admitting Colorado as the 38th state. Colorado is nicknamed the “Centennial State”
because it was admitted to the Union in 1876, the centennial year of the United
States Declaration of Independence.
Colorado is bordered by the northwest state of Wyoming to the north, the midwest
states of Nebraska and Kansas to the northeast and east, on the south by New Mexico
a small portion of the southern state of Oklahoma, on the west by Utah, and Arizona
to the southwest. The four states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet
at one common point known as the Four Corners, which is known as the heart of the
American Southwest. Colorado is noted for its vivid landscape of mountains, forests,
high plains, mesas, canyons, plateaus, rivers, and desert lands.

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Denver is the capital and the most populous city of Colorado. Residents of the state
are properly known as “Coloradans”, although the term “Coloradoan” is still used.

CONNECTICUT
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It
is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of
New York to the west and the south (with which it shares a water boundary in Long
Island Sound).
Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, a major U.S. river that approximately
bisects the state. Its capital city is Hartford. Much of southern and western
Connecticut (along with the majority of the state’s population) is part of the New
York metropolitan area; three of Connecticut’s eight counties are statistically
included in the New York City combined statistical area, the same area is widely
referred to as the Tri-State area. Connecticut’s center of population is in Cheshire,
New Haven County, which is also located within the Tri-State area.
Connecticut is the 3rd least extensive, the 29th most populous and 4th most densely
populated of the 50 United States. Called the Constitution State, Nutmeg State, and
“The Land of Steady Habits”, Connecticut was influential in the development of the
federal government of the United States.
Connecticut’s first European settlers were Dutch and established a small, short-lived
settlement in present-day Hartford at the confluence of the Park and Connecticut
rivers, called Huys de Goede Hoop. Initially, half of Connecticut was a part of the
Dutch colony, New Netherland, which included much of the land between the
Connecticut and Delaware rivers.
The first major settlements were established in the 1630s by the English. Thomas
Hooker led a band of followers overland from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and
founded what would become the Connecticut Colony; other settlers from
Massachusetts founded the Saybrook Colony and the New Haven Colony. Both the
Connecticut and New Haven Colonies established documents of Fundamental Orders,
considered the first constitutions in North America. In 1662, the three colonies were
merged under a royal charter, making Connecticut a crown colony. This colony was
one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American
Revolution.
The Connecticut River, Thames River, and ports along the Long Island Sound have
given the state a strong maritime tradition, which continues today. Connecticut’s
other traditional industry is financial services; for example, insurance companies in
Hartford and hedge funds in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 Census, Connecticut
features the highest per capita income, Human Development Index (0.962), and
median household income in the United States. Although Connecticut is a wealthy
state by most measures, the income gap between its urban and suburban areas is
striking, with several of Connecticut’s cities ranking among the nation’s poorest and
most dangerous.

DELAWARE
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the
United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, to the northeast by
New Jersey, and to the north by Pennsylvania. The state takes its name from Thomas

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West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and Virginia’s first colonial
governor, after whom what is now called Cape Henlopen was originally named.
Delaware is located in the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and is the
second least extensive, the sixth least populous, but the sixth most densely populated
of the 50 United States. Delaware is divided into three counties. From north to south,
these three counties are New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. While the southern two
counties have historically been predominantly agricultural, New Castle County has
been more industrialized.
The history of the state’s economic and industrial development is closely tied to the
impact of the Du Pont family, founders and scions of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and
Company, one of the world’s largest chemical companies.
Before its coastline was first explored by Europeans in the 16th century, Delaware
was inhabited by several groups of Native Americans, including the Lenape in the
north and Nanticoke in the south. It was initially colonized by Dutch traders at
Zwaanendael, located near the present town of Lewes, in 1631. Delaware was one of
the 13 colonies participating in the American Revolution and on December 7, 1787,
became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby
becoming known as The First State.

FLORIDA
Florida is a state in the southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the
west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by
the Atlantic Ocean. Florida is the 22nd most extensive, the 4th most populous, and
the 8th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The state capital is
Tallahassee, its largest city is Jacksonville, and the Miami metropolitan area is the
largest metropolitan area in the southeastern United States.
Much of Florida is situated on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic
Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. Its geography is marked by a coastline, by the
omnipresence of water and the threat of hurricanes. Florida has the longest coastline
in the contiguous United States, encompassing approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km),
and is the only state to border both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Much
of the state is at or near sea level and its terrain is characterized by sedimentary
soils. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. Its
symbolic animals like the American alligator, crocodile, Florida panther and the
manatee, can be found in the Everglades, one of the most famous national parks in
the world.
Since the first European contact was made in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de
León – who named it La Florida (“Flowery Land”) upon landing there during the Easter
season, Pascua Florida – Florida was a challenge for the European colonial powers
before it gained statehood in the United States in 1845. It was a principal location of
the Seminole Wars against the Indians, and racial segregation after the American Civil
War. Today, it is distinguished by its large Hispanic community, and high population
growth, as well as its increasing environmental concerns. Its economy relies mainly on
tourism, agriculture and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century.
Florida is also known for its amusement parks, the production of oranges and the
Kennedy Space Center.

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Florida culture is a reflection of influences and multiple inheritance; Native
American, European American, Hispanic and African American heritages can be found
in the architecture and cuisine. Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie
Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract
celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for tennis, golf, auto racing and
water sports.

GEORGIA
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in
1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. Named after King George II of Great
Britain, Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on
January 2, 1788. It declared its secession from the Union on January 21, 1861, and
was one of the original seven Confederate states. It was the last state to be restored
to the Union, on July 15, 1870. Georgia is the 24th most extensive and the 9th most
populous of the 50 United States. From 2007 to 2008, 14 of Georgia’s counties ranked
among the nation’s 100 fastest-growing, second only to Texas. Georgia is known as
the Peach State and the Empire State of the South. Atlanta is the state’s capital and
its most populous city.
Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and
South Carolina; on the west by Alabama; and on the north by Tennessee and North
Carolina. The northern part of the state is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mountain
range in the Appalachian Mountains system. The central Piedmont extends from the
foothills to the fall line, where the rivers cascade down in elevation to the
continental coastal plain of the southern part of the state. The highest point in
Georgia is Brasstown Bald, 4,784 feet (1,458 m); the lowest point is the Atlantic
Ocean. Georgia is the most extensive state east of the Mississippi River in terms of
land area, although it is the fourth most extensive (after Michigan, Florida, and
Wisconsin) in total area, a term which includes expanses of water which are part of
state territory.

HAWAII
Hawaii is the most recent of the 50 U.S. states (joined the Union on August 21, 1959),
and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island
group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean.
Hawaii’s diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches
and oceanic surrounding, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for
tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike. Due to its mid-Pacific location,
Hawaii has many North American and Asian influences along with its own vibrant
native culture. Hawaii has over a million permanent residents along with many visitors
and U.S. military personnel. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu.
The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which
comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the
southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight “main islands” are (from the northwest
to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and the island
of Hawaiʻi. The last is by far the largest and is often called “The Big Island” to avoid

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confusion with the state as a whole. The archipelago is physiographically and
ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.
Hawaii is the 8th-least extensive, the 11th-least populous, but the 13th-most densely
populated of the 50 U.S. states. Hawaii’s coastline is approximately 750 miles (1,210
km) long, which is fourth in the United States after Alaska, Florida, and California.
Hawaii is one of two states that do not observe daylight saving time, the other being
Arizona. Hawaii is also one of two states that are not in the Contiguous United States,
the other being Alaska.

IDAHO
Idaho is a state in the northwestern region of the United States. Idaho is the 14th
most expansive, the 39th most populous, and the 7th least densely populated of the
50 United States. The state’s largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called
“Idahoans”. Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.
Idaho is a mountainous state with an area larger than that of all of New England. It is
landlocked, surrounded by the states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming,
Montana and the Canadian province of British Columbia. However, the network of
dams and locks on the Columbia River and Snake River make the city of Lewiston the
farthest inland seaport on the Pacific coast of the contiguous United States.
Idaho’s nickname is the “Gem State”, because nearly every known type of gemstone
has been found here. In addition, Idaho is one of only two places in the world where
star garnets can be found in any significant quantities, the other being India, though
they may be found elsewhere in extremely limited quantities. Additionally Idaho is
sometimes called the “Potato State” owing to its popular crop. The state motto is
Esto Perpetua (Latin for “Let it be forever”).

ILLINOIS
Illinois is the 25th most extensive and the 5th most populous of the 50 United States,
and is often noted as a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the
northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and
northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal, timber, and petroleum in the south,
Illinois has a broad economic base. Illinois is a major transportation hub. The Port of
Chicago connects the state to other global ports from the Great Lakes, via the Saint
Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean; as well as the Great Lakes to the Mississippi
River, via the Illinois River. For decades, O’Hare International Airport has ranked as
one of the world’s busiest airports. Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether
both in social and cultural terms and politics.
Although the state’s largest population centers today are in northern Illinois,
originally the state’s European population grew first in the west, with French
Canadians who settled along the Mississippi River. After the American Revolutionary
War established the United States, American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in
the 1810s via the Ohio River, and the population grew from south to north. In 1818,
Illinois achieved statehood. After construction of the Erie Canal in New York increased
traffic and trade through the Great Lakes, Chicago was founded in the 1830s on the
banks of the Chicago River, at one of the few natural harbors on southern Lake
Michigan. John Deere’s invention of the self-scouring steel plow turned Illinois’ rich
prairie into some of the world’s most productive and valuable farmlands, attracting

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immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden. Railroads carried immigrants to new
homes, as well as being used to ship their commodity crops out to markets.
By 1900, the growth of industrial jobs in the northern cities and coal mining in the
central and southern areas attracted immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe.
Illinois was an important manufacturing center during both world wars. The
Great migration from the South established a large community of African Americans in
Chicago, who created the city’s famous jazz and blues cultures.
Three U.S. presidents have been elected while living in Illinois: Abraham Lincoln,
Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama. Additionally, President Ronald Reagan, whose
political career was based in California, was the only US President born and raised in
Illinois. Today, Illinois honors Lincoln with its official state slogan, Land of Lincoln,
which has been displayed on its license plates since 1954.

INDIANA
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11,
1816. It is located in the mid-western and Great Lakes regions of North America.
Indiana is the 38th largest by area and the 15th most populous of the 50 United
States. Indiana is the least extensive state in the continental US west of the
Appalachian Mountains. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis.
Before it became a territory, varying cultures of indigenous peoples and historic
Native Americans inhabited Indiana for thousands of years. Since its founding as a
territory, settlement patterns in Indiana have reflected regional cultural
segmentation present in the Eastern United States; the state’s northernmost tier was
settled primarily by people from New England and New York, Central Indiana by
migrants from the Mid-Atlantic states and from adjacent Ohio, and Southern Indiana
by settlers from the Southern states, particularly Kentucky and Tennessee.
Indiana has a diverse economy with a gross state product of $214 billion in 2005.
Indiana has several metropolitan areas with populations greater than 100,000 and a
number of smaller industrial cities and towns. Indiana is home to several major sports
teams and athletic events including the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, the NBA’s Indiana
Pacers, the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, and the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400
motorsports races.
The state has several universities ranked among the best in 2011 rankings of the U.S.
News & World Report. Purdue, Indiana, and the University of Notre Dame are ranked
among the top 50 in the National Universities Rankings, while Butler, Valparaiso and
the University of Evansville are ranked among the top 10 in the Regional University
Midwest Rankings.

IOWA
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as
the “American Heartland”. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New France. After
the Louisiana Purchase, settlers laid the foundation for an agriculture-based economy
in the heart of the Corn Belt. Iowa is often known as the “Food Capital of the World”.
In the latter half of the 20th century, Iowa’s agricultural economy transitioned to a
diversified economy of advanced manufacturing, processing, financial services,
biotechnology, and green energy production. Iowa is the 26th most extensive and the

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30th most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital and largest city is Des Moines.
Iowa has been listed as one of the safest states in which to live.

KANSAS
Kansas is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the
Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansas Native
American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe’s name is often said to mean
“people of the wind” or “people of the south wind,” although this was probably not
the term’s original meaning. Residents of Kansas are called “Kansans.” For thousands
of years what is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Native American
tribes. Tribes in the Eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river
valleys. Tribes in the Western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large
herds of bison. Kansas was first settled by European Americans in the 1830’s, but the
pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850’s, in the midst of political wars over the
slavery issue.
When officially opened to settlement by the U.S. government in 1854, abolitionist
Free-Staters from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri
rushed to the territory to determine if Kansas would become a free state or a slave
state. Thus, the area was a hotbed of violence and chaos in its early days as these
forces collided, and was known as Bleeding Kansas. The abolitionists eventually
prevailed and on January 29, 1861, Kansas entered the Union as a free state. After
the Civil War, the population of Kansas grew rapidly, when waves of immigrants
turned the prairie into farmland. Today, Kansas is one of the most productive
agricultural states, producing high yields of wheat, sorghum and sunflowers. Kansas is
the 15th most extensive and the 33rd most populous of the 50 United States.

KENTUCKY
Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state located on the border
between the Midwest and South of the United States. Kentucky is one of four U.S.
states constituted as a commonwealth (the others being Virginia, Pennsylvania, and
Massachusetts). Originally a part of Virginia, in 1792 Kentucky became the 15th state
to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of
the 50 United States.
Kentucky is known as the “Bluegrass State”, a nickname based on the bluegrass found
in many of its pastures because of the fertile soil. It is a land with diverse
environments and abundant resources, including the world’s longest cave system,
Mammoth Cave National Park, the greatest length of navigable waterways and
streams in the contiguous United States, and the two largest man-made lakes east of
the Mississippi River.
Kentucky is also home to the highest per capita number of deer and turkey in the
United States, the largest free-ranging elk herd east of Montana, and the nation’s
most productive coalfield. Kentucky is also known for horse racing, bourbon
distilleries, automobile manufacturing, tobacco, and college basketball.

LOUISIANA
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America.
Louisiana is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United

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States. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only
state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local
government’s equivalent to counties. The largest parish by population is East Baton
Rouge Parish, and the largest by land area is Cameron Parish.
Much of the state was formed from sediment washed down the Mississippi River,
leaving enormous deltas and vast areas of coastal marsh and swamp. These contain a
rich southern biota; typical examples include birds such as ibis and egrets. There are
also many species of tree frogs, and fish such as sturgeon and paddlefish. In more
elevated areas, fire is a natural process in the landscape, and has produced extensive
areas of longleaf pine forest and wet savannas. These support an exceptionally large
number of plant species including many species of orchids and carnivorous plants.
Some Louisiana urban environments have a multicultural, multilingual heritage, being
so strongly influenced by an admixture of 18th century French, Spanish, Native
American (Indian) and African cultures that they are considered to be somewhat
exceptional in the U.S. Before the American influx and statehood at the beginning of
the 19th century, the territory of current Louisiana State had been both a Spanish and
French colony. In addition, the pattern of development included importing numerous
African slaves in the 18th century, with many from the same region of West Africa,
thus concentrating their culture.

MAINE
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States,
bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west,
and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the
northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost portion of New England. It
is known for its scenery—its jagged, mostly rocky coastline, its low, rolling mountains,
its heavily forested interior and picturesque waterways—as well as for its seafood
cuisine, especially lobsters and clams.
For thousands of years, indigenous peoples were the only inhabitants of the territory
that is now Maine. At the time of European encounter, several Algonquian-speaking
peoples inhabited the area. The first European settlement in Maine was by the French
in 1604 on Saint Croix Island, by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons. The first English
settlement in Maine, the short-lived Popham Colony, was established by the Plymouth
Company in 1607. A number of English settlements were established along the coast
of Maine in the 1620s, although the rugged climate, deprivations, and conflict with
the local peoples caused many to fail over the years.
As Maine entered the 18th century, only a half dozen European settlements survived.
Patriot and British forces contended for Maine’s territory during the American
Revolution and the War of 1812. Maine was part of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts until 1820, when it voted to secede from Massachusetts. On March 15,
1820, it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise.
Maine is the 39th most extensive and the 41st most populous of the 50 United States.

MARYLAND
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States,
bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west;
Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. Maryland was the seventh state to

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ratify the United States Constitution, and has three occasionally used nicknames: the
Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State.
Maryland is the 9th smallest state by area, but the 19th most populous and the 5th
most densely populated of the 50 United States. The state’s most populated city is
Baltimore and its capital Annapolis. It was named after Queen Henrietta Maria. Of the
50 states Maryland has the highest median household income, making it the
wealthiest state in the nation.

MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts, officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state in the
New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by
Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and
New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts is the
7th least extensive, but the 14th most populous and the 3rd most densely populated
of the 50 United States. Massachusetts features two separate metropolitan areas:
Greater Boston in the east and the Springfield metropolitan area in the west.
Approximately two thirds of Massachusetts’s population lives in Greater Boston, most
of which is either urban or suburban. Western Massachusetts features one urban area
– the Knowledge Corridor along the Connecticut River – and a mix of college towns and
rural areas. Many of Massachusetts’ towns, cities, and counties have names identical
to ones in England. Massachusetts is the most populous of the six New England states
and has the US’s sixth highest GDP per capita.
Massachusetts has played a significant historical, cultural, and commercial role in
American history. Plymouth was the site of the colony founded in 1620 by the
Pilgrims, passengers of the Mayflower. Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the
oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. In 1692, the towns
surrounding Salem experienced one of America’s most infamous cases of mass
hysteria, the Salem Witch Trials.
In the 18th century, the Protestant First Great Awakening, which swept the Atlantic
world, originated from the pulpit of Northampton, Massachusetts preacher Jonathan
Edwards. In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the “Cradle of Liberty”
for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution and the independence of
the United States from Great Britain. In 1777, General Henry Knox founded the
Springfield Armory, which during the Industrial Revolution catalyzed numerous
important technological advances, including interchangeable parts. In 1786, Shays’
Rebellion, a populist revolt by Western Massachusetts farmers, led directly to the
United States Constitutional Convention.
Before the American Civil War, Massachusetts was a center for the temperance,
transcendentalist, and abolitionist movements. In 1837, Mount Holyoke College, the
United States’ first college for women, was opened in the Connecticut River Valley
town of South Hadley. In the late 19th century, the (now) Olympic sports of
basketball and volleyball were invented in the Western Massachusetts cities of
Springfield and Holyoke, respectively. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S.
state to legally recognize same-sex marriage as a result of the decision of the state’s
Supreme Judicial Court. Massachusetts has contributed many prominent politicians to
national service, including members of the Adams family and of the Kennedy family.

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Originally dependent on fishing, agriculture, and trade, Massachusetts was
transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. During the
20th century, Massachusetts’s economy shifted from manufacturing to services. In the
21st century, Massachusetts is a leader in higher education, health care technology,
high technology, and financial services.

MICHIGAN
Michigan is a state located in the Great Lakes region of the Midwestern United States.
The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning
“large water” or “large lake”. Michigan is the 8th most populous of the 50 United
States, with the 11th most extensive total area. Its capital is Lansing, and the largest
city is Detroit. Michigan was admitted into the Union on January 26, 1837, as the 26th
state.
Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world,
being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair. Michigan is one
of the leading U.S. states for recreational boating. The state has 64,980 inland lakes
and ponds. A person in the state is never more than six miles (9.7 km) from a natural
water source or more than 85 miles (137 km) from a Great Lakes shoreline. It is the
largest state by total area east of the Mississippi River.
Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, to which
the name Michigan was originally applied, is often noted to be shaped like a mitten.
The Upper Peninsula (often referred to as “the U.P.”) is separated from the Lower
Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile (8 km) channel that joins Lake Huron
to Lake Michigan. The two peninsulas are connected by the Mackinac Bridge. While
sparsely populated, the Upper Peninsula is economically important due to its status as
a tourist destination as well as its abundance of natural resources.

MINNESOTA
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. Minnesota was
carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union
as the thirty-second state on May 11, 1858. Known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, the
state’s name comes from a Dakota word for “sky-tinted water”. Those waters,
together with forests, parks, and wilderness areas, offer residents and tourists a
variety of outdoor recreational opportunities.
Minnesota is the 12th most extensive and the 21st most populous of the U.S. states.
Nearly 60% of its residents live in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area (known
as the “Twin Cities”), the center of transportation, business, industry, education,
government and home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of
the state consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture;
deciduous forests in the southeast, now cleared, farmed and settled; and the less
populated North Woods, used for mining, forestry, and recreation.
Minnesota is known for its relatively mixed social and political orientations, and has a
high rate of civic participation and voter turnout. Minnesota ranks among the
healthiest states, and has a highly literate population. The large majority of residents
are of Scandinavian and German descent. The state is known as a center of
Scandinavian American culture. Ethnic diversity has increased in recent decades.

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Substantial influxes of Asian, African, and Latin American immigrants have joined the
descendants of European immigrants and the original Native American inhabitants.

MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state
capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River,
which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word
misi-ziibi (“Great River”). Mississippi is the 32nd most extensive and the 31st most
populous of the 50 United States. The state is heavily forested outside of the
Mississippi Delta area, which was cleared for cotton cultivation in the 19th century.
Today, its catfish aquaculture farms produce the majority of farm-raised catfish
consumed in the United States. The state symbol is the magnolia grandiflora tree.
From 2000 to 2012, the United States Census Bureau reported that Mississippi had the
highest rate of increase of mixed-race population, up 70 percent in the decade,
although the population has not markedly increased. The change reflects new births
among a young population, but also people who have chosen to identify as
multiracial, who in earlier years may have identified as only one ethnicity. One
demographer said, “In a sense, they’re rendering a more accurate portrait of their
racial heritage that in the past would have been suppressed.”

MISSOURI
Missouri (nickname The Show Me State) is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern
United States. Missouri is the 21st most extensive and the 18th most populous of the
50 United States. Missouri comprises 114 counties and the independent city of St.
Louis.
The four largest urban areas are St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia.
Missouri’s capital is Jefferson City. The land that is now Missouri was acquired from
France as part of the Louisiana Purchase and became known as the Missouri Territory.
Part of the Territory was admitted into the union as the 24th state on August 10,
1821.
Missouri generally mirrors the demographic, economic and political makeup of the
United States and has long been considered a political bellwether state. With the
exceptions of the Presidential elections of 1956 and 2008, Missouri voters have
elected the next President of the United States in every election since 1904. It has
both Midwestern and Southern cultural influences, reflecting its history as a border
state and early settlement by migrants from the Upper South. It is also a transition
between the Eastern and Western United States, as St. Louis is often called the
“western-most Eastern city” and Kansas City the “eastern-most Western city”.
Missouri’s geography is highly varied. The northern part of the state lies in dissected
till plains while the southern part lies in the Ozark Mountains (a dissected plateau),
with the Missouri River dividing the two. The state lies at the intersection of the three
greatest rivers of North America, with the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri
Rivers near St. Louis, and the confluence of the Ohio River with the Mississippi north
of the Bootheel. The starting points of the Pony Express Trail and Oregon Trail were
both in Missouri. The mean center of United States population as of the 2010 Census is
at the town of Plato in Texas County, Missouri.

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MONTANA
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana
contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller “island ranges” are found in the central
third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges that are part of the Rocky
Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state’s name, derived from the
Spanish word montaña (mountain). Montana has several nicknames, none official,
including: “Big Sky Country” and “The Treasure State”, and slogans that include
“Land of the Shining Mountains” and more recently, “The Last Best Place”. Montana is
the 4th-most extensive, but the 7th-least populous and the 3rd-least densely
populated of the 50 United States. The economy is primarily based on services, with
ranching, wheat farming, oil and coal mining in the east, and lumber, tourism, and
hard rock mining in the west. Millions of tourists annually visit Glacier National Park,
the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and three of the five entrances to
Yellowstone National Park.

NEBRASKA
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. Its state
capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River.
The state is crossed by many historic trails, but it was the California Gold Rush that
first brought large numbers here. Nebraska became a state in 1867.
There are wide variations between winter and summer temperatures, and violent
thunderstorms and tornadoes are common. The state is characterized by treeless
prairie, ideal for cattle-grazing, and it is a major producer of beef, as well as pork,
corn and soybeans. Nebraska is overwhelmingly rural, as the 8th least-densely
populated state of the United States.
Ethnically, the largest groups are German-Americans, and the state has the biggest
Czech-American population per capita. During the Great migration, many African
Americans came to Omaha.

NEVADA
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the
United States. Nevada is the 7th most extensive, the 35th most populous, and the 9th
least densely populated of the 50 United States. Over two-thirds of Nevada’s people
live in one single county, Clark County, which contains the Las Vegas–Paradise
metropolitan area, where the state’s three largest incorporated cities are located.
Nevada’s capital is Carson City.
Nevada is largely desert and semiarid, with much of it located within the Great Basin.
Areas south of the Great Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake
Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains lie on the western edge. Approximately 86%
of the state’s land is owned by the U.S. federal government under various
jurisdictions, both civilian and military.
The name Nevada is derived from the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains, which means
“snow-capped mountain range” in Spanish. The land comprising the modern state was
inhabited by Native Americans of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe tribes prior to
European contact. It was subsequently claimed by Spain as a part of Alta California
until the Mexican War of Independence brought it under Mexican control. The United

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States gained the territory in 1848 following its victory in the Mexican-American War
and the area was eventually incorporated as part of Utah Territory in 1850. The
discovery of silver at the Comstock Lode in 1859 led to a population boom that was an
impetus to the creation of Nevada Territory out of western Utah Territory in 1861.
Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864.
The establishment of legalized gambling and lenient marriage and divorce
proceedings in the 20th century transformed Nevada into a major tourist destination.
The tourism industry remains Nevada’s largest employer, with mining continuing to be
a substantial sector of the economy as Nevada is the fourth largest producer of gold in
the world.
Nevada is officially known as the “Silver State” due to the importance of silver to its
history and economy. It is also known as the “Battle Born State” because it achieved
statehood during the Civil War and the “Sagebrush State” for the native eponymous
plant.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States
of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is
bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic
Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. New Hampshire
is the 5th smallest and the 9th least populous of the 50 U.S. states.
It became the first of the British North American colonies to break away from Great
Britain in January 1776, and six months later was one of the original thirteen states
that founded the United States of America. In June 1788, it became the ninth state to
ratify the United States Constitution, bringing that document into effect. New
Hampshire was the first U.S. state to have its own state constitution.
It is known internationally for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the
U.S. presidential election cycle. Concord is the state capital, while Manchester is the
largest city in the state. It has no general sales tax, nor is personal income taxed at
either the state or local level.
Its license plates carry the state motto: “Live Free or Die”. The state’s nickname,
“The Granite State”, refers to its extensive granite formations and quarries.
Among prominent individuals from New Hampshire are founding father Nicholas
Gilman, Senator Daniel Webster, Revolutionary War hero John Stark, editor Horace
Greeley, founder of the Christian Science religion Mary Baker Eddy, poet Robert Frost,
astronaut Alan Shepard, and author Dan Brown. New Hampshire has produced one
president: Franklin Pierce.
With some of the largest ski mountains on the East Coast, New Hampshire’s major
recreational attractions include skiing, snowmobiling and other winter sports, hiking
and mountaineering, observing the fall foliage, summer cottages along many lakes
and the seacoast, motor sports at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and
Motorcycle Week, a popular motorcycle rally held in Weirs Beach near Laconia in
June. The White Mountain National Forest links the Vermont and Maine portions of the
Appalachian Trail, and boasts the Mount Washington Auto Road, where visitors may
drive to the top of 6,288-foot (1,917 m) Mount Washington.

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NEW JERSEY
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United
States. It is bordered on the north and east by the U.S. state of New York, on the
southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania, and on the
southwest by Delaware. New Jersey is the 4th least extensive, but the 11th most
populous and the most densely populated of the 50 United States. New Jersey lies
mostly within the sprawling metropolitan areas of New York City and Philadelphia. It
is also the third wealthiest U.S. state by 2011 median household income.
The area was inhabited by Native Americans for more than 2,800 years, with historical
tribes such as the Lenape along the coast. In the early 17th century, the Dutch and
the Swedes made the first European settlements. The British later seized control of
the region, naming it the Province of New Jersey. It was granted as a colony to Sir
George Carteret and John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton. At this time, it
was named after the largest of the British Channel Islands, Jersey, Carteret’s
birthplace. New Jersey was the site of several decisive battles during the American
Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, factories in cities such as Paterson, Newark, Trenton, and
Elizabeth helped to drive the Industrial Revolution. New Jersey’s position at the
center of the Northeast megalopolis, between Boston and New York City to the
northeast, and Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. to the southwest,
fueled its rapid growth through the process of suburbanization in the 1950s and
beyond.

NEW MEXICO
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United
States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. New Mexico
is the 5th most extensive, the 36th most populous, and the 6th least densely
populated of the 50 United States.
Inhabited by Indigenous peoples of the Americas for many centuries, New Mexico has
also been part of the Imperial Spanish vice royalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a
U.S. territory. Among U.S. states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of
Hispanics, including descendants of Spanish colonists and recent immigrants from
Latin America. It also has the second-highest percentage of Indigenous peoples of the
Americas, after Alaska, and the fourth-highest total number of Indigenous peoples of
the Americas after California, Oklahoma, and Arizona. The tribes in the state consist
of mostly Navajo and Pueblo peoples. As a result, the demographics and culture of
the state are unique for their strong Hispanic and Native-American influences. The
flag of New Mexico is represented by the red and gold colors, which represent Spain,
as well as the Zia symbol, an ancient symbol for the sun of that Pueblo-related tribe.

NEW YORK
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. New York is the
27th-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 7th-most densely populated of
the 50 United States. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the
south and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east. The state has a
maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international
border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the west and north, and Quebec to

22
the north. The state of New York is often referred to as New York State to distinguish
it from New York City.
New York City, with a population of over 8.1 million, is the most populous city in the
United States. Alone, it makes up over 40 percent of the population of New York
State. It is known for its status as a center for finance and culture and for its status as
the largest gateway for immigration to the United States. According to the U.S.
Department of Commerce, New York City is also a destination of choice for many
foreign visitors. Both the state and city were named for the 17th century Duke of
York, James Stuart, future James II and VII of England and Scotland.
New York was inhabited by various tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian speaking Native
American tribes at the time Dutch settlers moved into the region in the early 17th
century. In 1609, the region was first claimed by Henry Hudson for the Dutch. Fort
Nassau was built near the site of the present-day capital of Albany in 1614. The Dutch
soon also settled New Amsterdam and parts of the Hudson River Valley, establishing
the colony of New Netherland. The British took over the colony by annexation in 1664.
The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were roughly similar to
those of the present-day state. About one third of all the battles of the Revolutionary
War took place in New York. The state constitution was enacted in 1777. New York
became the 11th state to ratify the United States Constitution, on July 26, 1788.

NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern United States. The state borders South
Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north.
North Carolina is the 28th most extensive and the 10th most populous of the 50
United States. North Carolina is known as the Tar Heel State and the Old North State.
North Carolina is composed of 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city
is Charlotte. In the past five decades, North Carolina’s economy has undergone a
transition from heavy reliance upon tobacco and furniture making to a more
diversified economy with engineering, biotechnology, and finance sectors.
North Carolina has a wide range of elevations, from sea level on the coast to 6,684
feet (2,037 m) at Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the Eastern US. The climate of
the coastal plains is strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the state falls
in the humid subtropical climate zone. More than 300 miles (500 km) from the coast,
the western, mountainous part of the state has a subtropical highland climate.

NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States, along
the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Manitoba and Saskatchewan to the
north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west.
North Dakota is the 19th most extensive, but the 3rd least populous and the 4th least
densely populated of the 50 United States. North Dakota was created from the
northern portion of the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union on November 2,
1889, simultaneously with South Dakota.
The state capitol is located in Bismarck and the largest city is Fargo. The primary
public universities are located in Grand Forks and Fargo. The U.S. Air Force operates
air bases at Minot AFB and Grand Forks AFB.

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For more than a decade, the state has had a strong economy, with unemployment
lower than the national average and strong job and population growth. Much of the
growth has been based on development of the Bakken oil shale fields in the western
part of the state. The state has also seen strong economic growth in the technology
and service sectors.

OHIO
Ohio is a state in the Midwestern United States. Ohio is the 34th most extensive, the
7th most populous, and the 10th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The
state’s capital and largest city is Columbus.
The name “Ohio” originated from Iroquois word ‘ohi-yo’, meaning “great river”. The
state, originally partitioned from the Northwest Territory, was admitted to the Union
as the 17th state (and the first under the Northwest Ordinance) on March 1, 1803.
Although there are conflicting narratives regarding the origin of the nickname, Ohio is
historically known as the “Buckeye State” and Ohioans are also known as “Buckeyes”.
The government of Ohio is composed of the executive branch, led by the Governor;
the legislative branch, which comprises the Ohio General Assembly; and the judicial
branch, which is led by the Supreme Court. Currently, Ohio occupies 18 seats in the
United States House of Representatives. Ohio is known for its status as both a swing
state and a bellwether in national elections.

OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of
America. Oklahoma is the 20th most extensive and the 28th most populous of the 50
United States. The state’s name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma,
meaning “red people”, and it is known informally by its nickname, The Sooner State.
Formed by the combination of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory on November
16, 1907, Oklahoma was the 46th state to enter the union. Its residents are known as
Oklahomans or, informally “Okies”, and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.
A major producer of natural gas, oil, and agriculture, Oklahoma relies on an economic
base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. It has one of the
fastest growing economies in the nation, ranking among the top states in per capita
income growth and gross domestic product growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as
Oklahoma’s primary economic anchors, with nearly 60 percent of Oklahomans living in
their metropolitan statistical areas.
With small mountain ranges, prairie, and eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the
Great Plains and the U.S. Interior Highlands-a region especially prone to severe
weather. In addition to having a prevalence of English, German, Scottish, Irish and
Native American ancestry, more than 25 Native American languages are spoken in
Oklahoma, second only to California.
Oklahoma is located on a confluence of three major American cultural regions and
historically served as a route for cattle drives, a destination for southern settlers, and
a government-sanctioned territory for Native Americans. As part of the Bible Belt,
widespread belief in evangelical Christianity makes it one of the most politically
conservative states, though Oklahoma has more voters registered with the Democratic
Party than with any other party.

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OREGON
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on
the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on
the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of
Oregon’s northern and eastern boundaries, respectively. The area was inhabited by
many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers, and settlers who
formed an autonomous government in Oregon Country in 1843. The Oregon Territory
was created in 1848, and Oregon became the 33rd state on February 14, 1859.
Oregon is the 9th most extensive and the 27th most populous of the 50 United States.
Salem is the state’s capital and third-most-populous city; Portland is the most
populous. Portland is the 29th-largest U.S. city, with a population of 583,776 (2010 US
Census) and a metro population of 2,241,841 (2009 estimate), the 23rd-largest U.S.
metro area. The valley of the Willamette River in western Oregon is the state’s most
densely populated area and is home to eight of the ten most populous cities.
Oregon contains a diverse landscape including the windswept Pacific coastline, the
volcanoes of the rugged and glaciated Cascade Mountain Range, many waterfalls,
dense evergreen forests, mixed forests and deciduous forests at lower elevations, and
high desert across much of the eastern portion of the state, extending into the Great
Basin. The tall Douglas firs and redwoods along the rainy Western Oregon coast
contrast with the lower density and fire-prone pine tree and juniper forests covering
portions of the eastern half of the state. Alder trees are common in the west and fix
nitrogen for the conifers; aspen groves are common in eastern Oregon. Stretching east
from Central Oregon, the state also includes semi-arid shrub lands, prairies, deserts,
steppes, and meadows. Mount Hood is the highest point in the state at 11,249 feet
(3,429 m). Crater Lake National Park is the only national park in Oregon.

PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a US state that is
located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, and the
Great Lakes region. The state borders Delaware to the southeast, Maryland to the
south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, Lake Erie and Ontario,
Canada to the northwest, New York to the north, and New Jersey to the east.
Pennsylvania is the 33rd most extensive, the 6th most populous, and the 9th most
densely populated of the 50 United States. The state’s four most populous cities are
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Erie. The state capital is Harrisburg.
Pennsylvania has 63 miles (101 km) of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles (92 km)
of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary.

RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island, officially the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a
state in the New England region of the United States. Rhode Island is the smallest in
area, the eighth least populous, but the second most densely populated of the 50 US
states behind New Jersey. Rhode Island is bordered by Connecticut to the west and
Massachusetts to the north and east, and it shares a water boundary with New York’s
Long Island to the southwest.

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Rhode Island was the first of the 13 original colonies to declare independence from
British rule, declaring itself independent on May 4, 1776, two months before any
other colony. The State was also the last of the thirteen original colonies to ratify the
United States Constitution.
Rhode Island’s official nickname is “The Ocean State,” a reference to the State’s
geography, since Rhode Island has several large bays and inlets that amount to about
14% of its total area. Its land area is 1,045 square miles (2,710 sq. km), but its total
area is significantly larger.

SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina is a state in the Southeastern United States. It is bordered to the north
by North Carolina; to the south and west by Georgia, located across the Savannah
River; and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Originally part of the Province of
Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was the first of the 13 colonies that declared
independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was
originally named by King Charles II of England in honor of his father Charles I (Carolus
being Latin for Charles). South Carolina was the first state to ratify the Articles of
Confederation, the 8th state to ratify the US Constitution on May 23, 1788. South
Carolina later became the first state to vote to secede from the Union which it did on
December 20, 1860. It was readmitted to the United States on June 25, 1868.
South Carolina is the 40th most extensive and the 24th most populous of the 50
United States. South Carolina comprises 46 counties. The capital and largest city of
the state is Columbia.

SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is
named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. South Dakota is the
17th most extensive, but the 5th least populous and the 5th least densely populated
of the 50 United States. Once, the southern portion of the Dakota Territory, South
Dakota, became a state on November 2, 1889. Pierre is the state capital and Sioux
Falls, with a population of 153,000, is South Dakota’s largest city.
South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska,
Wyoming, and Montana. The state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South
Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as
“East River” and “West River”. Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the state’s
population, and fertile soil in this area is used to grow a variety of crops. West of the
Missouri, ranching is the predominant agricultural activity, and the economy is more
dependent on tourism and defense spending. The Black Hills, a group of low pine-
covered mountains, is located in the southwest part of the state. The Black Hills are
sacred to the Sioux. Mount Rushmore, a major tourist destination, is located there.
Other attractions in the southwest include Badlands and Wind Cave national parks,
Custer State Park, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and historic Deadwood. South Dakota
experiences a temperate continental climate, with four distinct seasons and
precipitation ranging from moderate in the east to semi-arid in the west. The ecology
of the state features species typical of a North American grassland biome.
Humans have inhabited the area for several millennia, with the Sioux becoming
dominant by the early 19th century. In the late 19th century, European-American

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settlement intensified after a gold rush in the Black Hills and the construction of
railroads from the east. Encroaching miners and settlers caused conflict that triggered
a number of Indian wars, ending with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. Key events
in the 20th century included the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, increased federal
spending during the 1940s and 50s for agriculture and defense, and an
industrialization of agriculture which has much reduced family farming.
While several Democratic senators have represented South Dakota for multiple terms
at the federal level, the state government is largely dominated by the Republican
Party, whose nominees have carried South Dakota in each of the most recent eleven
presidential elections. Historically dominated by an agricultural economy and a rural
lifestyle, South Dakota has recently sought to diversify its economy in areas, including
bio-medical research and alternative energy fuels, to attract and retain residents.
South Dakota’s history and rural character still strongly influence the culture of the
state.

TENNESSEE
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. Tennessee is the
36th most extensive and the 17th most populous of the 50 United States. Tennessee is
bordered by Kentucky and Virginia to the north, North Carolina to the east, Georgia,
Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, and Arkansas and Missouri to the west. The
Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state, and the Mississippi
River forms the state’s western border. Tennessee’s capital and second largest city is
Nashville, which has a population of 626,144. Memphis is the state’s largest city, with
a population of 670,902.
The state of Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association, a 1772 frontier pact
generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachians.
What is now Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later part of the
Southwest Territory. Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June
1, 1796. Tennessee was the last state to leave the Union and join the Confederacy at
the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War in 1861, and the first state to be readmitted to the
Union at the end of the war.
Tennessee furnished more soldiers for the Confederate Army than any other state,
and more soldiers for the Union Army than any other Southern state. Tennessee has
seen some of the nation’s worst racial strife, from the formation of the Ku Klux Klan
in Pulaski in 1866 to the assassination of Martin Luther King in Memphis in 1968. In the
20th century, Tennessee transitioned from an agrarian economy to a more diversified
economy, aided at times by federal entities such as the Tennessee Valley Authority. In
the early 1940s, the city of Oak Ridge was established to house the Manhattan
Project’s uranium enrichment facilities, helping to build the world’s first atomic
bomb.
Tennessee has played a critical role in the development of many forms of American
popular music, including rock and roll, blues, country, and rockabilly. Beale Street in
Memphis is considered by many to be the birthplace of the blues, with musicians such
as W.C. Handy performing in its clubs as early as 1909. Memphis was also home to Sun
Records, where musicians such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee
Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Charlie Rich began their recording careers, and where rock
and roll took shape in the 1950s. The 1927 Victor recording sessions in Bristol

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generally mark the beginning of the country music genre and the rise of the Grand Ole
Opry in the 1930s helped make Nashville the center of the country music recording
industry. Three bricks and mortar museums recognize Tennessee’s role in nurturing
various forms of popular music: the Memphis Rock N’ Soul Museum, the Country Music
Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, and the International Rock-A-Billy Museum in
Jackson. In addition, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, an online site recognizing the
development of rockabilly in which Tennessee played a crucial role, is based in
Nashville.
Tennessee’s major industries include agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism.
Poultry, soybeans, and cattle are the state’s primary agricultural products, and major
manufacturing exports include chemicals, transportation equipment, and electrical
equipment. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the nation’s most visited
national park, is headquartered in the eastern part of the state, and a section of the
Appalachian Trail roughly follows the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Other major
tourist attractions include the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, the Sunsphere in
Knoxville, Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, the Parthenon, the Country Music Hall of Fame
and Museum, and Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and Elvis Presley’s Graceland
residence and tomb in Memphis.

TEXAS
Texas is the second most populous and the second most extensive of the 50 states in
the United States of America, and the most extensive state of the 48 contiguous
United States. Located in the South Central United States, Texas shares an
international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Le￳n and
Tamaulipas to the south, and borders the US states of New Mexico to the west,
Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast and Louisiana to the east. Texas has
an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 sq. km), and a growing population of 25.7
million residents.
Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while
San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States.
Dallas-Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest United States
metropolitan areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin-the
state capital. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas as a former
independent republic and as a reminder of the state’s struggle for independence from
Mexico. The “Lone Star” can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state
seal today.
Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains
diverse landscapes that resemble both the American South and Southwest. Although
Texas is popularly associated with the Southwestern deserts, less than 10% of the land
area is desert. Most of the population centers are located in areas of former prairies,
grasslands, forests, and the coastline. Traveling from east to west, one can observe
terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged
hills, and finally the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.
The term “six flags over Texas” came from the several nations that had ruled over the
territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas. France
held a short-lived colony in Texas. Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when
Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845 it joined the

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United States as the 28th state. The state’s annexation set off a chain of events that
caused the Mexican-American War in 1846. A slave state, Texas declared its secession
from the United States in early 1861, joining the Confederate States of America
during the American Civil War. After the war and its restoration to the Union, Texas
entered a long period of economic stagnation.
One Texas industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle. Due to its long history
as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The
state’s economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries
initiated an economic boom in the state. With strong investments in universities,
Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry in the mid-20th
century. As of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies
with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many
industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics,
aerospace, and bio-medical sciences. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since
2002 and has the second-highest gross state product.

UTAH
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the
Union on January 4, 1896. Utah is the 13th-most extensive, the 34th-most populous,
and the 10th-least-densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately 80% of
Utah’s 2,817,222 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City,
leaving vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited and making the population the
sixth most urbanized in the U.S. Utah is bordered by Arizona on the south, Colorado
on the east, Wyoming on the northeast, Idaho on the north and Nevada on the west. It
also touches a corner of New Mexico.
Utah is the most religiously homogeneous state in the Union. It is home to the Salt
Lake Temple, and approximately 63% of Utahns are reported to be members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS (Mormons) which greatly influences
Utah culture and daily life.
The state is a center of transportation, education, information technology and
research, government services, mining, and a major tourist destination for outdoor
recreation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates, Utah was the
fastest-growing state in the United States as of 2008. St. George, Utah, was the
fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005. A 2012
Gallup national survey found Utah overall to be the “best state to live in” based on 13
forward-looking measurements including various economic, lifestyle, and health
related outlook metrics.

VERMONT
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States.
Vermont is the 6th least extensive and the 2nd least populous of the 50 United States.
It is the only New England state not bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Champlain
forms half of Vermont’s western border, which it shares with the state of New York.
The Green Mountains are within the state. Vermont is bordered by Massachusetts to
the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian
province of Quebec to the north.

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Originally inhabited by two major Native American tribes, much of the territory that
is now Vermont was claimed by France during its early colonial period. France ceded
the territory to the Kingdom of Great Britain after being defeated in 1763 in the
Seven Years’ War (also called the French and Indian War). For many years, the nearby
colonies, especially New Hampshire and New York, disputed control of the area (then
called the New Hampshire Grants). Settlers who held land titles granted by these
colonies were opposed by the Green Mountain Boys militia, which eventually prevailed
in creating an independent state, the Vermont Republic. Founded in 1777 during the
Revolutionary War, the republic lasted for fourteen years. Setting aside the Thirteen
Colonies, Vermont is one of only four U.S. states (along with Texas, Hawaii, the
briefly declared Republic of West Florida) to have been a sovereign state in its past.
In 1791, Vermont joined the United States as the 14th state, the first outside the
original 13 Colonies. It abolished slavery while still independent, and upon joining the
Union became the first state to have done so.
Vermont is the leading producer of maple syrup in the United States. The state capital
is Montpelier, which has a population of 7,855 and is the least populated state capital
in the country. Vermont’s most populous city is Burlington, with a 2010 population of
42,417, which makes it the least populous “largest city of a state” in the United
States. Burlington’s metropolitan area is 211,261.

VIRGINIA
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state located in the South
Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia is nicknamed the “Old Dominion” and
the “Mother of Presidents” after the eight U.S. presidents born there. The geography
and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the
Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of
the Commonwealth is Richmond; and Virginia Beach is the most populous city. Fairfax
County is the most populous political subdivision. The wealthiest is Loudoun County.
The Commonwealth’s population is over eight million.
The area’s history begins with several indigenous groups, including the Powhatan. In
1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent
New World English colony. Slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native
American tribes each played a significant role in the colony’s early politics and
plantation economy. Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution
and joined the Confederacy in the American Civil War, during which Richmond was
made the Confederate capital and Virginia’s northwestern counties separated to form
the state of West Virginia. Although the Commonwealth was under conservative
single-party rule for nearly a century following Reconstruction, both major national
parties are competitive in modern Virginia.
The Virginia General Assembly is the oldest legislature in the Western Hemisphere.
The state government has been repeatedly ranked most effective by the Pew Center
on the States. It is unique in how it treats cities and counties equally, manages local
roads, and prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. Virginia’s economy
has many sectors: agriculture in the Shenandoah Valley; federal agencies in Northern
Virginia, including the headquarters of the Department of Defense and CIA; and
military facilities in Hampton Roads, the site of the region’s main seaport. Virginia’s
public schools and many colleges and universities have contributed to growing media

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and technology sectors. As a result, computer chips have become the state’s leading
export.

WASHINGTON
Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States located
north of Oregon, west of Idaho and south of the Canadian province of British
Columbia, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Washington was carved out of the
western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the
Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the
Union as the 42nd state in 1889.
Washington is the 18th most extensive and the 13th most populous of the 50 United
States. Approximately 60 percent of Washington’s residents live in the Seattle
metropolitan area, the center of transportation, business, and industry along the
Puget Sound region of the Salish Sea, an inlet of the Pacific consisting of numerous
islands, deep fjords, and bays carved out by glaciers. The remainder of the state
consists of deep rainforests in the west, mountain ranges in the west, center,
northeast and far southeast, and a semi-arid eastern basin given over to intensive
agriculture. Washington is the second most populous state on the west coast and in
the western United States after California.

WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian region of the Southern United States. It is
bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the
northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east. West Virginia is
the 41st most extensive and the 37th most populous of the 50 United States. The
capital and largest city is Charleston.
West Virginia became a state following the Wheeling Conventions and broke away
from Virginia during the American Civil War. The new state was admitted to the Union
on June 20, 1863, and was a key Civil War border state. West Virginia was the only
state to form by seceding from a Confederate state, and was one of two states
formed during the American Civil War.
The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia
as part of the South. The northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and
Ohio, with the West Virginia cities of Wheeling and Weirton just across the border
from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, while Bluefield is less than 70 miles (110 km)
from North Carolina. Huntington in the southwest is close to the states of Ohio and
Kentucky, while Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry in the Eastern Panhandle region are
considered to be a part of the Washington metropolitan area, in between the states
of Maryland and Virginia. The unique position of West Virginia means that it is often
included in several geographical regions, including the Mid-Atlantic, the Upland
South, and the Southeastern United States. It is the only state that is entirely within
the area served by the Appalachian Regional Commission; the area is commonly
defined as “Appalachia.”
The state is noted for its mountains and diverse topography, its historically significant
logging and coal mining industries, and its political and labor history. It is one of the
most densely karstic areas in the world, making it a choice area for recreational
caving and scientific research. The karst lands contribute to much of the state’s cool

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trout waters. It is also known for a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities,
including skiing, whitewater rafting, fishing, hiking, mountain biking and hunting.

WISCONSIN
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States and in particular in
the Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the
southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast,
and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin is the 23rd state by total area with 169,469
km2 and the 20th most populous with 5,686,986 inhabitants estimated in 2011. State
capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee which is located in the western
shore of Lake Michigan. The state comprises 72 counties.
Wisconsin’s geography is diversified, with the Northern Highland and Western Upland
along with a part of the Central Plain occupying the western part of the state and
lowlands stretching to the shore of Lake Michigan. Wisconsin is second to Michigan in
the length of its Great Lakes coastline.
Wisconsin is known as “America’s Dairyland” because of the large amount of dairy
products that are produced in the state. Manufacturing and tourism are also major
contributors to the state’s economy.
Wisconsin politics has been balanced between the Democratic and the Republican
parties. The state has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1988. In
2010 the Republicans gained a Senatorial seat and two seats in the U.S. House of
Representatives. It elected only two Republican Senators and Republican governors
for 28 years since 1962. The Wisconsin State Legislature was controlled by Democrats
from 1975 to 1995 and since then has shifted power between the two major parties.
Republicans hold a majority in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Following the 2011
Wisconsin protests, Democrats gained a narrow majority in the State Senate, 17-16.

WYOMING
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. Wyoming is
the 10th most extensive, but the least populous and the 2nd least densely populated
of the 50 U.S. states. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the
mountain ranges and range lands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains,
while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High Plains.
Cheyenne is the capital and the most populous city of Wyoming with a population of
nearly 60,000 people within its city proper.

TIMEZONES
Since US is a big country stretching considerably from East to West, it follows four
standard time zones prominently mentioned below in a west to east order. Each zone
is an hour ahead from the zone on its west and behind by an hour from the zone on its
east.
The four main Time zones are:

Pacific Standard Time (9 AM PST)

Mountain Standard Time (10 AM MST)

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 Central Standard Time (11 AM CST)

Eastern Standard Time (12 Noon EST)

In addition, the two off-mainland time zones are:

Alaska Standard Time (8 AM AKST)

Hawaii Standard Time (7 AM HST)

Daylight Saving Time: During World War I, daylight-saving time was adopted in various
countries to save fuel by reducing the need for artificial light in evening hours. The US
found it very effective and continued with it. Although in order to introduce
consistency in observing the DST, the congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966.
This law assured a common practice to observe DST. Every spring for example at 2
a.m. on the first Sunday of April, clocks are advanced one hour thereby gaining one
hour. Similarly, at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October, clocks are set back one hour
losing an hour and come back to the respective Standard Time.

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