47 US States and Geography Trivia Questions
Trivia about the fifty states: nicknames, capitals, borders, flags, rivers and the cities that sit in them. Most of it is geography, with some history of how and when states joined the Union. Answers are shown under each question.
There are 47 questions on this page. They are free to use for quiz nights, classrooms and pub quizzes, and each one links to its own page.
Related lists: Capital Cities trivia questions, American History trivia questions, US Presidents trivia questions, Ocean trivia questions.
1.Which two U.S. states were named after Queen Elizabeth I?
Answer: VIRGINIA / WEST VIRGINIA (both from 'Virginia', named for the Virgin Queen)
Open this question2.How many U.S. states' spellings end with the letters IA?
Answer: 5 (California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)
Open this question3.Which California city was named after a horticulturist who developed hundreds of varieties of flowers, fruits and vegetables?
Answer: BURBANK
Open this question4.What is the only U.S. state capital city named after a Biblical character?
Answer: ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
Open this question5.If all the state capital cities in the USA were listed in alphabetical order, what would be first two?
Answer: ALBANY / ANNAPOLIS
Open this question6.Which city, founded in 1565, could rightfully be called the oldest existing city in the U.S.?
Answer: ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA
Open this question7.Name the U.S. states with the following nicknames: a. The Wolverine state b. The Volunteer state c. The Gopher state
Answer: a. MICHIGAN b. TENNESSEE c. MINNESOTA
Open this question8.In which state would you find each of these cities? a. Tuscaloosa? b. Rapid City? c. Wichita Falls?
Answer: a. ALABAMA b. SOUTH DAKOTA c. TEXAS
Open this question9.How many US states begin with the letter M?
Answer: 8 (Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana)
Open this question10.The British Union Jack can be found in the flag of which US state?
Answer: HAWAII
Open this question11.The state flag of California displays what animal, walking in which direction (towards left or right)?
Answer: GRIZZLY BEAR, WALKING TOWARDS THE LEFT
Open this question12.Before Sacramento became California's capital city in 1854, five other places hosted the seat of California's government. Can you name them?
Answer: LOS ANGELES / MONTEREY / SAN JOSE / BENICIA / VALLEJO
Open this question13.The three largest cities of a certain U.S. state all begin with the letter "C." Name the state and three cities.
Answer: OHIO / Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati
Open this question14.Name the states with the following nicknames: a. The Beaver state b. The Show Me state c. The Palmetto state
Answer: a. OREGON b. MISSOURI c. SOUTH CAROLINA
Open this question15.The Ohio River originates at which city, and into which greater body of water does it eventually flow?
Answer: starts in PITTSBURGH / flows into the MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Open this question16.Name the U.S. state which has the following nickname: a. The First State b. The Centennial state: c. The Magnolia state
Answer: a. DELAWARE b. COLORADO c. MISSISSIPPI
Open this question17.Thirty-six columns surround the Lincoln Memorial. What do they represent?
Answer: 36 U.S. STATES AT TIME OF LINCOLN'S DEATH
Open this question18.How many Californias could fit inside Alaska? Closer to 2, 3, or 4?
Answer: AROUND 4: in fact, 3.6
Open this question19.Which U.S. city has these three nicknames: air crossroads of the world, Chicago of the north, largest city in the largest state?
Answer: Anchorage, Alaska
Open this question20.All these people come from the same state: Henry Ford, Gerald Ford, Madonna, and Diana Ross. Which state is it?
Answer: MICHIGAN
Open this question21.Can you name two US state capital cities whose names end with the 5-letter Greek word for city?
Answer: POLIS - INDIANAPOLIS / ANNAPOLIS
Open this question22.This 382 mile long river, longest in California, drains the northern part of the Central Valley of California and eventually flows into the San Francisco Bay. Which river?
Answer: SACRAMENTO RIVER
Open this question23.Which of these states extends farthest west? New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or Virginia?
Answer: NEW YORK
Open this question24.The second largest state, Texas; is it more or less than half the size of Alaska?
Answer: LESS
Open this question25.Which four U.S. states meet at one point, called the four corners?
Answer: ARIZONA / COLORADO / NEW MEXICO / UTAH
Open this question26.The first European visitor to this place was British Captain Cook, in 1778, and one of the interesting things he observed was people surfing over the waves on wooden boards. What place was this?
Answer: HAWAII
Open this question27.Of California, Oregon, and Washington, which was the first to become a U.S. state?
Answer: (CALIFORNIA) IN 1850 - 31st state
Open this question28.Residents of which state got their nickname from the tar seeping out of the ground that became a major product of the state?
Answer: NORTH CAROLINA "tarheels"
Open this question29.In 1513, this Spanish explorer was searching for something supernatural, and discovered Florida. Who was he and what was he searching for?
Answer: PONCE DE LEON / FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
Open this question30.During the Civil War, were these states Union or Confederate? A. West Virginia b. Kentucky c. Texas
Answer: a. UNION b. UNION c. CONFEDERATE
Open this question31.Which two states form the entire western border of Minnesota?
Answer: NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA
Open this question32.Around 1765, which two English surveyors drew a line separating the southern slave states from the northern free states?
Answer: MASON AND DIXON
Open this question33.The winner of the first Miss America pageant, Margaret Gorman, was crowned in 1921, but she did not live in, nor represent, any U.S. state. Which place did she represent?
Answer: WASHINGTON, D.C
Open this question34.Beginning in 1860 pony express horse riders carried mail from Missouri to California. For how many years was the pony express in service? One, thirteen, or twenty?
Answer: ONE went bankrupt after telegraph line was completed
Open this question35.Whish US state calls itself, "The breadbasket of America"?
Answer: KANSAS
Open this question36.Disneyland in California, and Disney World in Florida, are both located in counties with the same name. What is it?
Answer: ORANGE
Open this question37.In which state is John F. Kennedy buried?
Answer: VIRGINIA ARLINGTON CEMETERY
Open this question38.When future President of the United States Andrew Jackson established this city in 1819 he named it after an ancient city of Egypt. What is it?
Answer: MEMPHIS but not alexandria, va. which is much older
Open this question39.Can you name the four U.S. state capital cities named after U.S. Presidents?
Answer: LINCOLN, nebraska / MADISON, wisconsin / JEFFERSON CITY, mo. / JACKSON, mississippi
Open this question40.Can you name the five state capital cities which begin with the letter, "A"?
Answer: AUGUSTA / ATLANTA / ALBANY / ANNAPOLIS / AUSTIN
Open this question41.If all the U.S. state capitals were listed in alphabetical order, the first and last on the list would be capitals of bordering states. Can you name them?
Answer: ALBANY (New York) / TRENTON (New Jersey)
Open this question42.Can you name the two states capitals which contain the entire name of the state in their spellings?
Answer: OKLAHOMA CITY / INDIANAPOLIS
Open this question43.Which U.S. state capital city was named after a knighted British navigator and writer?
Answer: RALEIGH, N.C.
Open this question44.A total of fifteen U.S. Presidents were born in just two states. Which ones?
Answer: VIRGINIA 8 / OHIO 7
Open this question45.Which U.S. state's highest point is only 345 feet above sea level?
Answer: FLORIDA
Open this question46.The 31st state of the United States was the first state bordering the Pacific Ocean. Which state was this?
Answer: CALIFORNIA in 1850
Open this question47.The state of Michigan touches all of the Great Lakes except one. Which one?
Answer: LAKE ONTARIO
Open this question