Recombined States Trivia Quiz

Answer: Colomingah

A feature of many of the western US states, straight lines are a result of apathy. When the borders for territories (and later states) were defined, nobody yet had settled there, so the borders didn't matter. In contrast, in Europe borders separated already-established populations. They often follow natural features (mountains, rivers) which are not straight.

One result of this straight line policy is Four Corners. The borders of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona all meet at a single point. Currently, the Native American tribes that live there have built up souvenir shops around the official marker. However, where the marker is is not where it was originally defined. For example, Colorado was defined as the region between 37 and 41 degrees north latitude and 25 to 32 degrees west of Washington, DC. But due to surveying errors, Colorado is defined by a 697-sided region officially. One of the major errors is that the Four Corners marker is hundreds of feet away from those defined coordinates. But since the surveyed marks are the official delineations, Four Corners stands where it is now.

States: Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming

Answer: Washorenia

Though the population of the US is concentrated on the East Coast, California is an exception. Due to the Gold Rush, favorable agricultural weather, and ocean access, millions of people migrated to California. It's currently the most populous state, with around 39 million people. This is slightly more than all of Canada (at the time of this writing).

States: Washington, Oregon, and California

Answer: Virgilina

The name "Virginia" was used by Captain Arthur Barlowe in the expedition's report, and may have been suggested that year by Raleigh or Elizabeth, perhaps noting her status as the "Virgin Queen". Another idea is that they viewed the land as being untouched. It may also be related to an Algonquin phrase, Wingandacoa or Windgancon, or leader's name, Wingina,

King Charles II named what are now North and South Carolina in honor of his father, Charles I. They were originally a single colony, but disputes in the early 18th century split it into North and South.

States: Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina

Answer: Texlahomico

Two of the three states that make this combination -- Texas and Oklahoma -- are the top two beef production states in the United States. (At time of writing, the US produced over 28 billion of pounds of beef per year.)

States: Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico

Answer: Idevzona

These states are so large that these three extend from Mexico to Canada. Only two other combinations of states can stretch between those countries with just three states.

States: Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona

Answer: Wimpimon

The eight states that border the Great Lakes are: Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and New York. (Wimpimon)

The state of Michigan borders four of the five Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie.

Answer: Monkota

When the Dakota Territory was being debated to become a state, it was first suggested that it be split into two halves with a north-south line, creating an East Dakota and a West Dakota. However, doing this would make the state West Dakota have nearly no population. So instead, since the territory had sufficient population centers along the eastern border, the territory was split the other way, giving us North and South Dakota.

Even though both states were admitted to the union on the same day (November 2, 1889), North Dakota is listed as the 39th state and South Dakota is the 40th.

States: Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota

Answer: Nebowakanouri

Together, these states produced over 5.4 billion bushels of corn in 2020.

States: Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri

Answer: Fleorabamippi

Of the 301 hurricanes recorded from 1851 to 2022, 178 of them have struck one of these four states.

States (and hurricane strikes): Florida (120, 40%), Georgia (21, 7%), Alabama (23, 8%), and Mississippi (14, 5%)

Answer: New England

There are several American English dialects spoken in the region, most famously the Boston accent which is native to the northeastern coastal regions of New England. The most identifiable features of the Boston accent are believed to have originated from England's Received Pronunciation, which shares features such as the broad A and dropping the final R.

States: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island