Full name: The United States of America
Number of States: 50
Capital: Washington D.C. (District of Columbia)
Form of Government: Federal Republic
Area: 9,363,130 sq Km
Population: 83% white (approximately)
13% African Americans
3% Asian Americans
1% Native Americans
Highest point: Mount McKinley – Alaska (6,194 metres)
Lowest point: Death Valley – California (85 m)
Longest river: The Mississippi (6,019 Km)
Largest lake: Lake Superior – a natural frontier with Canada (82, 270 sq Km)
Time zones: 4 – (Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern Standard)
Languages: American English, Spanish
Currency: US dollar ($)
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ALABAMA
(Named after an Indian tribe
originally called Alabamas)
Nickname: The Cotton State
Capital: Montgomery
Products: steel, iron, oil, natural
gas, textiles, food products
Alabama is the major centre for
rocket and space research.
ALASKA
(From the Eskimo word meaning
the mainland)
Nickname: The Last Frontier
Capital: Juneau
Products: oil, natural gas, wood,
fish, fur
Alaska was purchased from Russia
in 1867. It is the biggest and coldest
state but the smallest in population.
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ARIZONA
(Indian name meaning place of the
small spring.)
Nickname: The Grand Canyon
State
Capital: Phoenix
Products: gold, silver, uranium,
electronic equipment, tourism
The Grand Canyon, one of the
world’s natural wonders, is the
largest land gorge in the world.
ARKANSAS
(From the name of a Sioux Indian
tribe)
Nickname: Land of Opportunity
Capital: Little Rock
Products: bauxite (aluminium),
industrial machinery, livestock
President Bill Clinton was born in
Arkansas.
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CALIFORNIA
(Name of an imaginary island in a
Spanish romance)
Nickname: The Golden State
Capital: Sacramento
Important Cities: Los Angeles and
San Francisco
Products: motion pictures, fruit
(oranges) and vegetables, cattle, oil
California was discovered in 1542 by
the Portuguese-born explorer Juan
Rodriguez Cabrillo. Disneyland and
Hollywood are in California.
COLORADO
(From the Spanish word meaning
coloured or reddish)
Nickname: The Centennial State
Capital: Denver
Products: metal products,
electronic equipment, oil, cattle,
farming
Colorado has more mountains over
14,000 feet than any other state.
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CONNECTICUT
(From the Algonquian Indian name
meaning place of the long stream)
Nickname: The Nutmeg State
Capital: Hartford
Products: aircraft parts and
helicopters, chemicals, tobacco,
dairy products
The first library for children opened
in Salisbury in 1803.
DELAWARE
(From Lord De La Warr, first
colonial governor of Virginia)
Nickname: The Diamond State
Capital: Dover
Products: chemicals, machinery,
corn, chickens
Delaware was the first state of the
US to agree to the Constitution.
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FLORIDA
(From the Spanish name florida
which means flowery)
Nickname: The Sunshine State
Capital: Tallahassee
Products: electronic and
transportation equipment, citrus
fruit, livestock, fish, tourism
Walt Disney World, Universal
Studios and Kennedy Space Centre
are in Florida
GEORGIA
(Named after King George II of
England )
Nickname: The Peach State
Capital: Atlanta
Products: clothing and textiles,
resin, paper, chickens, peaches
Georgia has more woods than any
other state. The first US gold rush
took place in Georgia.
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HAWAII
(From the Polynesians’ name for
their homeland)
Nickname: The Aloha State
Capital: Honolulu
Products: pineapples, sugar cane,
fish, tourism
It has the biggest active volcano in
the US: Mauna Loa
IDAHO
(From an Apache Indian name)
Nickname: The Gem State
Capital: Boise
Products: potatoes, hay, wheat,
cattle, silver, tourism (winter sports)
Two thirds of all potatoes in the US
are grown in Idaho.
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ILLINOIS
(From the Algonquian Indian word
meaning warriors)
Nickname: The Prairie State
Capital. Springfield
Largest City: Chicago
Products: industrial machinery,
food products, corn
Illinois has one of the world’s tallest
building: The Sears Tower in
Chicago
INDIANA
(The name means land of the
Indians)
Nickname: The Hoosier State
Capital: Indianapolis
Products: electronic and
transportation equipment, industrial
machinery, corn, wheat, oats, livestock
Indiana is the biggest basketball state
and home of the famous Indianapolis
500 auto race.
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IOWA
(From the name of an Indian tribe
that lived in the territory)
Nickname: The Hawkeye State
Capital: Des Moines
Famous City: Sioux City
Products: corn, soybeans, cattle,
industrial machinery
Buffalo Bill (1846-19179 was born
in Iowa
KANSAS
(From the name of a Sioux Indian tribe
meaning people of the south wind)
Nickname: The Sunflower State
Capital: Topeka
Famous city: Kansas City
Products: cattle, meat packing
industries, wheat, corn, oil, natural gas,
aircraft, industrial machinery
Kentucky is one of the two biggest
wheat growing states. The carousel
with jumping horses was invented in
Kansas (1898)
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KENTUCKY
(From an Iroquoian Indian word
meaning meadowland)
Nickname: The Bluegrass State
Capital: Frankfort
Products: coal, electronic
equipment, industrial machinery,
cattle, horses, whisky
Kentucky is the home of the
Kentucky Derby, the most famous
horse race in America.
LOUISIANA
(Named after King Louis XIV of
France)
Nickname: The Pelican State
Capital. Baton Rouge
Largest City: New Orleans
Products: cotton, sugar cane, rice,
natural gas, oil
New Orleans is known for its jazz.
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MAINE
(Means the mainland)
Nickname: The Pine Tree State
Capital. Augusta
Products: wood and wood
products, paper, electronic
equipment, footwear, potatoes,
poultry, fish, seafood
Main has the highest tides in the
US.
MARYLAND
(Named after Queen Henrietta Maria,
wife of King Charles I of England)
Nickname: The Free State
Capital: Annapolis
Largest City: Baltimore
Products: seafood, corn, vegetables,
poultry
Maryland is the narrowest state. The
American flag on Fort McHenry during
the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott
Key to write Star Spangled Banner, the
national anthem.
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MASSACHUSETTS
(From an Algonquian Indian word
meaning place of big hills)
Nickname: The Bay State
Capital: Boston, the most cultured
city of the States
Products: electronic equipment,
printing and publishing, textiles, fish
The first American printing press
(1639) was established in
Massachusetts. The first university
– Harvard – was founded in
Massachusetts in 1636.
MICHIGAN
(From a Chippewa Indian word
meaning great water)
Nickname: The Great Lakes State
Capital: Lansing
Largest City: Detroit
Products: automobiles, industrial
machinery, rubber and plastic
products, chemicals, food products
Michigan is known for
manufacturing automobiles
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MINNESOTA
(From a Sioux Indian word meaning
cloudy water)
Nickname: The North Star State
Capital: St. Paul
Largest City: Minneapolis
Products: industrial machinery,
canned vegetables, corn, cattle,
iron ore
Minnesota, sometimes called the
Land of 10,000 Lakes, actually has
more than 15,000 lakes
MISSISSIPPI
(From an Algonquian Indian word
meaning big river)
Nickname: The Magnolia State
Capital: Jackson
Products: cotton, textiles, furniture,
electronic equipment, wood,
chickens, cattle, oil
Mississippi is the nation’s leading
cotton producer
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MISSOURI
(From the Algonquian Indian word
meaning people of the big canoes)
Nickname: The Show Me State
Capital: Jefferson City
Largest Cities: Kansas City, St.
Louis
Products: metal products, cattle,
milk, corn, beer
The first ice-cream cone was first
sold at the St. Louis World Fair in
1904
MONTANA
(From the Spanish word meaning
mountain)
Nickname: The Treasure State
Capital: Helena
Products: cattle, coal, oil, gold,
silver, copper, wheat, wood
Montana is the 4th –biggest state
(after Alaska, Texas and California.
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NEBRASKA
(From an Indian name for the Platte
River, meaning flat water)
Nickname: The Cornhusker *State
Capital: Lincoln
Products: cattle, hogs, milk, corn
wheat, industrial machines
Nebraska is the biggest meatpacking centre in the world.
* Name of a College Football Team
NEVADA
(From the Spanish word nevada,
which means snow-covered)
Nickname: The Silver State
Capital: Carson City
Largest City: Las Vegas, the
gambling city
Products: gold, silver, lead, cattle,
horses, printing
Nevada is the fastest-growing state
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NEW HAMPSHIRE
(Named after the county of
Hampshire in England)
Nickname: The Granite State
Capital: Concord
Products: industrial machinery,
electronic equipment, rubber and
plastic products, paper
New Hampshire is a popular resort
area.
NEW JERSEY
(Named after the English Channel
Island of Jersey)
Nickname: The Garden State Capital.
Trenton
Largest City: Newark, where many
Portuguese immigrants live.
Products: chemicals, metal products,
textiles, tomatoes and vegetables
The electric light bulb was invented in
New Jersey by Thomas Edison in 1879
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NEW MEXICO
(Named after the South region of
Mexico)
Nickname: Land of Enchantment
Capital. Santa Fe
Products: natural gas, oil, coal,
cattle, cotton
Pueblo Indians had an advanced
Civilization in New Mexico a
thousand years ago.
NEW YORK
(Named in honour of the Duke of
York and the city and county of
York in England)
Nickname: The Empire State
Capital: Albany
Products: printing and publishing,
industrial machinery, clothing and
textiles, metal products, cattle
New York City is the largest city in
the US
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NORTH CAROLINA
(Named to honour King Charles I of
England)
Nickname: The Tar Heel State
Capital: Raleigh
Products: tobacco, furniture,
textiles, chemicals, foods
The Wright Brothers took the first
airplane ride in history in North
Carolina
NORTH DAKOTA
(Form a Sioux Indian word meaning
allied tribes)
Nickname: The Peace Garden
State
Capital: Bismarck
Products: wheat, barley,
sunflowers, cattle, oil, coal
North Dakota is one of the two
biggest wheat-growing states in the
US (the other is Kansas)
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OHIO
(From the Iroquoian word for fine or
good river)
Nickname: The Buckeye State
Capital: Columbus
Other large cities: Cleveland and
Cincinnati
Products: metal products, rubber and
plastic products, chemicals and food
products
Ohio was the birthplace of 7 American
Presidents (Garfield, Grant, Harding, B.
Harrison, Hayes, McKinley, Taft) …
and of the hot dog.
OKLAHOMA
(From a Choctaw Indian word
meaning red people)
Nickname: The Sooner State
Capital: Oklahoma City
Products: natural gas, oil,
electronic equipment, rubber and
plastic products, cattle, wheat
More Native Americans live in
Oklahoma than in any other state.
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OREGON
(From Ouaricon-sint, the name on a
French map for the Wisconsin
River)
Nickname: The Beaver State
Capital: Salem
Products: wood, salmon, cattle,
vegetables, instruments
Oregon produces more timber than
any other state.
PENNSYLVANIA
(From Penn – William Penn – and
sylva – forest)
Nickname: The Keystone State
Capital: Harrisburg
Largest City: Philadelphia
Products: steel, coal, machinery, food
products, textiles
The Liberty Bell, in Philadelphia,
proclaimed the nation’s freedom after
the signing of the Declaration of
Independence.
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RHODE ISLAND
(Named after the Greek island of
Rhodes)
Nickname: Ocean State
Capital: Providence:
Products: metal products,
industrial machinery, electronic
equipment, fish
Rhode Island is the smallest state.
SOUTH CAROLINA
(Named after King Charles I)
Nickname: The Palmetto State
Capital: Columbia
Products: tobacco, textiles,
chemicals, paper, metal products,
livestock
The first shots of the Civil War were
fired in South Carolina
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SOUTH DAKOTA
(Form a Sioux Indian word meaning
allied tribes)
Nickname: The Coyote State
( coyote, Indian name for wolf)
Capital: Pierre
Products: wheat, cattle, hogs, milk,
corn, hay, gold
South Dakota is the largest goldproducing state.
TENNESSEE
(From the name the Cherokee
Indians gave to their ancient capital)
Nickname: The Volunteer State
Capital: Nashville
Products: chemicals, industrial
machinery, motor vehicles, food
products, textiles
Nashville is the country-music
capital of the world.
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TEXAS
(From the name of the Indian tribe
Tejas, meaning friends or allies)
Nickname: The Lone Star State
Capital: Austin
Largest Cities: Houston, Dallas
Products: oil, natural gas, cattle,
sheep, turkeys, cotton, wool, industrial
machinery
Texas is the richest state in natural
resources (oil and natural gas) and it
has the most farmland.
UTAH
(From Ute, the name of a Shoshone
Indian tribe)
Nickname: The Beehive State
Capital: Salt Lake City
Products: oil, coal, copper, gold,
silver, food products, transportation
equipment, cattle
Great Salt Lake contains 6 billion
tons of salt – it is the largest lake in
the US outside the Great Lakes.
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VERMONT
(Comes from two French words: vert –
green – and mont – mountains)
Nickname: The Green Mountain State
Capital: Montpelier
Products: granite, marble, maple
syrup, wood products, milk
Vermont was the first state to prohibit
slavery (1777) and to allow all men to
vote.
VIRGINIA
(Named to honour Elizabeth I of
England, the Virgin Queen)
Nickname: The Old Dominion
Capital: Richmond
Products: coal, fish (commercial
fisheries), textiles, livestock,
chemicals, tobacco
Virginia was the birthplace of 8
presidents (W.H.Harrison, Jefferson,
Madison, Monroe, Taylor, Tyler,
Washington, Wilson), more than any
other state.
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WASHINGTON
(Named after George Washington,
the first president of the United
States)
Nickname: The Evergreen State
Capital: Olympia
Largest City: Seattle
Products: wood products, paper,
apples, wheat, cattle, fish, aircraft and
aerospace equipment.
Mount St. Helen is the only active
volcano in the contiguous 48 states.
WEST VIRGINIA
(A state formed out of the western
countries of Virginia, whose people
created their own government
during the Civil War)
Nickname: The Mountain State
Capital: Charleston
Products: coal, natural gas, metal and
glass products, chemicals, cattle
Its mountain scenery and mineral
springs attract many tourists.
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WISCONSIN
(From an Algonquian Indian name for
the Wisconsin River, meaning the
place where the waters come together)
Nickname: The Badger State
Capital: Madison
Products: milk, cheese, packed meat,
beer, industrial machinery, cars, paper
Wisconsin – known as America’s
Dairyland – produces more milk than
any other state.
WYOMING
(From an Algonquian Indian word
meaning place of the big valleys)
Nickname: The Equality State
Capital: Cheyenne
Products: oil, coal, uranium,
natural gas, cattle, wool, tourism
Yellowstone National Park has
10,000 geysers, including the
world’s tallest active geyser:
Steamboat Geyser.
Ana Costa (adapted from Jet line 5 / Maps: Encarta Encyclopaedia)
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