Megan Moran

US state shapes quiz

Every US state has an outline of its own, shaped by rivers, coastlines and surveyors' straight lines. Can you name these 20 from their silhouettes alone, with no map around them for clues? A fact follows every answer.

A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Great American Quiz Book.

Paper-cut illustration of loose cut-paper puzzle shapes and gold scissors on a craft table
Pick an answer to start20 to go
  1. Outline of a single US state: a large shape with a tall rectangular strip rising from its top and a long, jagged coast in the southeast
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 1 of 20US state shapesEasy

    Which US state has this shape?

  2. Outline of a single US state: a long peninsula pointing south, joined to a narrow strip that runs west along the top
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 2 of 20US state shapesEasy

    Which US state has this shape?

  3. Outline of a single US state: very narrow at the top, widening into a broad block at the bottom, with a jagged eastern edge
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 3 of 20US state shapesMedium

    Which US state has this shape?

  4. Outline of a single US state: long and narrow, with a straight inland edge that bends sharply partway down and a long western coast
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 4 of 20US state shapesEasy

    Which US state has this shape?

  5. Outline of a single US state: a near-rectangle with a square notch cut out of the top-right corner
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 5 of 20US state shapesMedium

    Which US state has this shape?

  6. Outline of a single US state: a broad block with a long, thin strip extending west from its top edge and a wavy southern border
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 6 of 20US state shapesEasy

    Which US state has this shape?

  7. Outline of a single US state: straight edges along the top and right, with a long diagonal southwestern edge narrowing to a point at the bottom
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 7 of 20US state shapesMedium

    Which US state has this shape?

  8. Outline of a single US state: two separate pieces of land, a long narrow one across the top and a large rounded one below
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 8 of 20US state shapesEasy

    Which US state has this shape?

  9. Outline of a single US state: a long, thin strip in the west that widens in the east, split almost in two by a deep bay
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 9 of 20US state shapesMedium

    Which US state has this shape?

  10. Outline of a single US state: a tall shape, wide across the top and tapering to a narrow base
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 10 of 20US state shapesHard

    Which US state has this shape?

  11. Outline of a single US state: an L-shape, with a tall western block and a ragged, marshy coastline along the bottom
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 11 of 20US state shapesEasy

    Which US state has this shape?

  12. Outline of a single US state: an irregular body with two narrow arms reaching out, one to the north and one to the east
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 12 of 20US state shapesMedium

    Which US state has this shape?

  13. Outline of a single US state: a tall, narrow wedge with a small rounded cap at the top, widening toward the bottom
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 13 of 20US state shapesHard

    Which US state has this shape?

  14. Outline of a single US state: a long, low parallelogram, several times wider than it is tall
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 14 of 20US state shapesMedium

    Which US state has this shape?

  15. Outline of a single US state: a long strip running west to east that ends in a curled hook of land and a few small islands
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 15 of 20US state shapesMedium

    Which US state has this shape?

  16. Outline of a single US state: a near-square with straight edges on three sides, a jagged eastern edge and a small step in the bottom-left corner
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 16 of 20US state shapesHard

    Which US state has this shape?

  17. Outline of a single US state: a tall shape with a small knob sticking up at the top and an arm angling northeast along the upper right
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 17 of 20US state shapesMedium

    Which US state has this shape?

  18. Outline of a single US state: a wide rectangle with wavy, river-made edges on the left and right
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 18 of 20US state shapesHard

    Which US state has this shape?

  19. Outline of a single US state: a roughly triangular body narrowing to the north, with a long, thin island trailing off the bottom-right corner
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 19 of 20US state shapesMedium

    Which US state has this shape?

  20. Outline of a single US state: tall and narrow, with a straight eastern edge, a wiggly western edge and a short coastline at the bottom
    US Census Bureau (map data, via us-atlas) · Public domain

    Question 20 of 20US state shapesHard

    Which US state has this shape?

Answer all 20 to see your score.

Want more? The Great American Quiz Book has over 800 questions like these, ready for your next quiz night.

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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
  1. Which US state has this shape? TexasBefore joining the US in 1845, Texas was an independent nation, the Republic of Texas, for nearly ten years after breaking away from Mexico in 1836.
  2. Which US state has this shape? FloridaThe Florida Reef, stretching about 170 miles, is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental US and the third-largest barrier reef system in the world.
  3. Which US state has this shape? IdahoHells Canyon, carved by the Snake River along Idaho's western border, is North America's deepest river gorge at 7,993 ft (2,436 m).
  4. Which US state has this shape? CaliforniaCalifornia is home to Hyperion, a coast redwood about 380 ft (116 m) tall and the world's tallest known living tree; its exact location is kept secret.
  5. Which US state has this shape? UtahUtah is home to five national parks, nicknamed the 'Mighty 5': Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion.
  6. Which US state has this shape? OklahomaThe name comes from the Choctaw words 'okla' (people) and 'humma' (red), proposed by Choctaw leader Allen Wright after the Civil War.
  7. Which US state has this shape? NevadaNevada has more than 300 named mountain ranges, which surprises many people who picture it as flat desert.
  8. Which US state has this shape? MichiganBordering four of the five Great Lakes, Michigan has about 3,288 miles of shoreline, the longest freshwater coastline of any US state.
  9. Which US state has this shape? MarylandIn 1962 Maryland became the first state to adopt an official state sport, and the sport it chose was jousting.
  10. Which US state has this shape? VermontVermont is the nation's leading maple syrup producer, typically making about half of all the maple syrup produced in the US.
  11. Which US state has this shape? LouisianaLouisiana is divided into parishes rather than counties, a legacy of the Catholic church districts that organized life under French and Spanish rule.
  12. Which US state has this shape? West VirginiaWest Virginia broke away from Virginia during the Civil War and joined the Union as a separate state on June 20, 1863.
  13. Which US state has this shape? DelawareAbout two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware, even though most of them have their headquarters elsewhere.
  14. Which US state has this shape? TennesseeTennessee borders eight other states, tied with Missouri for the most of any state.
  15. Which US state has this shape? MassachusettsBasketball was invented in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891, when teacher James Naismith nailed up peach baskets as goals at a YMCA training school.
  16. Which US state has this shape? ArkansasCrater of Diamonds State Park is the world's only diamond-bearing site open to the public, and visitors may keep any gems they find.
  17. Which US state has this shape? MinnesotaDespite its 'Land of 10,000 Lakes' nickname, Minnesota actually has 11,842 lakes of 10 acres or more.
  18. Which US state has this shape? IowaIowa 80, a truck stop beside Interstate 80 in Walcott, opened in 1964 and bills itself as the world's largest, with parking for about 900 trucks.
  19. Which US state has this shape? New YorkNew York's Adirondack Park covers about 6 million acres, making it the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States.
  20. Which US state has this shape? MississippiElvis Presley was born in a two-room house in East Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935; his father had built it with family help.
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