50 States And Capitals Quiz

The 50 States and Their Capitals

The United States of America consists of 50 states, each with its own capital city, government, and unique character. The 50th state - Hawaii - Was admitted to the union in 1959. The capital of each state is the seat of state government - The location of the state legislature, governor's office, and often the supreme court. Importantly, state capitals are not always the largest or most famous cities in their states: California's capital is Sacramento (not Los Angeles or San Francisco); Texas's capital is Austin (not Houston); and New York's capital is Albany (not New York City).

Some state capitals are obscure even to many Americans: How many people know that Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri, or that Juneau (Alaska's capital) is accessible only by sea or air? Annapolis (Maryland) is one of the smallest state capitals. Dover (Delaware) is the capital of the first state to ratify the Constitution. Montpelier, Vermont, is the smallest state capital by population. Try the Geography Quiz for broader geographical knowledge, or test your world capitals with the World Capitals Quiz.

The state capital trivia is an American tradition - It's one of the most commonly tested topics in school geography classes nationwide. State capitals were often selected for strategic reasons: geographic centrality (to be equidistant from all parts of the state), location along a major river or trade route, or political compromise between competing regions. Some capitals moved during a state's history - Georgia's capital moved from Savannah to Augusta to Louisville to Milledgeville before finally settling in Atlanta.