How Many of These USA Trivia Questions Can You Get Right?

The United States is vast, diverse, and full of stories — from towering mountains and endless coastlines to iconic cities. It’s the birthplace of jazz, Hollywood, the internet, and the national park system, and yet there are countless details even lifelong Americans don’t know.

This quiz is your chance to put your knowledge to the test. With 101 questions spanning geography, culture, and quirky facts, you’ll travel from New York to California, Alaska to Hawaii, and everywhere in between — all without leaving your chair.

Whether you’re an American brushing up on your country’s trivia or a curious traveler wanting to learn more, this is a fun way to challenge yourself and maybe discover a few surprises along the way, and most of all, you may find some travel inspiration to plan your next trip.

So, grab your mental map and get ready: How much do you really know about the USA? 🇺🇸

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you don’t want to read the answer just yet, use the long table of contents and then click on the question when you are ready to learn the answer.

Want to step up the challenge? Go through all the questions, keep track of how many you get right, and see where you land on the score chart.

101 USA Travel Trivia Quizzes

1. What is the capital city of the United States?

The capital is Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1790 and built along the Potomac River, with the White House, Capitol, and Supreme Court all located there.

2. What river is the longest in the United States?

The Missouri River is the longest at about 2,341 miles (3,767 km). It flows through seven states before joining the Mississippi. It’s followed by the Mississippi and Yukon River, respectively, 2,340mi
(3,766 km) and 1,979 mi (3,190 km).

3. Which U.S. state has the most volcanoes?

Alaska has more than 130 volcanoes and volcanic fields. Most are part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” Other states include California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii.

4. What is the tallest mountain in the United States?

The tallest is Denali (Mount McKinley) in Alaska, at 6,190 m (20,310 ft). It’s also the third-highest of the Seven Summits.

5. Which U.S. state is known as the Sunshine State?

Florida is the Sunshine State. It’s famous for its beaches, theme parks, and subtropical climate.

6. What is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands?

Hawaii is the only state with eight main islands and a total of 137. It’s also the most isolated population center in the world.

7. What is the smallest state in the U.S. by area?

Rhode Island is the smallest at just 4,001 km² (1,545 sq mi). Despite its size, it has over 400 miles of coastline.

8. Which city is known as the “Big Apple”?

New York City. The nickname “Big Apple” originated with sportswriter John J. Fitz Gerald in the 1920s. While covering horse racing for the New York Morning Telegraph, he referred to New York’s racetracks as the “Big Apple,” meaning the big prize every jockey hoped to win. The name caught on with musicians, especially jazz artists, and later became the city’s most famous nickname.

9. Which U.S. state has the most lakes?

Alaska has the most lakes, with over 3 million, although many are unnamed. While other states like Minnesota are famous for lakes, their numbers are far lower and often based on a specific size criterion, such as Minnesota’s 11,842 lakes over 10 acres.

10. Which U.S. state has the highest average elevation?

Colorado has the highest average elevation, at about 2,073 meters (6,800 ft) above sea level. Its Rocky Mountains dominate the landscape.

11. What national park is home to Old Faithful geyser?

Yellowstone National Park is home to Old Faithful. It was the world’s first national park, established in 1872.

12. Which U.S. state has the longest coastline?

Alaska has the longest, stretching over 10,600 km (6,640 miles). That’s more than all the other states combined.

13. What U.S. state is home to Mount Rushmore?

South Dakota is home to Mount Rushmore. The monument features the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, named it the Shrine of Democracy, and oversaw the execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum.

14. Which U.S. state produces the most corn?

Iowa produces the most corn. The state is part of America’s Corn Belt, vital for food and biofuel.

15. What is the southernmost point of the continental United States?

Key West, Florida is the southernmost point, marked by the famous concrete buoy. It’s just 145 km (90 miles) from Cuba.

16. What was the first capital of the United States?

The first capital was New York City. Congress met there from 1789 until it moved to Philadelphia.

17. Which U.S. president is featured on the $2 bill?

Thomas Jefferson is on the $2 bill. The reverse side shows the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

18. What U.S. city is famous for Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras?

New Orleans, Louisiana, is famous for both. Its French Quarter is known for jazz, Creole food, and colorful parades.

19. Which U.S. state has the most islands?

Alaska has the most islands, with over 2,600 named islands. The Aleutian chain alone stretches more than 1,200 miles.

20. What is the national bird of the United States?

The Bald Eagle is the national bird. It symbolizes freedom and strength and was chosen in 1782.

21. Which state is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”?

Minnesota is called the Land of 10,000 Lakes. In reality, it has more than 11,800 lakes.

22. What U.S. city is home to the Golden Gate Bridge?

San Francisco, California, is home to the Golden Gate Bridge. Opened in 1937, it was once the world’s longest suspension bridge.

23. Which U.S. state has the nickname “The Last Frontier”?

Alaska is “The Last Frontier.” The nickname reflects its vast wilderness and remote location.

24. Which U.S. state has the deepest lake?

Crater Lake in Oregon is the deepest lake in the U.S., at 592 meters (1,943 ft) deep. It was formed inside a collapsed volcano.

25. What is the most populous state in the U.S.?

California is the most populous state, with nearly 40 million residents. If it were a country, it would have one of the largest economies in the world.

26. Which U.S. river flows through the Grand Canyon?

The Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon over millions of years. It runs 2,330 km (1,450 miles) through seven states.

27. Which U.S. state is known for its potatoes?

Idaho is famous for potatoes. It produces nearly one-third of all potatoes grown in the United States.

28. What U.S. state is home to the Great Salt Lake?

Utah is home to the Great Salt Lake. It’s the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere.

29. Which U.S. state has the lowest point in North America?

California has Badwater Basin in Death Valley, at 86 meters (282 ft) below sea level, the lowest point in North America.

30. What was the first national park in the United States?

Yellowstone was the first national park, created in 1872. It’s known for geysers, hot springs, and wildlife like bison and bears.

31. Which U.S. state is the largest by area?

Alaska is the largest, covering 1.7 million km² (663,300 sq mi) — more than twice the size of Texas.

32. Which U.S. state has the most caves?

Tennessee has the most caves, with over 10,000 documented. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, nearby, is the world’s longest cave system.

33. What U.S. state is known as the “Bluegrass State”?

Kentucky is the Bluegrass State. The nickname comes from the blue-tinted grass common in its pastures.

34. Which U.S. state has the most waterfalls?

Washington has over 3,000 documented waterfalls, with Snoqualmie Falls being one of the most famous.

35. Which U.S. state has the largest number of hot springs?

Nevada has the most hot springs, with more than 300 across the state. Many are natural pools in desert landscapes.

36. Which U.S. state has the most mountains over 14,000 feet?

Colorado has 58 peaks over 14,000 ft (4,267 m), known as “fourteeners.”

37. What is the capital of Texas?

Austin is the capital of Texas. It’s known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.”

38. Which U.S. city is known as “Sin City”?

Las Vegas, Nevada is called Sin City. It’s famous for casinos, nightlife, and entertainment.

39. What is the only U.S. state to grow coffee commercially?

Hawaii is the only state where coffee is grown commercially. Kona coffee from the Big Island is especially famous.

40. Which state is home to the Everglades National Park?

Florida is home to Everglades National Park. It’s a unique ecosystem of wetlands and mangroves.

41. Which U.S. city was the birthplace of the Beat Generation literary movement?

San Francisco, California became the hub of the Beat Generation in the 1950s, with writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg gathering in North Beach cafés and publishing groundbreaking works.

42. Which U.S. city is credited with inventing the cheeseburger?

Denver, Colorado claims the invention of the cheeseburger in the 1930s, when a local cook added cheese to a hamburger as an experiment.

43. Which U.S. city inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby?

New York City and Long Island, New York inspired the settings of The Great Gatsby, with its “East Egg” and “West Egg” based on Long Island’s Gold Coast.

44. What U.S. state is officially recognized as the birthplace of barbecue?

North Carolina is widely recognized as the birthplace of American barbecue, with traditions going back to the colonial era.

45. What is the largest desert in the United States?

The Great Basin Desert, covering about 492,000 km² (190,000 sq mi), is the largest U.S. desert. It stretches across Nevada, Utah, and parts of other states.

46. Which U.S. city is home to the Liberty Bell?

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, houses the Liberty Bell, a symbol of independence and freedom.

47. What is the capital of New York state?

The capital is Albany, not New York City. Albany became the state capital in 1797.

48. Which state is known as “The Cornhusker State”?

Nebraska is the Cornhusker State. The nickname honors the importance of corn farming in the state’s history.

49. What is the longest interstate highway in the U.S.?

Interstate 90 (I-90) is the longest, stretching 4,860 km (3,020 miles) from Seattle to Boston.

50. Which U.S. state is called the “Show-Me State”?

Missouri is the Show-Me State. The nickname suggests its people are skeptical and demand proof.

51. What U.S. state is home to Denali National Park?

Alaska is home to Denali National Park. It contains North America’s tallest peak, Denali.

52. Which city is known as the birthplace of jazz?

New Orleans, Louisiana is the birthplace of jazz. The genre emerged there in the early 1900s.

53. Which U.S. state has the largest swamp in the country?

Louisiana has the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest swamp in the U.S., spanning over 15,000 km² (6,000 sq mi).

54. Which U.S. state has the nickname “Aloha State”?

Hawaii is the Aloha State. “Aloha” means hello, goodbye, and love in Hawaiian.

55. Which U.S. state has the highest number of islands with residents?

Maine has over 4,600 islands, with about 15 year-round inhabited ones.

56. Which U.S. state has the most natural bridges?

Utah has some of the world’s largest natural bridges and arches, including those in Arches National Park.

57. Which U.S. state has the tallest sand dunes?

Colorado has the tallest dunes, with Great Sand Dunes National Park reaching up to 230 m (750 ft).

58. Which U.S. state borders only one other state?

Maine borders only New Hampshire. All its other borders are with Canada or the Atlantic Ocean.

59. What is the official residence of the U.S. president?

The White House in Washington, D.C. has been the president’s residence since 1800.

60. Which U.S. city is home to the Space Needle?

Seattle, Washington is home to the Space Needle. It was built for the 1962 World’s Fair.

61. What is the oldest university in the United States?

Harvard University, founded in 1636 in Massachusetts, is the oldest.

62. Which U.S. state has the lowest average elevation?

Delaware has the lowest average elevation, just 20 m (60 ft) above sea level.

63. Which U.S. state has the highest waterfall?

Hawaii has Oloʻupena Falls on Molokai, dropping 900 m (2,953 ft), one of the tallest waterfalls in the world.

64. What is the capital of Illinois?

The capital is Springfield, not Chicago. Abraham Lincoln lived there before becoming president.

65. Which U.S. state has the most national parks?

California has the most, with 9 national parks, including Yosemite and Sequoia.

66. Which U.S. state is home to the largest freshwater lake?

Minnesota and Wisconsin share Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake by surface area in the world.

67. Which U.S. state has the longest bay?

Maryland has Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the U.S., stretching 320 km (200 miles).

68. Which U.S. state has the longest river contained entirely within it?

Alaska has the Yukon River, stretching 3,190 km (1,980 miles), though it also flows into Canada.

69. Which state is known as “The Peach State”?

Georgia is the Peach State. It’s one of the country’s top peach producers.

70. What U.S. state is home to Niagara Falls (on the U.S. side)?

New York is home to Niagara Falls. The falls straddle the U.S.–Canada border.

71. Which city is known as the Motor City?

Detroit, Michigan is called the Motor City. It was the birthplace of the American automobile industry.

72. Which U.S. state has the largest barrier reef?

Florida has the Florida Reef, the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world.

The first largest reef in the world is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, a massive system of over 2,900 individual reefs. The second largest reef is the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), which stretches 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico down to the Bay Islands of Honduras.

73. Which U.S. state is known as “The Garden State”?

New Jersey is the Garden State, a nickname dating to the 19th century. The nickname originated from its abundant agricultural productivity and fertile soil, which allowed it to supply large amounts of food to nearby metropolitan areas like New York and Philadelphia in the 19th century.

74. What is the capital of Florida?

Tallahassee is Florida’s capital. It became the capital in 1824.

75. Which U.S. state has the Great Smoky Mountains?

Tennessee and North Carolina share the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited in the U.S.

76. Which U.S. state is home to the highest sea cliffs?

Hawaii has Molokai’s sea cliffs, rising over 1,000 meters (3,280 ft), the tallest in the world.

77. Which U.S. state has the largest salt flats?

Utah has the Bonneville Salt Flats, stretching 260 km² (100 sq mi), famous for land speed records.

78. Which U.S. state has the westernmost point?

Alaska has the westernmost point of the U.S., at Amatignak Island in the Aleutians.

79. Which State is the closest to Maine?

The closest state is Maine. Specifically, a spot near West Quoddy Head in eastern Maine is the nearest point on the U.S. mainland to Africa. From there, it’s about 5,100 km (3,175 miles) to El Beddouza, Morocco.

👉 Fun fact: Many assume Florida is closest because it’s the southeastern tip of the U.S., but due to the angle of the Atlantic coastline, Maine actually sits closer in a straight line across the ocean.

80. What is the driest state in the United States?

Nevada is the driest state, receiving only about 9.5 inches (240 mm) of rain per year.

81. Which state is known as “The Badger State”?

Wisconsin is the Badger State.

In the 1820s and 1830s, lead miners in the region often dug into hillsides to make temporary shelters rather than building houses. These rough dugouts resembled badger dens, so the miners were nicknamed “badgers.” The name stuck, and Wisconsin later embraced the badger as its state animal and a symbol of resilience and hard work.

82. What is the tallest building in the United States?

The One World Trade Center in New York City is the tallest, at 541 meters (1,776 ft).

83. Which state is home to the city of Charleston?

South Carolina is home to Charleston, a historic city known for its architecture and charm.

84. What U.S. state has the nickname “Treasure State”?

Montana is the Treasure State. The nickname comes from its rich mineral resources.

85. Which U.S. city is known as the Windy City?

Chicago, Illinois is the Windy City. The nickname originally referred to boastful politicians, not the weather.

86. Which U.S. city is known as the “City of Bridges”?

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the City of Bridges, with more than 440 bridges, more than Venice.

87. Which U.S. state has the most bordering states?

Tennessee and Missouri both have 8 bordering states each. Tennessee’s eight bordering states are Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri. Missouri’s eight bordering states are Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.

88. Which U.S. state has the most active glaciers?

Alaska has over 100,000 glaciers, covering about 5% of the state’s area.

89. Which U.S. national park is famous for its giant sequoia trees?

Sequoia National Park in California protects the world’s largest trees, including General Sherman, the world’s largest tree by volume, named after the influential American Civil War Union general William Tecumseh Sherman.

90. Which U.S. state is famous for its lobster industry?

Maine is famous for lobster, producing about 100 million pounds annually.

91. What U.S. state is home to the longest coastline on the Atlantic Ocean?

Florida has the longest Atlantic coastline, stretching more than 1,300 miles (2,100 km).

92. What is the largest island in the contiguous United States?

Long Island, New York is the largest, measuring about 118 miles (190 km) long

93. Which U.S. city is known for its deep-dish pizza?

Chicago, Illinois is famous for deep-dish pizza, created in the 1940s.

94. What is the rainiest place in the United States?

Mount Waialeale in Kauai, Hawaii, averages about 450 inches (11,430 mm) of rain per year, making it one of the wettest spots on Earth.

95. Which U.S. state has the longest stretch of Route 66?

New Mexico has the longest intact stretch of the legendary Route 66, with neon signs and retro diners still marking the Mother Road.

96. Which U.S. city has a subway system that runs mostly above ground?

Chicago has the “L” (short for elevated), a train system with most of its tracks above the streets.

97. Which U.S. state has the most tornadoes per year?

Texas records the highest number of tornadoes annually — around 140 on average. It’s part of Tornado Alley.

98. What U.S. state has more wild horses than people in some regions?

Nevada is home to more than 20,000 wild mustangs, many roaming public lands freely.

99. What U.S. state is home to the geyser that erupts the highest in the world?

Nevada has the Steamboat Geyser near Reno, which can shoot water more than 90 meters (300 ft) into the air.

100. Which U.S. lake is so clear you can see more than 20 meters down?

Lake Tahoe, on the Nevada–California border, is famous for its incredible water clarity and alpine beauty.

101. Which U.S. city is built entirely on islands?

Boston, Massachusetts, was originally founded on a series of islands and expanded with landfill.