1. WHAT THE STATES NAMES MEAN
Abbreviation State Capital Nickname The Meaning of the State Name
1. AL Alabama Montgomery Yellow-Hammer State (Indian) Named for the Alibamas tribe;
means "The Thicket Clearers"
2. AK Alaska Juneau The Great Land; Mainland State Russian version of an Eskimo word for
peninsula
3. AZ Arizona Phoenix Grand Canyon State; Apache (Indian) "Little Spring of Water"
State
4. AR Arkansas Little Rock Land of Opportunity; Bear State (Indian) Named for the Alkansa tribe
(Quapaw Indians); meaning unknown
5. CA California Sacramento Golden State (Spanish) Allusion to a mythical island of a
Spanish romance, which was supposedly
ruled by a Queen named Calafia
6. CO Colorado Denver Centennial State (Spanish) "Red"
7. CT Connecticut Hartford The Constitution State; Nutmeg (Indian) "At the Long River-Mouth"
State
8. DE Delaware Dover Diamond State; Blue Hen State (English) Named for Lord de la Warr,
colonial governor of Virginia in 1610
9. FL Florida Tallahassee Sunshine State; Everglade State (Spanish) "Easter Season"
10. GA Georgia Atlanta State of Adventure (Latin) Named in 1732 for King
George II of England
11. HI Hawaii Honolulu Aloha State Perhaps a derivative of a native word for
'homeland"
12. ID Idaho Boise Gem State (Indian) A greeting of the Comanche tribe,
meaning "Good Morning"
13. IL Illinois Springfield Prairie State; the Tall State (Indian) Named for the Iroquois tribe; means
"Brave Men"
14. IN Indiana Indianapolis Hoosier State (Latin) "Indian Land"
15. IA Iowa Des Moines Hawkeye State (Indian) Named for the Quaoiatonon tribe;
meaning unknown
16. KS Kansas Topeka Sunflower State (Indian) Named for the Kansa Tribe;
meaning unknown
17. KY Kentucky Frankfort Bluegrass State (Indian) "Meadow Land"
18. LA Louisiana Baton Rouge Pelican State (French) Named in 1682 for King
Louis XIV of France
19. MA Maine Augusta Pine Tree State (English) Coast of the Mainland
20. MD Maryland Annapolis Old Lime State (English) Named for Queen Henrietta Marie,
wife of Charles I, in 1634
21. ME Massa- Boston Bay State (Indian) Named for the Mass-adchu-senk
chusetts tribe; means "Big Hill People"
22. MI Michigan Lansing Wolverine State (Indian) "Big Water" or "The Clearing"
23. MN Minnesota St. Paul North Star State; Gopher State (Indian) "Cloudy Water"
24. MS Mississippi Jackson Magnolia State (Indian) "Big River"
25. MO Missouri Jefferson City Show-Me State; Bullion State (Indian) May mean "Big Muddy" or "Big
Canoe"
26. MT Montana Helena Treasure State; The Big Sky (Latin) "Mountain Land"
Country
27. NE Nebraska Lincoln Cornhusker State (Indian) "Shallow River"
28. NV Nevada Carson City Silver State (Spanish) "Snowed Upon"
29. NH New Concord Granite State (English) Named for Hampshire in England
Hampshire
30. NJ New Jersey Trenton Garden State (English) Named for the Isle of Jersey
31. NM New Mexico Santa Fe Land of Enchantment (Indian) Named for the Aztecs of Mexico;
means 'Temple of the God"
32. NY New York Albany Empire State (English) Named for the Duke of York, who
became colonial owner of the land in 1664
33. ND North Dakota Raleigh Flickertail State (Indian) Named for the Dakotah tribes;
meaning unknown
34. NC North Bismarck Tarheel State (Latin) Named in 1629 for King
Carolina Charles I of England
35. OH Ohio Columbus Buckeye State (Indian) "Fine River"
36. OK Oklahoma Oklahoma City Sooner State (Indian) "Red People
37. OR Oregon Salem Beaver State; Sunset State Derivation and meaning are unknown, but
believed to trace back to an engraving error
on a French map of 1715
38. PA Pennsylvania Harrisburg Keystone State (Latin) "Penn's Wood". Named for William
Penn, colonial founder in 1681
39. RI Rhode Island Providence Little Rhody (Dutch or English) Meaning disputed. Named
either for the island of Rhodes in the
Mediterranean, or an English adaptation of
the Dutch for "Red Island"
40. SC South Columbia Palmetto State (Latin) Named in 1665 for King

2. Carolina Charles II of England
41. SD South Dakota Pierre Coyote State (Indian) Named for the Dakotah tribes;
meaning unknown.
42. TN Tennessee Nashville Volunteer State (Indian) Probably the name of a Cherokee
Indian town; meaning unknown.
43. TX Texas Austin Lone Star State (Indian) A salutation meaning "Friends"
44. UT Utah Salt Lake City Beehive State; Morton State (Indian) Named for the Ute tribes; meaning
uncertain but may be "Those Who Live High
Up".
45. VT Vermont Montpellier Green Mountain State (American folk version of French) "Green
Mountains"
46. VA Virginia Richmond Old Dominion State (Latin) Named in 1607 for Queen Elizabeth I
of England, called the Virgin Queen
47. WA Washing-ton Olympia Evergreen State (English) Named for George Washington,
first President of the United States.
48. WV West Virginia Charleston Mountain State; Panhandle State (Latin) Named in 1607 for Queen Elizabeth I
of England, called the Virgin Queen
49. WI Wisconsin Madison Badger State (Indian) Meaning uncertain, but maybe
"River with Holes in its Bank Where the
Birds Nest".
50. WY Wyoming Cheyenne Equality State (Indian) "Large Plains".
The United States
(By Susan H. Nipp)
The United States, the United States,
I love my country, the United States.
There's Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Connecticut and Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii and Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North 'n' South Carolina,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Oklahom',
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,
West Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
The United States, the United States,
I love my country, the United States.
Alaska
"Alaska" comes from an Eskimo word meaning "Great Land". In 1959 Alaska became the
th
49 state of the USA. Attitudes toward Alaska were different in 1867, when the peninsula was purchased
from Russia. Then most Americans had little interest in "the land of icebergs and polar bears" that
touches the Arctic.
In those parts, which lie above the Arctic Circle, Alaska still is a land of icebergs
and polar bears. Ice masses lie buried in the earth, which is permanently frozen to a depth
of several hundred feet. The highest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley
(6,193.5 metres) is found in Alaska.
Alaska is America's largest state with fewest people (521000). The capital of Alaska is Juneau and
the largest city is Anchorage. Its original inhabitants crossed over the Bering Strait centuries
ago. Many Alaskan Natives, Aleuts and Athapascan tribal people, still live in the old way, catch
animals, whales and fish.
After fishing, Alaska's chief industry is lumber and paper production. There are also large
deposits of coal, copper, gold, and other important minerals.
Listen the song "This Land is Your Land" and fill in the blanks.
This Land is Your Land
Woody Guthrie
Chorus: This land is your land,
This land is my land,
From … to the New York … .
From the redwood …,
To the Gulf Stream …,

3. This land was made for you and me!
I. As I was walking that ribbon of …,
I saw above me that … skyway,
I saw below me that … valley,
This land was made for you and me!
Chorus.
II. I've roamed and rambled and I followed my …,
To the sparkling sands of her … deserts,
And all around me a voice was …,
"This land was made for you and me!"
Chorus.
III. When the sun came … and I was strolling,
And the … fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the … was lifting a voice was chanting,
"This land was made for you and me!"
Chorus.
Hawaii, Island Paradise
Hawaii was not always a green, sunny paradise. These islands were born in fire
and smoke. A chain of volcanoes slowly grew up under the Pacific Ocean. After millions of years, the
tops of mountains rose above the sea to form the 132 islands of the Hawaiian group.
Five of these volcanoes can still be seen, and two of them are active. On Hawaii, the largest and
youngest island, the Kilauea volcano often sends hot red ash into the sky. Lava rock covers a large part of
Hawaii Island and in some places nothing grows. A third volcano, 13,796-foot Mauna Kea, is usually
silent and snow-covered, but not dead. Maui Island is older and volcanic activity has stopped there.
Tourists climb to the top of the quiet Haleakala volcano to see the sunrise.
People from many nations came to live in Hawaii. The newcomers brought new plants and animals.
Sugar cane, pineapples, coconuts, and orchids did not always grow on the islands. These plants were
brought in and grown for money. Foreign plants and animals have pushed out many local ones, and have
changed Hawaii little by little. There is now a danger that many of Hawaii's native plants may be lost
forever. But you can still find rare plants and flowers on the Na Pali coast. The shore on this northwest
side of Kauai Island is too steep and dangerous for boats to land. There are no roads. If you want to see
Na Pali's green valleys and waterfalls, you must walk in.
Many of Hawaii's smaller islands are too small for people. The Leeward Islands are a wildlife refuge,
a carefully guarded home for millions of sea birds, seals, and turtles. Visitors are few, and many of the
birds have no fear of humans. Up until now, Hawaii's islands have kept their natural beauty. But travel to
the smaller islands and wild areas is becoming more popular. How much longer will paradise last?
I. Are these statements true or false?
a. Hawaii was always a green, sunny paradise.
b. Five of the volcanoes on Hawaii can still be seen.
c. On the largest and youngest island, the Kilauea volcano often sends hot red ash into the
sky.
d. Lava rock covers a large part of Hawaii Island and in some places nothing grows.
e. Tourists climb to the top of the quiet Haleakala volcano to see the sunrise.
f. There are a lot of visitors on the Leeward Islands and many of the birds have no fear of
humans.
II Can you answer these questions?
a. How was Hawaii born?
b. Where is Hawaii situated?
c. How many islands are there in the Hawaiian group?
d. How many volcanoes are active on Hawaii?
e. Who came to live in Hawaii?
f. What do the newcomers bring to Hawaii?
g. What has changed little by little?
h. What danger threatens Hawaii now?
i. Where can you still find rare plants and flowers?
j. What are the Leeward Islands for wildlife?
k. Is travelling to Hawaii very popular now?