WHAT THE STATES NAMES MEANAbbreviation State Capital Nickname The Meaning of the State Name1. 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

peninsula3. AZ Arizona Phoenix Grand Canyon State; Apache

State(Indian) "Little Spring of Water"

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

State(Indian) "At the Long River-Mouth"

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 England11. 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 unknown16. KS Kansas Topeka Sunflower State (Indian) Named for the Kansa Tribe;

meaning unknown17. KY Kentucky Frankfort Bluegrass State (Indian) "Meadow Land"18. LA Louisiana Baton Rouge Pelican State (French) Named in 1682 for King

Louis XIV of France19. MA Maine Augusta Pine Tree State (English) Coast of the Mainland20. MD Maryland Annapolis Old Lime State (English) Named for Queen Henrietta Marie,

wife of Charles I, in 163421. ME Massa-

chusettsBoston Bay State (Indian) Named for the Mass-adchu-senk

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 Country

(Latin) "Mountain Land"

27. NE Nebraska Lincoln Cornhusker State (Indian) "Shallow River"28. NV Nevada Carson City Silver State (Spanish) "Snowed Upon"29. NH New

HampshireConcord Granite State (English) Named for Hampshire in England

30. NJ New Jersey Trenton Garden State (English) Named for the Isle of Jersey31. 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 166433. ND North Dakota Raleigh Flickertail State (Indian) Named for the Dakotah tribes;

meaning unknown34. NC North

CarolinaBismarck Tarheel State (Latin) Named in 1629 for King

Charles I of England35. OH Ohio Columbus Buckeye State (Indian) "Fine River"36. OK Oklahoma Oklahoma City Sooner State (Indian) "Red People37. 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

Carolina Charles II of England41. 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 49th 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 GuthrieChorus: This land is your land,

This land is my land,From … to the New York … .From the redwood …,To the Gulf Stream …,

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 ParadiseHawaii 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?