130+ Difficult US Geography Trivia Questions 

US geography trivia is more difficult than you think. Even if you live in the United States, you probably haven’t been to all fifty states. It’s hard to name every single one, let alone learn their capitals and the landmarks inside each one. If you want to test your knowledge of the country, here is a geography quiz you can take! Once you’re finished answering the questions, make sure to ask them to your family and friends. See who can get the most correct in a row. It’s a great idea for a road trip or party game!

US Geography Trivia Questions

Are you ready for a challenge? If you want to test your knowledge and learn something new about the country, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some US geography questions and answers. Some of them are straightforward, but others are a little trickier. So make sure you take the time to think them through before you answer.

What is the highest mountain in the world?

Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Which state is the closest to Africa?

Maine.

What’s the capital of South Carolina?

Columbia.

Which state has the most water within it?

Alaska.

What state is the Statue of Liberty in?

New Jersey.

What’s the least populated state?

Wyoming.

What is the longest river in the United States?

Then Missouri River.

What is the largest state in landmass?

Alaska.

Which state has the highest population density (people per square mile)?

Washington, D.C.

What is the westernmost state capital in the mainland United States?

Salem in Oregon.

What’s the easternmost state in the US?

Alaska.

Which US state has the longest coastline?

Alaska.

Which two states share borders with eight other states each?

Missouri and Tennessee.

What is the deepest lake in the United States?

Crater Lake in Oregon.

What is the capital city of Alaska?

Juneau.

Which popular tourist attraction is Arizona known for?

The Grand Canyon.

Which animal is featured on the state flag of California?

A bear.

What is the name of Colorado’s mountain range?

The Rocky Mountains is the name of Colorado’s mountain range.

What is the capital city of Delaware?

Dover is the capital city of Delaware.

What’s the smallest state of the U.S?

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States.

Which state is Lake Winnebago situated in?

Wisconsin.

Where does the Rio Grande river rise from?

San Juan Mountains

In which city is the Bristlecone pine found?

California.

In which state is Mount Rushmore is located?

Munt Rushmore is located in South Dakota.

Name the capital of Florida.

Tallahassee is the capital of Florida.

Name the U.S State nicknamed as “The Land of 10,000 Lakes.”

Minnesota is known as the land of 10,000 lakes.

In which U.S. State the Atlantic City is located?

Atlantic City is located in New Jersey.

Which city shares the border with Canada?

Montana shares the border with Canada.

Where is Crater Lake situated?

In Oregon.

How many states have a border with Mexico?

4 states have a border with Mexico.

Is Columbia a state or a district?

District.

Which U.S. state has the highest number of endangered species?

Hawaii.

Which place has 43 buildings with their own zip code?

Manhattan, NY City.

How long is the Niagara Fall Channel?

36-miles long.

Which two states do not share a border with any other U.S. state?

Alaska and Hawaii.

Which state is the second-largest by population?

Los Angeles.

Name the lowest point of the country?

Death Valley is the lowest point in the country.

Name the tallest mountain in the U.S.

Mount McKinley.

How many regions is the country divided into?

6.

How many U.S. states are landlocked?

16.

Which U.S. state touches only one state?

Maine.

Name the highest point of the country?

Denali.

What is the capital of South Dakota?

Pierre.

Where is Lake Okeechobee situated?

Florida.

Which State is the northernmost community of New England?

Maine.

Which two states donated land for the creation of Washington D.C?

Maryland and Virginia.

How much oxygen of the world is supplied by the Amazon rainforest?

20 percent.

Which U.S. city has the largest population of Polish?

Chicago.

Name the place of the first-ever paved road.

Woodward Avenue, Detroit

What is the full name of Los Angeles?

El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula.

Which U.S. state is known as the Garden state?

New Jersey.

Which mountains of South America are growing higher?

Mountain Andes.

Which river flows through the great Canyon?

Colorado River.

What state is bordered by Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming?

Colorado.

What is the only state to border just one other state?

Maine.

Which of the Great Lakes is located entirely within the U.S. border?

Lake Michigan.

What national park spreads across Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho?

Yellowstone National Park.

Which river ended up flowing backwards after three earthquakes in the 1800s?

The Mississippi River.

How many States does the United States consist of?

Fifty.

What U.S. state is home to no documented poisonous snakes?

Alaska.

What’s the longest river system in North America?

The Mississippi-Missouri river system.

Name the only state that enters the Eastern Hemisphere?

Alaska.

What is the state bird of North Carolina?

Cardinal.

Which of the Great Lakes is located entirely within the U.S. border?

Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes located entirely within the U.S. border.

Where would you find Lake Okeechobee?

South Florida.

What is New York City’s nickname?

The Big Apple.

Which is the only continent that straddles the Northern and Western hemispheres?

North America.

What is the largest lake in the US?

Lake Superior.

How many large islands make up the main islands of Hawaii?

8.

Which continent is home to the Great Bear Lake?

North America.

What is the largest city in Florida (population)?

Jacksonville.

Where can you find the Great Canyon Park?

Arizona.

What are the only two U.S. state capitals with rhyming names?

Boston and Austin.

What are the names of the waterfalls inside Niagara Falls?

American Falls and Canadian Horseshoe Falls.

What is the largest island on Lake Superior called?

Isle Royale.

Which two lakes are connected by Niagara Falls?

Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

What is the name of the world’s shortest river, and where can you find it?

The Roe River is found in Montana.

What is the third-largest continent in the world?

North America

What desert is Las Vegas located in?

The Mojave Desert.

What river runs through the Grand Canyon?

The Colorado River.

Which ocean borders the East Coast of the US?

The Atlantic Ocean.

How many countries does the US share land borders with?

Two.

What peak in Washington state, also known as Mount Tacoma, last erupted about 150 years ago?

Mount Rainier.

What state is known as the Ocean State?

Rhode Island.

What American city is the Golden Gate Bridge located in?

San Fransisco.

What’s the third-largest US state?

California.

What makes the place of the Four Corners Monument unique?

It’s the only point in the United States shared by 4 states, namely New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.

On average, how many days a year does Illinois have thunderstorms?

51 days a year, which is above average for the United States.

‘Alaska’ was named after the Aleut word ‘Alyeska’. What does Alyeska mean?

The Great Land.

Which mountain range in eastern North America is about 480 million years old?

The Appalachian Mountains.

After the Great Flood of 1844, people in Kaskaskia moved their town south. The original Kaskaskia became an island surrounded by which river?

The Mississippi River.

Idaho follows Mountain Time, but what time does the Idaho Panhandle north of Salmon River observe?

Pacific Time.

What was the temporary US capital from 1790 to 1800?

Philadelphia.

Georgia has been in a dispute about state borders with which state since the 19th century?

Tennessee.

In which state was the historic city of Tombstone, where the O.K. Corral gunfight took place between the Cowboys and lawmen?

Arizona.

What state is called ‘The First State’?

Delaware.

Which National Forest was created across 5 counties in Arkansas by President Roosevelt in 1908?

The Ozark National Forest.

What’s the name of the official river of Indiana?

The Wabash River is the official river of Indiana.

Britton Hill is the highest point in Florida at 345 feet (105 m) above sea level, but it’s also the lowest what?

Britton Hill is the lowest highpoint in any state in the U.S.

Is the Kentucky Bend in the extreme northwestern or southwestern corner of Kentucky?

Southwestern.

Which state has rivers forming its complete east and west borders?

Iowa.

Florida Reef is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Is it the first-, second- or third-largest coral barrier reef system in the world?

The Florida Reef is the third-largest in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef and Belize Barrier Reef.

Which US city has the most people living in it?

New York City.

Alabama is known as the Yellowhammer State, Heart of Dixie, and the Cotton State. What is a Yellowhammer?

The state bird.

Which US state was bought from Russia in 1867?

Alaska.

What is the capital of the state of Mississippi?

Jackson.

Which state has the fewest counties?

Delaware.

Which state is bordered by Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, and Long Island Sound?

Connecticut.

Which US territory was won in a 30-minute bloodless standoff between a US ship and the Spanish living on the island in 1898?

Guam.

World Trivia

Of course, the United States isn’t the only fascinating country in the world. There are plenty of other places that deserve your attention, too. You might not know much about them, but that’s okay. Even if you get these questions wrong, you’ll learn something new today. Here are some interesting geography questions about the rest of the world:

Australia lies between which two oceans?

The Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

What country has the most natural lakes?

Canada.

What Canadian province boasts the longest freshwater beach in the world?

Ontario.

What razor-thin country accounts for more than half of the western coastline of South America?

Chile.

Which ocean is the state of Hawaii in?

The Pacific Ocean.

What percentage of the River Nile is located in Egypt?

Only 22% of the Nile’s course runs through Egypt.

Which country is slightly larger than West Virginia?

Latvia.

How many oceans does the US border?

Three.

What is the largest country in the world?

Russia.

How many of the seven continents does the equator pass through?

Three.

How many Finger Lakes are there?

Eleven lakes.

Which canal connects the Red and Mediterranean Sea?

Suez Canal.

Which city is closer to the North Pole – Rome or New York?

Rome.

This is the smallest independent country on Earth.

Vatican City.

Name the smallest ocean in the world?

The Arctic Ocean.

How much Titicaca is above sea level?

2,500 feet.

What does ‘Canada’ mean?

Indian village.

What country occupies the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula?

Yemen.

Which country has the largest population in the world?

China.

What are the names of the five oceans of the world?

Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and the Antarctic.

What is the name of the river that flows through the Brazil rainforest?

Tha Amazon.

What is the coldest place on Earth?

Antarctica.

What present-day Italian city does Mt. Vesuvius overlook?

Naples.

What is the capital of Thailand?

Bangkok.

Where are the Spanish Steps located?

Rome, Italy.

What is the name of the largest city in Australia?

Brisbane.

What type of leaf is on the Canadian flag?

Maple.

How many time zones does Russia have?

Eleven.

Where is the world’s longest road tunnel?

Norway.

How many time zones does France use, with its international territories?

Twelve. The highest in the world.