ConnecticutThe capital is Hartford. Connecticut was the 5th state to ratify the Constitution, on January 9, 1788.
DelawareThe capital is Dover. Delaware was the 1st state to ratify the Constitution, on December 7, 1787.
FloridaThe capital is Tallahassee. Florida became the 27th state on March 3, 1845.
GeorgiaThe capital is Atlanta. Georgia was the 4th state to ratify the Constitution, on January 2, 1788.
MaineThe capital is Augusta. Maine became the 23rd state on March 15, 1820.
MarylandThe capital is Annapolis. Maryland was the 7th state to ratify the Constitution, on April 28, 1788.
MassachusettsThe capital is Boston. Massachusetts was the 6th state to ratify the Constitution, on February 6, 1788.
New HampshireThe capital is Concord. New Hampshire was the 9th state to ratify the Constitution, on June 21, 1788.
New JerseyThe capital is Trenton. New Jersey was the 3rd state to ratify the Constitution, on December 18, 1787.
New YorkThe capital is Albany. New York was the 11th state to ratify the Constitution, on July 26, 1788.
North CarolinaThe capital is Raleigh. North Carolina was the 12th state to ratify the Constitution, on November 21, 1789.
Rhode IslandThe capital is Providence. Rhode Island was the 13th state to ratify the Constitution, on May 29, 1790.
South CarolinaThe capital is Columbia. South Carolina was the 8th state to ratify the Constitution, on May 23, 1788.
VirginiaThe capital is Richmond. Virginia was the 10th state to ratify the Constitution, on June 25, 1788.
States with no Atlantic coast 12
AlabamaThe capital is Montgomery. Alabama became the 22nd state on December 14, 1819.
IllinoisThe capital is Springfield. Illinois became the 21st state on December 3, 1818.
IndianaThe capital is Indianapolis. Indiana became the 19th state on December 11, 1816.
KentuckyThe capital is Frankfort. Kentucky became the 15th state on June 1, 1792.
MichiganThe capital is Lansing. Michigan became the 26th state on January 26, 1837.
MississippiThe capital is Jackson. Mississippi became the 20th state on December 10, 1817.
OhioThe capital is Columbus. Ohio became the 17th state on March 1, 1803.
PennsylvaniaThe capital is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania was the 2nd state to ratify the Constitution, on December 12, 1787.
TennesseeThe capital is Nashville. Tennessee became the 16th state on June 1, 1796.
VermontThe capital is Montpelier. Vermont became the 14th state on March 4, 1791.
West VirginiaThe capital is Charleston. West Virginia became the 35th state on June 20, 1863.
WisconsinThe capital is Madison. Wisconsin became the 30th state on May 29, 1848.
How this list was compiled: State list: the 26 states that lie wholly east of the Mississippi River, with the District of Columbia, as the site's map records them (Minnesota and Louisiana have land on both banks and are left out); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_United_States counts the same 26 states and Washington, D.C., read 2026-10-01. Atlantic coast: the 14 states with a shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast_of_the_United_States, read 2026-10-01 (Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. reach it only by tidal rivers). Mid-Atlantic: the seven states and Washington, D.C. of the traditional list at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_(United_States), read 2026-10-01; the Census Bureau's Middle Atlantic division is New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania only (https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf, read 2026-10-01). Order and dates of ratification or admission: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_date_of_admission_to_the_Union, read 2026-10-01. Capitals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States, read 2026-10-01. Rivers, lakes and bays named in the hints: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River (the northern border of West Virginia and Kentucky and the southern one of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potomac_River, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_River, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay, read 2026-10-01. Hints describe the drawing and were written for this site. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site from U.S. Census Bureau 2023 cartographic boundary file cb_2023_us_state_5m (scale 1:5,000,000), https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/GENZ2023/shp/cb_2023_us_state_5m.zip, downloaded 2026-09-19. Surrounding land from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_admin_0_countries_lakes (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_0_countries_lakes.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Albers equal-area conic projection, central meridian 81.1°W, standard parallels 28.5°N and 44.2°N. Outlines simplified; small islands are left out. Licence: public domain (work of the United States government, 17 U.S.C. 105): https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/data/tiger/tgrshp2023/TGRSHP2023_TechDoc_Ch1.pdf; public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
How it works
This eastern states quiz draws the 26 states east of the Mississippi River on one map, from Maine down to Florida and west to Wisconsin and Mississippi. It names one state at a time, and you tap it.
Read the full guide
Which states count as eastern
This eastern map quiz uses the usual school list: the 26 states that lie wholly east of the Mississippi River. Minnesota and Louisiana have land on both banks, so they are drawn as plain land with no name. Washington, D.C. is on the map and is never asked.
Only the East Coast
Atlantic coast states, under Start from, makes this an east coast states quiz: the 14 states with a shore on the open Atlantic, from Maine to Florida. Pennsylvania reaches the ocean only up the tidal Delaware River, so it is one of the 12 inland states.
Kentucky lies on top of Tennessee. Both are long and thin, and Kentucky is the one with the wavy edge along the Ohio River.
Mississippi and Alabama stand side by side like twins. Mississippi is the one on the river, and Alabama is the one that touches Georgia.
Seven states on this map touch a Great Lake: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
Questions and answers
Which states are east of the Mississippi River?
Twenty-six: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Which states are on the East Coast?
Fourteen states have a shore on the Atlantic Ocean: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Why are Minnesota and Louisiana not asked?
The Mississippi River runs through both, so each has land on the east bank and on the west. School lists of the eastern states leave them out, and here they are plain land with no name.