Blank map of the United States
A free outline map of all 50 states to label, with Alaska and Hawaii shown at the lower left, plus an answer key marked with each state's two-letter postal abbreviation. The small northeastern states are listed below the key.
Label the 50 states
The 50 states: answer key
Small states: CT = Connecticut, DE = Delaware, HI = Hawaii, MA = Massachusetts, NJ = New Jersey, RI = Rhode Island.
statesfacts.com
Ways to use the map
Students can write in the state names, the postal abbreviations or the capitals, or color the states by Census region. The map also works for marking the order in which states joined the Union, starting with Delaware in 1787 and ending with Hawaii in 1959.
What the map shows
The map shows all 50 states with their present boundaries. The lower 48 are drawn to a consistent scale, while Alaska and Hawaii are moved to the lower left at a reduced size, as on most US maps. Some states are too small on the map to hold a label, such as Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticut and the islands of Hawaii, so the answer key lists them by abbreviation below the map.
Ideas for the classroom
- Label the states by region, using a different color for each of the four Census regions.
- Number the states in the order they joined the Union, using the statehood ranking.
- Shade the 13 states that border Canada and the four that border Mexico.
- Write each state’s capital next to it, then check the answers with the capitals worksheet.
Questions people ask
- Are Alaska and Hawaii drawn to scale?
- No. As on most maps of the United States, Alaska and Hawaii are moved and resized to fit at the lower left. Alaska is in fact the largest state, more than twice the size of Texas.
- Where does the map come from?
- It is drawn from the Census Bureau's state boundary files.