Head west into the West. Its first division, the Mountain states, follows the Rocky Mountains and the dry lands beside them.
Key idea
The eight Mountain states are Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
Why it works
Why so many boxes? These borders were drawn in Washington, D.C., in the 1800s, often before many settlers lived there. Lawmakers used lines of latitude and longitude, so Wyoming and Colorado came out as near-rectangles, and four states meet at one point, the Four Corners.
- Montana is the big state on the Canadian border; Idaho is the narrow one west of it, with a thin handle at the top.
- Wyoming sits below Montana; Colorado sits below Wyoming.
- Nevada is the wedge next to California; Utah has a notch in its northeast corner.
- Arizona and New Mexico are the southern pair: Arizona west, New Mexico east.
Worked example: The Four Corners
Which four states meet at a single point?
- Find the corner where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico come together.
- It is the only place in the country where four states meet.
Answer: Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
Common mistake
Wyoming and Colorado are two near-rectangles, one above the other. Wyoming is the northern one, under Montana; Colorado touches New Mexico. Arizona and New Mexico are also a pair: Arizona is the western one, next to California and the Colorado River.