The United States of America has 50 states, and each state has its own 2 letter abbreviation. The United States has had people on it dating as far back as 15,000 BC, but European colonization began in the 1600s, and in the 1760s tensions were extremely high between American colonists and their British counterparts.

Eventually, those tensions boiled over to the point of a war, which the Americans won, and the United States was born. We will go into further detail shortly about the history of the United States, so if you don’t know the detailed history, don’t worry. To learn more about the states, their abbreviations, and some cool facts about the US, check out this guide.

“The United States was born in revolution and nurtured by struggle. Throughout our history, the American people have befriended and supported all those who seek independence and a better way of life.” — Robert Kennedy

The 50 States and Their Abbreviations

The states and their capitals. Image source: Pixabay

We made a chart that included that states, their abbreviations, their capitals, the populations of the states, the total area the states take up, and the dates the states entered the union. You will notice that for 13 states the dates they entered the union there is a word that says “ratified”. Those 13 states are actually the 13 original colonies that ratified the constitution when it was proposed.

“I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still in the making.” — Franklin Roosevelt

The United States also has 14 territories that it maintains. Some states actually started out as territories, like Alaska and Hawaii, whereas others have remained as territories. Some of the US territories are not inhabited because they are extremely tiny islands, while territories like Puerto Rico has upwards of 3 million people. Here is some information about the United States territories:

Facts About The United States

The American flag. Image source: Public Domain Pictures

Now let’s go over some history and facts about the United states of America.

“We, the people of the United States, we are a great Nation with a great vision.” — Steve Buyer

As we said at the beginning of the article, the American Revolution began in the mid-1760s after the American colonists became outraged over the taxation without representation going on in Britain. Protests and tensions grew until violence erupted, leading to the Boston Massacre in 1770 where British soldiers killed 5 people, which American patriots heavily publicized on, leading to more revolts against the British. The infamous Boston Tea Party occurred in 1773, where colonists dumped an entire shipment of tea into the Boston Harbor as a protest against the British Tea Act, which undercut local tea salesmen. A full-fledged war was launched and the British invaded in 1775 in Lexington and Concord. In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was created and signed, and not long after the Americans won the battle in 1783 when the British surrendered.

Here are some other really cool and exciting facts about the US:

• Alaska’s coastline is longer than the coastline of the other states’ coastlines combined
• There are twice as many cows than there are people in Montana
• The last time the Liberty Bell rang was on George Washington’s birthday in 1846
• Kentucky has the world’s longest cave system with over 3,000 miles
• The Smithsonian is the most visited museum in the world with over 9 million visitors in the world