States of the United States

The United States consist of fifty States (i.e. Federal States) that in a certain degree of independence from the US Federal Government can operate. ==States[ Edit] == A list of States, with their standard abbreviation defined by the US Postal Service and the traditional abbreviation, their capitals and the origin of the name comes below. Although the postal abbreviations have supplanted the traditional largely, the traditional abbreviations are still usable. If no traditional abbreviation is indicated, the name of the State is traditionally not abbreviated. If the English name differs from the Dutch in the usual name, the original English name indicated in italics.

Many States derive their name from the original Native American name. ==Other areas[ Edit] == In addition to the fifty States are even more areas to the United States:


 * The District of Columbia, in which the capital is Washington, DC has 3 electors.
 * Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States
 * The Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth
 * The United States Virgin Islands
 * American Samoa
 * Guam
 * The United States minor outlying islands