West Region States and Capitals: Map and Quiz for All 11

The 11 West region states and capitals

The West covers more land than any other region: Alaska alone is about a fifth the size of the other 49 states combined. Because Alaska and Hawaii are so far away, this map shows the whole country with the other regions dimmed, and Alaska and Hawaii in their usual boxes.

Learn the West in three groups

The Pacific states (5). Washington, Oregon and California line the Pacific coast from north to south. Alaska and Hawaii, out in the Pacific, join them in the Census Bureau's Pacific division.

The Mountain states (6). Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada sit inland. Two clues: Wyoming and Colorado are nearly perfect rectangles stacked on top of each other, and Utah is a rectangle with a bite taken out of its top-right corner.

A rhyme for the coast. "Whales Often Cruise" helps with Washington, Oregon, California from north to south.

A good order to learn them: the three Pacific coast states, then Nevada and Idaho beside them, then the Rocky Mountain states (Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah), and finally Alaska and Hawaii.

A four-day plan works well for most children:

West capitals memory tricks

• Washington, Olympia: An Olympic athlete running through an evergreen forest.
• Oregon, Salem: A beaver sailing down the Willamette River.
• California, Sacramento: A sack of ramen noodles covered in gold.
• Nevada, Carson City: A car driving out of the desert to the city.
• Idaho, Boise: Boys digging up a giant potato (pronounced "BOY-see").
• Montana, Helena: Hello, Lena! shouted from a mountain.
• Wyoming, Cheyenne: A shy cowboy riding into the corner of the state.
• Utah, Salt Lake City: Easy: a city beside the Great Salt Lake.
• Colorado, Denver: A bear's den high in the Rockies (Denver is the "Mile High City").
• Alaska, Juneau: "Do you know (Ju-neau) how to get here? You can't drive!" Juneau has no road connection to the rest of North America.
• Hawaii, Honolulu: A hula dancer saying "Honor the lulu of a wave."

Capitals that aren't the biggest city

Six West capitals are smaller than another city in the same state. They're the ones most often missed:

The other five, Denver, Boise, Salt Lake City, Honolulu and Cheyenne, are also their state's largest city, based on the Census Bureau's 2024 estimates. A good rule for the West coast: the capital is never the famous city.

West region geography

The West has the country's highest mountains, lowest valley, biggest state and youngest volcanoes.

The Rocky Mountains. The Rockies run through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. Colorado's Mount Elbert, the highest peak in the Rockies, rises to 14,433 feet according to the USGS.

The Pacific mountains. The Cascades in Washington and Oregon are a chain of volcanoes. Mount St. Helens in Washington erupted in 1980, and the USGS still monitors it. The Sierra Nevada in California includes Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states at about 14,500 feet.

Highest and lowest. Denali in Alaska is the highest point in North America, more than 20,000 feet tall. Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California, is the lowest point in the country, 282 feet below sea level. Both are in the West.

Deserts and basins. Much of Nevada and western Utah is the Great Basin, where rivers drain into lakes and sinks instead of the ocean. The Great Salt Lake in Utah is what's left of a much larger ancient lake.

Yellowstone. The world's first national park, established in 1872, lies mostly in Wyoming, with edges in Montana and Idaho. Its geysers, including Old Faithful, are heated by volcanic activity underground.

Islands. Hawaii is a chain of volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the only state made up entirely of islands.

Record-breaking West states

Children love superlatives. The West has a lot of them:

Population figures come from the Census Bureau's 2024 state estimates.

West region vs. the Census Bureau's West

National Geographic's five-region map, used on this page and in many textbooks, has 11 West states. The Census Bureau's West region has 13: these 11 plus Arizona and New Mexico. It splits them into the Mountain division (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming) and the Pacific division (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington). If your child's book uses the Census map, add Arizona and New Mexico from the Southwest states and capitals.

Make it part of a bigger lesson

The West's story includes Lewis and Clark, the Oregon Trail, the Gold Rush and the transcontinental railroad, which was completed in Utah in 1869. Programs like Little Passports and Beautiful Feet Books bring that history to life, and many families pay for programs like these with a state scholarship or education savings account. See what your state offers.