1. California
   Louisiana
2. Taiwan
   Singapore

Named after King Louis II of France, Louisiana became a state on April 30, 1812, the 18th to do so. Louisiana and the city of New Orleans, in particular, are a melting pot of many different cultures, including French, African, Creole, and Cajun among others. New Orleans is famous for its Mardi Gras. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina greatly impacted New Orleans, destroying parts of the city.

1. Fiji
   Arizona
2. Florida
   Ethiopia

The Sunshine State, Florida was declared the 27th state of the Union on March 3, 1845. It is home to Disney World in Orlando, as well as the cosmopolitan city of Miami. The oldest European settlement in America was established at Saint Augustine.

1. Armenia
   Belgium
2. Hawaii
   Florida

The people of Hawaii are the most isolated people on earth. The closest land to them, California, is 2,300 miles away! It officially became a state of the United States on August 20, 1959. It is the only U.S. state that produces coffee.

1. Yemen
   Wyoming
2. Thailand
   Turkey

Wyoming entered the union on July 10, 1890, the 40th state to do so. It is home to Yellowstone National Park which was designated a national park in 1872.

1. Georgia
   South Dakota
2. Argentina
   Bolivia

A number of Native American tribes lived in the region of South Dakota from the 1500s. By the 1800s, however, only the Sioux Indians remained. The area was first explored by the French in the late 1700s. It became an American territory in 1803. South Dakota joined the Union on November 2, 1889.

1. Mozambique
   California
2. Estonia
   Benin

With a number of fault lines running through it, including the St. Andreas fault, California receives over 500 earth tremors a day. It is also home to Los Angeles, known as the City of Angels, as well as Hollywood, the film capital of the world. Death Valley, California is the driest place in the United States with temperatures reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit during summer. It was declared a state on September 9, 1850.

1. Alabama
   South Africa
2. Texas
   Namibia

Alabama was named the 22nd state of the Union on December 14, 1819. A number of things originated in this state, including the Confederate flag and Mardi Gras.

1. Vermont
   Utah
2. Colorado
   Ireland

Vermont was claimed by the French explorer, Samuel de Champlain, in 1609. England took control of the area in 1763. Vermont entered the Union on March 4, 1791, the 14th state to do so.

1. Rhode Island
   China
2. Liberia
   Kansas

Although China is a communist country, it is a popular tourist attraction. In fact, more than 10 million people go to the country to visit its Great Wall each year. This wall, built over a period of 2,000 years, is 5,500 miles long! China is the most populated country in the world with over 1.4 billion people.

1. Texas
   Brazil
2. New Hampshire
   Portugal

Texas is the second largest state in the United States and clocks in at 265,596 square miles. According to the 2010 U.S. census, over 25 million people live there, making it the second biggest state in terms of population behind California. It became the 28th state of the United States on December 29, 1845.

1. China
   Connecticut
2. New York
   Russia

After the breakup of the USSR in the early '90s, Russia not only became the largest of the former Soviet states but the largest country in the world. Over 142 million people live here with close to two-thirds found in cities. The capital of Russia is Moscow.

1. Idaho
   New York
2. New Hampshire
   Chad

New York joined the Union as the 11th State on July 20, 1788. One the most populous states in the U.S., it now ranks third behind California and Texas. Of course, it is home to the ‘Big Apple’ or New York City, one of the world’s great cities.

1. Taiwan
   Botswana
2. Missouri
   Montana

Missouri saw the first person to jump out of an airplane with a parachute in 1912. The state was named after a Native American tribe that lived on the land. In fact, the word Missouri means ‘wooden canoe people.’ Missouri joined the union on August 10, 1821, the 24th state to do so.

1. Oregon
   Togo
2. Tonga
   Tuvalu

Oregon joined the union as the 33 state on February 14, 1859.

1. New Hampshire
   Arkansas
2. South Africa
   Namibia

The 9th state to join the Union, New Hampshire did so on June 21,1788. The state was named after the English county of Hampshire.

1. New York
   Uruguay
2. Mississippi
   Yemen

A state that’s fairly hard to spell, Mississippi is the birthplace of one of the most legendary singers of all time, Elvis Presley. It is also the state where the famous American beverage, root beer, was invented in 1898. Mississippi joined the Union on December 18, 1817, the 20th state to do so.

1. Nevada
   Italy
2. Spain
   Angola

Sitting on the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Italy first became the formal country as it is known today on March 17, 1861. Rome, the capital of the country, was the city home to the Romans, one of the greatest ancient civilizations. Over 50 million people visit this incredible country each year.

1. Montana
   Nigeria
2. Sudan
   Wyoming

Montana, where the Grizzly Bear is the state animal, was the first state to elect a woman to Congress in 1916. This was even before women were allowed to vote. Her name was Jeanette Rankin. And although many states have weird, antiquated laws, in Montana, unmarried women may not fish alone! Montana joined the Union on November 8, 1899.

1. Alaska
   Finland
2. Brazil
   Columbia

Alaska was first discovered in 1741and by 1784, a settlement of whalers and fur traders from Russia were living on Kodiak Island. In 1867, Alaska was bought from Russia for just over $7 million by the U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward. Alaska became a U.S. state almost 100 years later, on January 3, 1959.

1. Malta
   Laos
2. Tennessee
   Brazil

Brazil is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Rio de Janiero is overlooked by the figure of Christ standing. Panoramic views of the city can also be seen atop Sugar Loaf Mountain. In Rio, the samba parties go way into the night, especially after a day on Copacabana Beach. Brazil is the only country in South America where Portuguese is the official language.

1. Scotland
   Uganda
2. Pennsylvania
   Texas

In 1909, the first baseball stadium was built in Pennsylvania while in another first, the state was home to the first vehicle service station. It opened in 1912. On December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution after Delaware.

1. Maine
   South Carolina
2. Zambia
   Myanmar

South Carolina was the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation (the first governing document of the United States) in 1788.

1. Uruguay
   Utah
2. Paraguay
   Nebraska

The 45th State to enter the Union, Utah did so on January 4, 1896. The area of Utah was actually explored by the Spanish. Once Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, it claimed the area. It was under U.S. control again by 1848.

1. New Mexico
   Mexico
2. Panama
   Costa Rica

Home of Roswell, the town where a UFO supposedly crashed in 1947, New Mexico joined the Union as the 47th State on January 6, 1912.

1. Virginia
   Barbados
2. Utah
   Australia

Originally a penal colony for Britain, Australia was declared an independent nation from the British Empire on January 1, 1901. It is a land of extremes and is the driest inhabited continent on Earth. At over 7.6 million square kilometers in size, Australia is the sixth largest country in the world.

1. Uganda
   Swaziland
2. Maine
   Florida

The state that famously appears in many Stephen King novels, Maine is home to the most eastern city in the United States, Eastport. It is also the only state in the U.S. that shares its border with only one other state. Maine became the 23rd state of the Union on March 15, 1820.

1. Alaska
   Zambia
2. Austria
   Nevada

Nevada is home to Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world. Although Vegas was popular in the ‘60s, it has grown exponentially. In the early ‘60s, there were around 16,000 slot machines in the city. By 2000, this had grown to over 200,000. The city also has plenty of dancing girls. In fact, the show, Folies Bergere, ran from 1959 to 2009. The 36th state in the Union, Nevada joined on October 31, 1864.

1. Pakistan
   India
2. Alaska
   Virginia

India gained independence from England in 1947 when a large territory in central Asia was split into both India and Pakistan. The Kashmir regions between the two countries remains a point of conflict to this day. Currently both India and Pakistan control sections with a United Nations buffer zone between them. India is the second most populated country in the world with around 1.3 billion people.

1. Spain
   Oklahoma
2. Rwanda
   Palau

Oklahoma joined the union on November 16, 1907, becoming the 46th state to do so. The area which became Oklahoma was first discovered in 1541 by Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado.

1. Norway
   Spain
2. Scotland
   Nebraska

With coastlines on both the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Ocean and beautiful, hot summers, Spain is one of the greatest tourist attractions in the world. It is also filled with incredible cultural experiences, beautiful architecture and mouth-watering food.

1. North Carolina
   Argentina
2. Bolivia
   Alaska

The eighth largest country in the world, Argentina covers a land area of 2,780,400 km2. The nation's soccer team is one of the best in the world and superstars such as Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi hail from the country. Although Spanish is the national language, 37 percent of Argentinians have Italian ancestry.

1. Barbados
   Wales
2. Mexico
   Kentucky

The country of Mexico is situated south of the United States. It was founded on October 4, 1824. Mexico is the 11th most populated country in the world and the 14th largest in terms of land size.

1. Alaska
   Hawaii
2. Wisconsin
   Oregon

Wisconsin joined the Union on May 29, 1848 and became the 30th state to do so. It is often called the Badger State thanks to the early miners who mined here.

1. France
   England
2. Connecticut
   Maryland

The home of Paris, the City of Lights, France is one of the most visited countries in the world. Its central location in Europe means that people from all over the continent visit the city for holiday breaks all year round. The country is also known for its incredible cuisine.

1. South Africa
   Utah
2. Nevada
   Ireland

South Africa was declared a republic on May 31, 1961. It was a land of turmoil with the Nationalist government instituting the system of Apartheid, separating black and white residents. In 1990, however, black political leaders, including Nelson Mandela, were released from prison. Four years later, elections for all took place with Mandela’s ANC voted into power.

1. Canada
   New York
2. Nevada
   Russia

The country with the longest coastlines in the world, Canada officially came into existence on July 1, 1867, when the four provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick formed the Canadian Federation. Canada has so much coastline, it will take 4 and one-half years to walk its length. Canada also has 10 percent of all the forests in the world.

1. Rhode Isand
   Kentucky
2. Sudan
   Egypt

Once home of the Pharaohs, Egypt and its pyramids were one of the top tourist attractions in the world. In the past, over 15 million people visited the country each year, primarily to view these incredible structures built so many thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, terrorist attacks have seen these numbers decline sharply of late.

1. Wisconsin
   Maryland
2. Georgia
   Nepal

On January 2, 1788, Georgia entered the Union, becoming the first state in the south to do so. The state was named George II, the King of England. St Mary’s, Georgia, is the second oldest town in the United States.

1. Japan
   Vietnam
2. Utah
   South Carolina

One of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, Japan is actually made up of over 6,800 islands. Over 70 percent of those islands are mountainous and the country has over 200 volcanoes. The capital of Japan is Tokyo which at over 5,000 square miles and is the second biggest metropolitan area found on our planet.

1. Libya
   Lebanon
2. Israel
   Wyoming

Situated in the north of Africa, Libya sits on the Mediterranean Sea. The country was run by Muammar Gaddafi for over 40 years before he was overthrown and killed by rebels in 2011 during a civil war.

1. Zimbabwe
   Scotland
2. Arkansas
   Washington

Washington was the 42nd state to enter the Union and did so on November 11, 1889. The state was so named in honor of George Washington.

1. Delaware
   Congo
2. Morocco
   Niger

An Arab country situated in North Africa, Morrocco sits just across the way from Europe and Spain, in particular, separated by the Mediterranean Sea. Although Casablanca is the largest city in the country, Rabat is the capital. Morrocco has introduced some incredible food and culinary techniques to the world, including couscous and the tagine method of cooking.

1. Delaware
   Dominica
2. Egypt
   New Jersey

Delaware was declared a US state on December 7, 1787, when it was the first to ratify the constitution of the United States. It became the home of the first steam engine track built in America. Delaware has no national parks, monuments, memorials or historic sites.

1. North Korea
   Taiwan
2. Liberia
   Illinois

Not much is known about North Korea due to the incredible efforts by its leaders to keep all information within the country. People who have defected speak of a country where human atrocities are commonplace and the military controls everything. North Korea is currently at odds with the United States due to its nuclear program.

1. Iraq
   Libya
2. Arizona
   Alaska

Unfortunately, much like Afghanistan, Iraq is constantly faced with terrorism. Although dictator Saddam Hussein was forced from power following the invasion of coalition forces led by the United States in 2003, a new government has not led to stability.

1. Idaho
   Maryland
2. Norway
   Panama

The state of Idaho joined the union on July 3, 1890, making it the 43rd state to do so. It is named after a Native American word which roughly translates as 'Land of Many Waters.' The state was the first to have a ski resort, which is located in Sun Valley.

1. Sri Lanka
   Afghanistan
2. Ohio
   Tennessee

Today Afghanistan reels in the turmoil of terrorism. Although it was invaded by coalition forces led by the United States after Sept. 11, 2001, and a new government was put into power, the Taliban continue to wage war. Despite all the trouble, Afghanistan has a strong cricket team that has participated in the Cricket World Cup.

1. Ukraine
   Malaysia
2. New Zealand
   New Jersey

The island nation of New Zealand lies off the southeast coast of Australia. The two countries' capitals, Canberra and Wellington are separated by 1,444 miles and the vast stretches of the Tasman Sea. New Zealanders love rugby and have the most fearsome rugby team on the planet, the All Blacks.

1. Romania
   Germany
2. Texas
   Tennessee

On June 1, 1796, Tennessee became the 16th State admitted to the Union. Tennessee was the home of the famous Cherokee Indians although many other Native American tribes lived there. Today, the state capital, Nashville, is known as ‘Music City’ and is the home of country music.

1. Indiana
   Ohio
2. Iran
   Kenya

Home of the world-famous Indianapolis Speedway, to say this state is a little car crazy would be an understatement. The first race at Indianapolis was held in 1911. In 1871, the first professional game of baseball was played in Indiana. Indiana became the 19th U.S. state on December 11, 1816.