State Border Geography Quiz: Which State Has Fewer Neighbors?

Quiz challenge

Which state has fewer land-border neighbors than Washington, Oklahoma, and Massachusetts?

A Washington B Oklahoma C Maine D Massachusetts

Select an answer to continue.

Understanding state geography often involves picturing how the United States map fits together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Some landlocked states located in the middle of the country, such as Tennessee and Missouri, touch eight different neighbors each. On the outer edges and ocean coastlines of the nation, however, physical geography restricts how many domestic state boundaries an area can share. Comparing state boundary counts can reveal surprising results, especially when factoring in coastal limits and international frontiers.

The correct answer

C) Maine

The correct answer is C) Maine.

Maine has only one domestic land-border neighbor: New Hampshire. Situated in the far northeastern corner of the contiguous United States, Maine is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east, and by the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to its north and northwest. Because it touches only New Hampshire within the United States, Maine holds the national record for the fewest domestic state borders among all forty-eight contiguous states. By comparison, Washington state shares land borders with two US states: Oregon to the south and Idaho to the east, alongside its international border with British Columbia, Canada, to the north. Massachusetts borders five states: Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Oklahoma is located further inland and is surrounded by six neighboring states: Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. Because Maine borders just one state, it has fewer domestic state neighbors than Washington, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma.

Why each choice fits—or doesn’t

A) Washington

Why it is not the answer: Washington state borders two US states, Oregon and Idaho, in addition to sharing an international border with the Canadian province of British Columbia. While two state neighbors is a small count compared to most states, it is still larger than Maine's count of one.

B) Oklahoma

Why it is not the answer: Oklahoma is surrounded by six neighboring states: Texas to the south and west, New Mexico to the west, Colorado and Kansas to the north, and Missouri and Arkansas to the east. With six state borders, Oklahoma has far more land-border neighbors than Washington, Massachusetts, or Maine.

C) Maine

Correct choice: Maine is the correct choice because it touches only a single US state, New Hampshire. Its remaining land boundaries are shared with Canada, while its southern shoreline faces the Atlantic Ocean. Touching just one state gives Maine the fewest domestic state neighbors of all contiguous states.

D) Massachusetts

Why it is not the answer: Massachusetts shares land borders with five neighboring states: Rhode Island to the south, Connecticut to the southwest, New York to the west, Vermont to the northwest, and New Hampshire to the north. This gives Massachusetts significantly more state neighbors than Washington or Maine.

More context

When exploring state border geography, America's spatial layout creates several fascinating outliers. Alaska, for example, shares no land borders with any other US state, touching only the Canadian territory of Yukon and the province of British Columbia. Hawaii, an island archipelago located in the central Pacific Ocean, has zero land borders with any state or nation. Among the lower forty-eight states, Maine stands alone as the only state bordering exactly one other US state. New Hampshire serves as Maine's sole direct land link to the rest of the country. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tennessee and Missouri share the national record for the highest number of state land borders, each touching eight neighboring states. Examining these geographic patterns reveals how rivers, mountain ranges, ocean coastlines, and historical treaties shaped the political map of the United States.

Quick facts

Maine is the only state in the contiguous United States that borders exactly one other US state.
Hawaii is the only US state with zero land borders of any kind.
Alaska borders Canada but shares no land borders with any other US state.
Tennessee and Missouri share the national record for the most state borders, touching eight neighboring states each.
The international boundary between Maine and Canada was formally established by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842.

Sources

Maine – Census Bureau — U.S. Census Bureau Maine shares a land border with only one other state, New Hampshire.
Boundaries of the United States and the Several States — U.S. Geological Survey Official land boundaries and geographic limits of United States borders.