Geography / 10 questions
State capitals quiz
One capital for every state, with all fifty pairs in the question bank.
About 3–5 minutes · No timer
10 random questions per round · 50 questions in the full bank below
Published by Quizpen · Explanations include linked supporting reading. See our source-checking process and review limits.
Getting your round ready…
BEHIND THE ROUND
A little more about this quiz
A familiar city is not always a state capital. This complete United States bank gives every state one question, with other places in the same state as plausible alternatives. It covers the entire country, from Juneau and Honolulu to Augusta and Tallahassee.
Each round selects ten of the fifty state–capital pairs. The explanations add location cues to connect each name with a mental map: Juneau is in Alaska’s southeastern panhandle, for example, while Tallahassee is in northern Florida. Washington, DC is the national capital and is kept separate from the fifty state capitals.
LEARN THE PATTERN
Practice state capitals without relying on the choices
Learn each state-capital pair as a recall task, then use the ten-question rounds to identify the pairs that still need practice.
All 50 US states and capitals
This alphabetical list matches the complete fifty-question bank. Cover one column and practice in both directions: state to capital, then capital to state.
| US state | Capital |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Montgomery |
| Alaska | Juneau |
| Arizona | Phoenix |
| Arkansas | Little Rock |
| California | Sacramento |
| Colorado | Denver |
| Connecticut | Hartford |
| Delaware | Dover |
| Florida | Tallahassee |
| Georgia | Atlanta |
| Hawaii | Honolulu |
| Idaho | Boise |
| Illinois | Springfield |
| Indiana | Indianapolis |
| Iowa | Des Moines |
| Kansas | Topeka |
| Kentucky | Frankfort |
| Louisiana | Baton Rouge |
| Maine | Augusta |
| Maryland | Annapolis |
| Massachusetts | Boston |
| Michigan | Lansing |
| Minnesota | Saint Paul |
| Mississippi | Jackson |
| Missouri | Jefferson City |
| Montana | Helena |
| Nebraska | Lincoln |
| Nevada | Carson City |
| New Hampshire | Concord |
| New Jersey | Trenton |
| New Mexico | Santa Fe |
| New York | Albany |
| North Carolina | Raleigh |
| North Dakota | Bismarck |
| Ohio | Columbus |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City |
| Oregon | Salem |
| Pennsylvania | Harrisburg |
| Rhode Island | Providence |
| South Carolina | Columbia |
| South Dakota | Pierre |
| Tennessee | Nashville |
| Texas | Austin |
| Utah | Salt Lake City |
| Vermont | Montpelier |
| Virginia | Richmond |
| Washington | Olympia |
| West Virginia | Charleston |
| Wisconsin | Madison |
| Wyoming | Cheyenne |
A capital is the seat of state government; it need not be the state’s largest or most familiar city. Washington, DC, and US territories are outside this fifty-state bank.
Reference sources: Minnesota Legislative Manual: US state–capital table · USA.gov: official state government directory
Check what you remember
Look away from the table. Try each question, then open it to check your answer.
What are the capitals of California, New York, and Florida?Show answer
Sacramento, Albany, and Tallahassee. Choosing a familiar large city instead is a common source of mistakes.
Which state has Olympia as its capital? How does that differ from Washington, DC?Show answer
Olympia is the capital of Washington state. Washington, DC, is the national capital and is not one of the fifty states.
Name the capitals of Alaska and Hawaii.Show answer
Juneau is Alaska’s capital, and Honolulu is Hawaii’s capital.
Say or write the capital before revealing options
The table and full question bank cover all fifty states. Work through ten rows, cover the capital column, and name each answer. Reverse the exercise by covering the state names. This exposes a weak pair even when a multiple-choice answer looks familiar.
Separate capitals from familiar large cities
Sacramento, Albany, and Tallahassee are the capitals of California, New York, and Florida. A state’s most familiar city is not automatically its capital. After a missed answer, repeat the correct state-capital pair and use the bank’s location explanation as a memory cue.
Keep Washington state and Washington, DC, distinct
Washington state’s capital is Olympia. Washington, DC, is the national capital and is outside the fifty-state list. Use the separate state map quiz to connect a name with its location, then return here to recall the capital. The custom worksheet builder can mix chosen questions into one printable review.
Put it into practice
Further reading: Minnesota Legislative Manual: US state–capital table · USA.gov: official state government directory
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
State capitals quiz: the full question sheet
Practice the capital of every US state, with one question for each state and plausible city choices. Each round draws ten of the 50 state–capital pairs.
By Quizpen · Updated
Browse the full question bank50 questions & answers
What is the capital of Alabama?
Reveal answer
Montgomery. Montgomery is Alabama’s capital. It lies inland in central Alabama, south of Birmingham.
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What is the capital of Alaska?
Reveal answer
Juneau. Juneau is Alaska’s capital. It is in Alaska’s southeastern panhandle, far from Anchorage in the south-central part of the state.
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What is the capital of Arizona?
Reveal answer
Phoenix. Phoenix is Arizona’s capital. It lies in south-central Arizona. Tucson is farther southeast, and Flagstaff is in the north.
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What is the capital of Arkansas?
Reveal answer
Little Rock. Little Rock is Arkansas’s capital. It lies in central Arkansas, on the Arkansas River; North Little Rock is on the opposite side.
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What is the capital of California?
Reveal answer
Sacramento. Sacramento is California’s capital. It is inland in northern California. The coastal cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles serve different roles.
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What is the capital of Colorado?
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Denver. Denver is Colorado’s capital. It lies near the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, where the mountain region meets the plains.
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What is the capital of Connecticut?
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Hartford. Hartford is Connecticut’s capital. It lies in central Connecticut, inland from the cities along Long Island Sound.
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What is the capital of Delaware?
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Dover. Dover is Delaware’s capital. It lies south of Wilmington in the central part of Delaware.
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What is the capital of Florida?
Reveal answer
Tallahassee. Tallahassee is Florida’s capital. It is in Florida’s northern panhandle region, far from Miami near the peninsula’s southern tip.
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What is the capital of Georgia?
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Atlanta. Atlanta is Georgia’s capital. It is in northern Georgia, inland from the state’s Atlantic coast.
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What is the capital of Hawaii?
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Honolulu. Honolulu is Hawaii’s capital. It is on Oʻahu. Hilo and Kailua-Kona are on the island of Hawaiʻi, while Kahului is on Maui.
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What is the capital of Idaho?
Reveal answer
Boise. Boise is Idaho’s capital. It lies in southwestern Idaho, well south of the state’s narrow northern panhandle.
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What is the capital of Illinois?
Reveal answer
Springfield. Springfield is Illinois’s capital. It is in central Illinois. Chicago lies farther northeast on Lake Michigan.
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What is the capital of Indiana?
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Indianapolis. Indianapolis is Indiana’s capital. It lies near the center of Indiana. South Bend and Fort Wayne are farther north.
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What is the capital of Iowa?
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Des Moines. Des Moines is Iowa’s capital. It lies in central Iowa. Davenport is farther east on the Mississippi River.
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What is the capital of Kansas?
Reveal answer
Topeka. Topeka is Kansas’s capital. It is in northeastern Kansas. Wichita lies farther south, and neither city should be confused with Kansas City.
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What is the capital of Kentucky?
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Frankfort. Frankfort is Kentucky’s capital. It lies between Louisville and Lexington in northern Kentucky.
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What is the capital of Louisiana?
Reveal answer
Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge is Louisiana’s capital. It is on the Mississippi River, upstream from New Orleans.
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What is the capital of Maine?
Reveal answer
Augusta. Augusta is Maine’s capital. It is inland in central-southern Maine. Portland is farther south on the coast.
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What is the capital of Maryland?
Reveal answer
Annapolis. Annapolis is Maryland’s capital. It lies beside Chesapeake Bay, south of Baltimore.
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What is the capital of Massachusetts?
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Boston. Boston is Massachusetts’s capital. It is on Massachusetts’s eastern coast. Worcester and Springfield lie farther inland.
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What is the capital of Michigan?
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Lansing. Lansing is Michigan’s capital. It lies inland on Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Detroit is farther southeast.
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What is the capital of Minnesota?
Reveal answer
Saint Paul. Saint Paul is Minnesota’s capital. Saint Paul and Minneapolis form the Twin Cities, but Saint Paul is the state capital.
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What is the capital of Mississippi?
Reveal answer
Jackson. Jackson is Mississippi’s capital. It is inland in central Mississippi. Biloxi and Gulfport are on the Gulf Coast.
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What is the capital of Missouri?
Reveal answer
Jefferson City. Jefferson City is Missouri’s capital. It lies in central Missouri, on the Missouri River. St. Louis and Kansas City are different cities at opposite sides of the state.
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What is the capital of Montana?
Reveal answer
Helena. Helena is Montana’s capital. It is in western Montana, near the mountainous part of the state.
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What is the capital of Nebraska?
Reveal answer
Lincoln. Lincoln is Nebraska’s capital. It is in southeastern Nebraska, southwest of Omaha.
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What is the capital of Nevada?
Reveal answer
Carson City. Carson City is Nevada’s capital. It lies in western Nevada near Lake Tahoe. Las Vegas is much farther south.
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What is the capital of New Hampshire?
Reveal answer
Concord. Concord is New Hampshire’s capital. It lies in south-central New Hampshire, north of Manchester and Nashua.
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What is the capital of New Jersey?
Reveal answer
Trenton. Trenton is New Jersey’s capital. It lies on the Delaware River, across from Pennsylvania.
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What is the capital of New Mexico?
Reveal answer
Santa Fe. Santa Fe is New Mexico’s capital. It lies north of Albuquerque in northern New Mexico.
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What is the capital of New York?
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Albany. Albany is New York’s capital. It lies on the Hudson River, well north of New York City.
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What is the capital of North Carolina?
Reveal answer
Raleigh. Raleigh is North Carolina’s capital. It lies in the eastern part of North Carolina’s Piedmont region. Charlotte is farther southwest.
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What is the capital of North Dakota?
Reveal answer
Bismarck. Bismarck is North Dakota’s capital. It lies on the Missouri River in south-central North Dakota. Fargo is farther east near Minnesota.
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What is the capital of Ohio?
Reveal answer
Columbus. Columbus is Ohio’s capital. It is in central Ohio. Cleveland lies to the north on Lake Erie, while Cincinnati is in the southwest.
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What is the capital of Oklahoma?
Reveal answer
Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City is Oklahoma’s capital. It lies in central Oklahoma. The state and capital share a name, unlike most state–capital pairs.
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What is the capital of Oregon?
Reveal answer
Salem. Salem is Oregon’s capital. It lies in the Willamette Valley, south of Portland.
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What is the capital of Pennsylvania?
Reveal answer
Harrisburg. Harrisburg is Pennsylvania’s capital. It lies on the Susquehanna River. Philadelphia is farther east and Pittsburgh farther west.
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What is the capital of Rhode Island?
Reveal answer
Providence. Providence is Rhode Island’s capital. It lies near the head of Narragansett Bay in the northern part of Rhode Island.
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What is the capital of South Carolina?
Reveal answer
Columbia. Columbia is South Carolina’s capital. It lies in the state’s central region. Charleston and Myrtle Beach are coastal cities.
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What is the capital of South Dakota?
Reveal answer
Pierre. Pierre is South Dakota’s capital. It lies near the center of South Dakota, on the Missouri River. Sioux Falls is in the southeast.
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What is the capital of Tennessee?
Reveal answer
Nashville. Nashville is Tennessee’s capital. It lies in Middle Tennessee. Memphis is farther west and Knoxville farther east.
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What is the capital of Texas?
Reveal answer
Austin. Austin is Texas’s capital. It lies in central Texas, north of San Antonio. Houston and Dallas are separate major cities.
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What is the capital of Utah?
Reveal answer
Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is Utah’s capital. It lies southeast of the Great Salt Lake, in northern Utah.
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What is the capital of Vermont?
Reveal answer
Montpelier. Montpelier is Vermont’s capital. It lies inland in central Vermont. Burlington lies farther northwest beside Lake Champlain.
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What is the capital of Virginia?
Reveal answer
Richmond. Richmond is Virginia’s capital. It lies inland on the James River. Norfolk and Virginia Beach lie closer to the Atlantic coast.
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What is the capital of Washington?
Reveal answer
Olympia. Olympia is Washington’s capital. It lies near the southern end of Puget Sound. Seattle and Tacoma lie farther north.
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What is the capital of West Virginia?
Reveal answer
Charleston. Charleston is West Virginia’s capital. It lies in southwestern West Virginia. It is a different city from Charleston in South Carolina.
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What is the capital of Wisconsin?
Reveal answer
Madison. Madison is Wisconsin’s capital. It lies in southern Wisconsin. Milwaukee and Green Bay lie farther east toward Lake Michigan.
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What is the capital of Wyoming?
Reveal answer
Cheyenne. Cheyenne is Wyoming’s capital. It lies in Wyoming’s southeastern corner, close to Colorado and Nebraska.
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Answer key
- Montgomery. Montgomery is Alabama’s capital. It lies inland in central Alabama, south of Birmingham.
- Juneau. Juneau is Alaska’s capital. It is in Alaska’s southeastern panhandle, far from Anchorage in the south-central part of the state.
- Phoenix. Phoenix is Arizona’s capital. It lies in south-central Arizona. Tucson is farther southeast, and Flagstaff is in the north.
- Little Rock. Little Rock is Arkansas’s capital. It lies in central Arkansas, on the Arkansas River; North Little Rock is on the opposite side.
- Sacramento. Sacramento is California’s capital. It is inland in northern California. The coastal cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles serve different roles.
- Denver. Denver is Colorado’s capital. It lies near the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, where the mountain region meets the plains.
- Hartford. Hartford is Connecticut’s capital. It lies in central Connecticut, inland from the cities along Long Island Sound.
- Dover. Dover is Delaware’s capital. It lies south of Wilmington in the central part of Delaware.
- Tallahassee. Tallahassee is Florida’s capital. It is in Florida’s northern panhandle region, far from Miami near the peninsula’s southern tip.
- Atlanta. Atlanta is Georgia’s capital. It is in northern Georgia, inland from the state’s Atlantic coast.
- Honolulu. Honolulu is Hawaii’s capital. It is on Oʻahu. Hilo and Kailua-Kona are on the island of Hawaiʻi, while Kahului is on Maui.
- Boise. Boise is Idaho’s capital. It lies in southwestern Idaho, well south of the state’s narrow northern panhandle.
- Springfield. Springfield is Illinois’s capital. It is in central Illinois. Chicago lies farther northeast on Lake Michigan.
- Indianapolis. Indianapolis is Indiana’s capital. It lies near the center of Indiana. South Bend and Fort Wayne are farther north.
- Des Moines. Des Moines is Iowa’s capital. It lies in central Iowa. Davenport is farther east on the Mississippi River.
- Topeka. Topeka is Kansas’s capital. It is in northeastern Kansas. Wichita lies farther south, and neither city should be confused with Kansas City.
- Frankfort. Frankfort is Kentucky’s capital. It lies between Louisville and Lexington in northern Kentucky.
- Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge is Louisiana’s capital. It is on the Mississippi River, upstream from New Orleans.
- Augusta. Augusta is Maine’s capital. It is inland in central-southern Maine. Portland is farther south on the coast.
- Annapolis. Annapolis is Maryland’s capital. It lies beside Chesapeake Bay, south of Baltimore.
- Boston. Boston is Massachusetts’s capital. It is on Massachusetts’s eastern coast. Worcester and Springfield lie farther inland.
- Lansing. Lansing is Michigan’s capital. It lies inland on Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Detroit is farther southeast.
- Saint Paul. Saint Paul is Minnesota’s capital. Saint Paul and Minneapolis form the Twin Cities, but Saint Paul is the state capital.
- Jackson. Jackson is Mississippi’s capital. It is inland in central Mississippi. Biloxi and Gulfport are on the Gulf Coast.
- Jefferson City. Jefferson City is Missouri’s capital. It lies in central Missouri, on the Missouri River. St. Louis and Kansas City are different cities at opposite sides of the state.
- Helena. Helena is Montana’s capital. It is in western Montana, near the mountainous part of the state.
- Lincoln. Lincoln is Nebraska’s capital. It is in southeastern Nebraska, southwest of Omaha.
- Carson City. Carson City is Nevada’s capital. It lies in western Nevada near Lake Tahoe. Las Vegas is much farther south.
- Concord. Concord is New Hampshire’s capital. It lies in south-central New Hampshire, north of Manchester and Nashua.
- Trenton. Trenton is New Jersey’s capital. It lies on the Delaware River, across from Pennsylvania.
- Santa Fe. Santa Fe is New Mexico’s capital. It lies north of Albuquerque in northern New Mexico.
- Albany. Albany is New York’s capital. It lies on the Hudson River, well north of New York City.
- Raleigh. Raleigh is North Carolina’s capital. It lies in the eastern part of North Carolina’s Piedmont region. Charlotte is farther southwest.
- Bismarck. Bismarck is North Dakota’s capital. It lies on the Missouri River in south-central North Dakota. Fargo is farther east near Minnesota.
- Columbus. Columbus is Ohio’s capital. It is in central Ohio. Cleveland lies to the north on Lake Erie, while Cincinnati is in the southwest.
- Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City is Oklahoma’s capital. It lies in central Oklahoma. The state and capital share a name, unlike most state–capital pairs.
- Salem. Salem is Oregon’s capital. It lies in the Willamette Valley, south of Portland.
- Harrisburg. Harrisburg is Pennsylvania’s capital. It lies on the Susquehanna River. Philadelphia is farther east and Pittsburgh farther west.
- Providence. Providence is Rhode Island’s capital. It lies near the head of Narragansett Bay in the northern part of Rhode Island.
- Columbia. Columbia is South Carolina’s capital. It lies in the state’s central region. Charleston and Myrtle Beach are coastal cities.
- Pierre. Pierre is South Dakota’s capital. It lies near the center of South Dakota, on the Missouri River. Sioux Falls is in the southeast.
- Nashville. Nashville is Tennessee’s capital. It lies in Middle Tennessee. Memphis is farther west and Knoxville farther east.
- Austin. Austin is Texas’s capital. It lies in central Texas, north of San Antonio. Houston and Dallas are separate major cities.
- Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is Utah’s capital. It lies southeast of the Great Salt Lake, in northern Utah.
- Montpelier. Montpelier is Vermont’s capital. It lies inland in central Vermont. Burlington lies farther northwest beside Lake Champlain.
- Richmond. Richmond is Virginia’s capital. It lies inland on the James River. Norfolk and Virginia Beach lie closer to the Atlantic coast.
- Olympia. Olympia is Washington’s capital. It lies near the southern end of Puget Sound. Seattle and Tacoma lie farther north.
- Charleston. Charleston is West Virginia’s capital. It lies in southwestern West Virginia. It is a different city from Charleston in South Carolina.
- Madison. Madison is Wisconsin’s capital. It lies in southern Wisconsin. Milwaukee and Green Bay lie farther east toward Lake Michigan.
- Cheyenne. Cheyenne is Wyoming’s capital. It lies in Wyoming’s southeastern corner, close to Colorado and Nebraska.