Wake Island is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean, claimed by the United States in 1899 and operated as a US Air Force facility. Strategically positioned between Hawaii and Guam, it served as a Pan Am refueling stop in the 1930s and was a key Pacific battleground in World War II.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is a Caribbean US territory comprising St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, with white-sand beaches, the historic colonial port of Charlotte Amalie, and the Virgin Islands National Park.
Utah has more national parks than any state except California — the famous 'Mighty Five' (Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef), plus the Great Salt Lake and a strong Mormon heritage.
Vermont is the only New England state without an Atlantic coastline, dominated by the Green Mountains, dairy farms, maple syrup production and the highest concentration of independent bookstores in America.
Virginia is the birthplace of eight US presidents, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It hosts the Pentagon, CIA headquarters, and the historic colonial sites of Jamestown and Williamsburg.
Washington is the only US state named after a president, with Mount Rainier National Park, the Cascade volcanic peaks, the Columbia River Gorge, and the rainy Pacific Northwest forests of the Olympic Peninsula.
Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States — a federal district, not a state, that hosts the White House, Capitol Building, Supreme Court, and the Smithsonian museums.
West Virginia is an entirely Appalachian state, the only one to form by seceding from another state (Virginia) during the Civil War, with the New River Gorge — recently designated a National Park.
Wisconsin is the dairy capital of America, producing more cheese than any state, and is home to the iconic Green Bay Packers, the Harley-Davidson Museum, and the Wisconsin Dells.