USA Map Coloring Pages

• Blank 50-state map: state borders only, for quizzes and color-by-instruction activities
• Labeled map: every state name printed inside or beside its outline
• Abbreviation map: two-letter postal codes such as TX, OH and CA
• Regions maps: the Northeast, Midwest, South and West, each on its own sheet so small states are easier to color
• Capitals map: a star on each state capital to label or match
• Landform map: the Rocky and Appalachian mountain ranges, the Mississippi River and the five Great Lakes
• Single-state outlines: large shapes of individual states with room to draw the flag, bird or cities inside
• Outline only: the national border with no state lines, for drawing states from memory

Color by region. The Census Bureau groups the states into four regions: Northeast, Midwest, South and West. Give each a color and students see the pattern at a glance.

One state at a time. Color a state when you study it, when a classmate has visited it or when it comes up in the news. After a year the map is full.

The four-color challenge. Ask students to color the map so that no two states sharing a border have the same color. Mathematicians proved in 1976 that four colors are always enough for any flat map. It's harder than it sounds and makes a good puzzle for grades 4 and up.

Label from memory. Start with the labeled map. Move to the abbreviation map, then the blank one.

Facts to point out as you go

• There are 50 states. Forty-eight are contiguous, and Alaska and Hawaii are separate.
• Alaska is the largest state and Rhode Island is the smallest.
• Four states meet at a single point called Four Corners: Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
• Tennessee and Missouri each touch eight other states. Maine touches only one, New Hampshire.
• The five Great Lakes are Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. The first letters spell HOMES.
• The Mississippi River starts in Minnesota and reaches the sea in Louisiana.

Most US students learn the states and capitals in fourth or fifth grade. Colored pencils work better than markers on maps, because small states like Delaware and Connecticut need a fine point.