Monitor Quiz: Name That State

Native American phrases, Spanish myths, kings: These are some of the ways states got their names. Can you guess the name of the state from the origin of its name?

1. On Easter Sunday in 1512, a Spanish explorer named this state a 'feast of flowers.'

2. The Shoshone who lived here used the phrase 'ee-dah-haw,' meaning 'Look, the sun is coming down the mountain.'

3. The name first appeared in a popular Spanish romance in 1510. Spanish explorers agreed that the land they later found was an 'imaginary treasure island.'

4. It means 'red' or 'reddish.' The name of this state refers to the brownish-red color of its river.

5. From the Ojibwa term 'michi-gama' ('great water'), this is the only state made up of two peninsulas separated by water.

6. Named after the island in the English Channel where a breed of cattle originated.

7. Its namesake is the Aztec war god, Maxitel. It has the oldest road in the United States: 'El Camino Real,' the Royal Road.

8. Known as the 'land of Charles' after King Charles IX of France in 1562, it was claimed by the British in 1663 in honor of their Charles I of England.

ANSWERS

1. FLORIDA. Ponce de Leon called it Pascua (Easter) Florida ('feast of flowers').

2. IDAHO. Legend has it that when the Shoshones saw the first rays of sunshine on the mountain peaks, they'd greet one another with this phrase.

3. CALIFORNIA. Spanish explorers gave the name to this state. Other possible linguistic origins are the Latin 'calida forno' ('hot furnace') or the Spanish 'calif,' meaning 'sovereign.'

4. COLORADO. From the Spanish word 'colorado,' meaning 'colored red.' The name refers to the reddish Colorado River.

5. MICHIGAN. Two square miles of water for every three square miles of land give this state the greatest proportion of fresh water of any state in the world.

6. NEW JERSEY. After the island of Jersey in the English Channel, where Jersey cattle originated.

7. NEW MEXICO. Spanish explorers came to the region in search of the gold of the mythical seven Cities of Cibola.

8. CAROLINA. The region was named 'Carolina,' meaning land of Charles. It's derived from the Latin form of Charles, 'Carolus.'