U.S. map practice index
U.S. States to draw from memory
Browse all fifty state outlines from the simplest geometry in this map source to the most detailed, then use one visual anchor to rebuild each shape without looking.
Choose a difficulty
Start with one strong border clue
Easy states use fewer coordinate vertices in the project's us-atlas source; medium and hard states use progressively more. That makes the grouping automatic and reproducible, but it is not a psychological test. A familiar shape such as Texas can still feel easier than a low-vertex state you rarely see. Use the ranking as a route through the data, then let your own repeated mistakes decide what needs practice.
Hard outlines
16 states to practice
Rank 1 has the fewest source vertices; rank 50 has the most.
- #35
Hard · 253 vertices
Minnesota
Start with the northern box, then shape the Lake Superior side.
- #36
Hard · 261 vertices
Kentucky
Think of a long east-west wedge that narrows toward the mountains.
- #37
Hard · 261 vertices
New York
Separate the broad upstate body from the southeast tail and Long Island.
- #38
Hard · 279 vertices
Maryland
Remember the long western handle and the deep Chesapeake Bay split.
- #39
Hard · 287 vertices
Mississippi
Keep the state tall and let the river create the uneven western side.
- #40
Hard · 303 vertices
Maine
Use a tilted wedge with a straighter west and a rough Atlantic edge.
- #41
Hard · 307 vertices
Wisconsin
Shape the Lake Michigan edge around a sturdy northern body.
- #42
Hard · 325 vertices
Virginia
Think long east-west wedge, then split the coast around Chesapeake Bay.
- #43
Hard · 333 vertices
North Carolina
Keep the state long and low, then suggest the Outer Banks with one arc.
- #44
Hard · 387 vertices
California
Preserve the long Pacific slant before adding the southeast angle.
- #45
Hard · 422 vertices
Florida
Join a horizontal panhandle to a long peninsula that curves southeast.
- #46
Hard · 437 vertices
Washington
Keep the north and east firm while simplifying Puget Sound and the coast.
- #47
Hard · 445 vertices
Louisiana
Build the northern block, then add the boot and delta below it.
- #48
Hard · 578 vertices
Michigan
Treat the Upper and Lower Peninsulas as two separate, related shapes.
- #49
Hard · 680 vertices
Texas
Place the panhandle, Gulf curve, and southern point before anything else.
- #50
Hard · 4142 vertices
Alaska
Draw the mainland mass first and reduce the Aleutians to one sweeping chain.
The order counts coordinate vertices after converting us-atlas/states-10m.json to GeoJSON. Dataset resolution, island inclusion, and river detail all affect the count, so “hard” here means a more detailed source path rather than a guaranteed harder memory task.
Switch from reference to recall
Pick a state, hide the preview, and draw the anchors you remember.
Open the game and select U.S. States above the map.