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Top 10 U.S. States Wider than Tall

Name the states with the most "horizontal" shape.
Ratio = ratio of average width to average height
Read the comments for methodology
Also see States Taller than Wide
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: September 12, 2019
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First submittedSeptember 10, 2019
Times taken12,069
Average score70.0%
Rating4.18
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Ratio
State
3.82
Tennessee
2.73
North Carolina
2.31
Kentucky
2.28
Massachusetts
2.18
Virginia
2.00
Nebraska
1.92
Kansas
1.89
Montana
1.80
South Dakota
1.78
Pennsylvania
Quizmaster
+8
Level ∞
Sep 11, 2019
Here's how I computed the average width of a state. I represented each state as a grid of 900 points. Then, for each point, I calculated how far you could travel in a straight east-west line without leaving the state. The average width is the average of these distances.
Henceforth516
+4
Level 84
Sep 12, 2019
Were the Aleutian Islands included? Or were they just not enough to overcome the enormous "height" of Alaska?
Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Sep 13, 2019
Yes, they were included. But as there is very little area in the Aleutians they didn't affect the average much.
mrLyu
+4
Level 37
Sep 14, 2019
Technically, it's east-west along the same latitude. A straight east-west line would be along the great circle.

sorry for being pedantic

French2010
+3
Level 93
Sep 11, 2019
Nice quiz. Unless there is already a quiz addressing it, it would be interesting to do the same with the maximum width vs maximum height (or vice versa for the tall states). For example, Oklahoma is twice as wide as high considering its panhandle but the "average" width is obviously much less.
Berney
+2
Level 80
Sep 12, 2019
I agree. I first thought of Oklahoma when I saw this quiz as I was just thinking about ratio of maximum width to maximum height.
halpie
+4
Level 77
Sep 11, 2019
any quiz with a banjo is a good quiz to me. Five stars
dsaved
+2
Level 67
Sep 12, 2019
I love these two quizzes, and I'd love to see others covering the whole world. I bet it would be a job from hell...
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Sep 12, 2019
I plan on doing it!
Geographystar
+2
Level 67
Sep 13, 2019
Chile!
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Sep 13, 2019
Yep, it's #1 for Countries Taller than Wide.
APHill
+1
Level 75
Sep 12, 2019
Almost didn't guess South Dakota when North Dakota wasn't here...
MrBubbles
+1
Level 66
Sep 13, 2019
Got Montana with 1 second left!
TenThousand
+3
Level 76
Sep 13, 2019
Hawaii looks, to the naked eye, to be about 2.00. I wouldn't have thought travelling across the water between the islands to be "leaving" the state, but maybe that's how you categorise that here and therefore disqualify Hawaii?
kleeduardo
+1
Level 52
Oct 28, 2019
Are we running out of ideas? This is a stupid quiz... Sorry to be honest.
SportsFan14
+1
Level 28
Dec 26, 2019
I thought This was about cities and their Height of Mountains/Buildings. I need to read the directions!
Winscribe
+1
Level 50
Dec 27, 2019
2 seconds left...
SirPhilippines
+1
Level 65
Dec 23, 2020
I was doing countries lol
buck1017
+1
Level 77
Jul 2, 2021
South Dakota on here but not North Dakota? Time to check out a map...
Mikasuomi
+1
Level 49
Nov 18, 2021
I like these kind of quizzes about geographical proportions. It is interesting that US states right north of Texas are like horizontally wide boxes, but in other parts of country the main direction is north-west, as with California. There must be historical reason for this, or then it has something to do with the fact that on coasts the oceans dictate partly borders and shapes, but in the middle of country every border is agreed by humans.
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