States Of The Midwest USA (With Hints)

East North Central

This is a French name for the original inhabitants. It might be derived from the local phrase 'irenwe·wa', meaning 'he speaks the regular way'.

This name was given by US Congress in 1800 and somewhat unimaginatively means 'Land of the Indians'.

This state is bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, and shares its name with one of them. In Ojibwe 'mishigami' means 'large lake'.

It takes its name from a river, whose name derives from the Seneca word 'ohi:yo' ' meaning 'great' or 'good river'.

The Algonquian word for the river here may have been 'Meskonsing', which was adapted by the French into 'Ouisconsin'.

West North Central

The Ioway were a group of indigenous people that lived in this area.

Some of the local people called themselves 'Kką:ze'.

This was the Dakota name for the major river: 'Mnísóta'. It means 'clear blue water' (or perhaps 'cloudy water').

The state is named after the major river (again), which may have been named after a local indigenous group - their neighbours called them 'Ouemessourita' (possibly).

The 'North' state named after the Sioux word for 'allies' (the word is a Native American tribe).

This name may be an Anglicisation of the Omaha language 'Ní Btháska', meaning 'flat water' (again, referring to a river).

The 'South' state that matches the one mentioned above, referring to a branch of the Sioux tribes that occupied the area.