By any measure, Florida takes the prize for the flattest state in the nation, with its highest point being only 345 feet above sea level.

Although it's known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", Minnesota isn't the state with the most lakes. Its neighbor Wisconsin has over 15,000, but both of those pale in comparison to Alaska, with more than 3 million lakes.

Because the legal boundaries between Michigan and several adjoining states and Canadian provinces are in the middle of lakes Michigan, Superior, and Huron, 41.5% of Michigan's total surface area is water. This is the highest percentage of any U.S. state, although Hawaii comes in a close second with 41.2%.

The Jersey Devil is often described as a bipedal kangaroo-like or wyvern-like creature with a horse- or goat-like head, leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, legs with cloven hooves, and a forked tail. It has been reported to move quickly and is often described as emitting a high-pitched "blood-curdling scream".

Skamania County is known for enacting what has been described as the "Bigfoot Ordinance", making it illegal to shoot Bigfoot. According to one account, the law was put in the books at the height of the Bigfoot craze--not to protect the mythical creature, but to protect citizens from the overly enthusiastic, weapon-toting paranormal enthusiasts flocking to the area.

The state encompasses nearly the entire Hawaiian archipelago, which consists of 137 volcanic islands spanning 1,500 miles (2,400 km).

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory, an area that included most of South Dakota, from Napoleon Bonaparte, and President Thomas Jefferson organized a group commonly referred to as the "Lewis and Clark Expedition" to explore the region.

From 1951 to 1992, as part of the nuclear arms race, a swath of land about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada was used for hundreds of nuclear weapons tests.

Hawaii is the only state covered entirely by its own time zone, Hawaii-Aleutian, which is 10 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-10). Unlike most states, Hawaii does not observe Daylight Saving Time.

Roughly 1.3 million alligators live in the state of Florida. And don't think these prehistoric predators are confined to wildlife areas. A map of where nuisance alligators have been removed includes all areas of the state, from Pensacola to the Keys.