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US Map with State Abbreviations. The US has 50 states, a national capital along with commonwealths, and other territories around the world. Each state has its own unique shortened name codes called state abbreviations used in written documents and mailing addresses.
May 7, 2021 · Whether you are a US citizen, visiting the country, or receiving some mails from there, you may have come across two-letter abbreviations like TX, AZ, TN, OH, and so much more. The abbreviations or codes can be confusing, particularly if you do not know the place they represent.
List of U.S. state and territory abbreviations. Several sets of codes and abbreviations are used to represent the political divisions of the United States for postal addresses, data processing, general abbreviations, and other purposes.
Jul 6, 2022 · Much of the confusion around state abbreviations comes from the eight states that begin with "M" (Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana). Of these states, only two follow the first-and-second-letter rule: Massachusetts (MA) and Michigan (MI).
The traditional abbreviations are still commonly used in other ways besides mailing addresses. For example, they can be used in writing after a city (like in "Miami, Fla."). In 1987 the Secretary of Commerce switched to the two-letter State Alpha Code for state abbreviations.
The United States Postal Service publishes this list of official 2-letter abbreviations for the 50 US states. The abbreviations are to be used when addressing mail. The two letters of each abbreviation are always capitalized and without periods.
In 1831 the USPS developed its first list of state abbreviations, each consisting of two letters except Ohio’s, which was simply “O.”. In 1874 the list was updated to include new states, and longer abbreviations were introduced, largely to avoid confusion.
