America's ports handle billions of dollars in trade every year, connecting the domestic economy to global markets. The Port of Los Angeles and the adjacent Port of Long Beach together form the San Pedro Bay complex — the busiest container port operation in the Western Hemisphere. Roughly 40% of all container imports entering the United States pass through these two California ports, mostly from Asian manufacturing centers.

The Gulf Coast ports tell a different trade story. The Port of Houston is the largest in the US by foreign waterborne tonnage, driven primarily by petrochemical exports and energy trade. The Port of New Orleans occupies one of the most strategic locations in American geography — at the mouth of the Mississippi River, which drains 41% of the continental United States. For centuries, New Orleans has been the point where America's interior production meets global shipping lanes.

The East Coast has seen dramatic port growth in recent years. The Port of Savannah in Georgia has expanded rapidly, benefiting from the Panama Canal expansion that allows larger ships to reach the Atlantic. The Port of Charleston in South Carolina has invested in deepening its harbor to accommodate the largest container ships. The Port of Baltimore specializes in automobile imports, processing more cars than any other US port.

This quiz covers the full geography of American maritime trade. The ports you'll encounter are the economic arteries of the nation — the places where raw materials arrive, finished goods depart, and global commerce meets American shores.