I completely redid this quiz. As several people pointed out, the Wikipedia source is extremely poor. I spent a couple hours computing the coastlines myself, and got results which make a lot more sense. You can read more here. As far as I know, my list is the only accurate source for state coastlines that exists on the internet.
I found it hard to believe that Maryland has more coastline than Oregon, but Oregon's coastline is pretty much a straight line and Maryland has the Chesapeake bay, so I guess it makes sense.
Hawaii's borders don't stop at the coastline either. All coastal states have state marine borders 3 nautical miles from all points of land. You are fully within state jurisdiction in that area. The U.S. has borders within 12 nautical miles and exclusive economic zones out to 200 nautical miles of all those states.
There is a common fallacy on JetPunk of listing Michigan at nearly twice its size because of adjacent Great Lakes area while not including adjacent oceanic waters of coastal states. Both, of course, would be totally misleading. Using that methodology, Hawaii would jump from one of the tiniest states to a very large state, especially if including integral U.S. waters around Hawaii.
this should include lake shore lines. No one outside the great lakes area knows how massive these lake are and how long the coastline of Michigan really is. ITs longer than the eastern seaboard!
A message to everyone who wants Michigan included and every other lakeshore state: The quiz says longest coastlines, not shorelines. A longest shorelines quiz is what you want if you want ocean and lake, but that's not a coastline!
There is a common fallacy on JetPunk of listing Michigan at nearly twice its size because of adjacent Great Lakes area while not including adjacent oceanic waters of coastal states. Both, of course, would be totally misleading. Using that methodology, Hawaii would jump from one of the tiniest states to a very large state, especially if including integral U.S. waters around Hawaii.