What two states tie for sharing borders with the smallest number of other states?

Answer 1

nice question

& it would be Alaska & Hawaii

both of whom share borders with no other states

& would thus tie for sharing borders with zero other states

but

tho zero is a number

nevertheless zero states or no states is not a number of states

& therefore zero states cant be the smallest number of states

& i like to think it might have been Maine too

who alone shares a border with only 1 other state

but

even if 1 state were a number of states

which it isn't because it is less than a number of them

still Maine is herself but 1 state

so there is no other state available for her to tie

for sharing with the smallest number

then too

it might have been Washington Florida & South Carolina

who do tie for sharing borders with 2 other states

which is the smallest possible number of other states

since 2 is the smallest possible number of states

yet nevertheless

there are 3 of them who tie for sharing borders with 2 others

so they all cant very well be 2 states if they are really 3 states

& in particular they cant be the 2 & only 2 states you are asking for

so moving on

to the class of states who share borders with the next larger number or 3 others

while observing all generally recognized principles of tiebreaking

i can see California North Dakota & Louisiana right off

without even bothering to squint at the little ones east of the Mississippi river

so forget them all for being too many too

whoever they all are

& likewise for the classes of states who share borders with 4 & with 5 & with 6 others

since they are the most numerous classes of all

you can disqualify all of them without even thinking about it

& therefore

the class of 2 who share with 7 would win on tiebreak

& that's Colorado & Kentucky

hooray & hooray

except

incredibly

after all that

Colorado has just been challenged

& indeed has now been disqualified from the class who share with 7

since her common border point with Arizona is not really a border at all

but is merely a point

& a border is by every definition a linear feature

so Colorado is demoted to the class who share borders with only 6

leaving Kentucky with no classmate to tie for sharing with 7

& thus Kentucky too must now be just as disqualified as Maine was for having no partner to tie for sharing borders with

& so we move on again

still in tiebreak mode

to the class who tie for sharing borders with 8 other states

& they are Tennessee & Missouri

hooray & hooray again

but for real & for keeps this time

since there are no more challenges possible

nor even any more candidates possible

seeing as Tennessee & Missouri also tie for sharing borders with the greatest number of other states as well

which is still 8 in that case too btw

Answer 2

Texas and California

AnswerTexas and California