Little known fact ... the license plates in New Mexico say "New Mexico, USA" because many (easily confused) people living in America don't think that New Mexico is part of our Union, but a Mexican state. I've had people, thinking to show off their eloquent Spanish, give me monologues in a tongue I barely understand. Simply because "Mexico" is part of the name of a state where I spent a goodly chunk of my life.
I've always theorized that the reason no one knows that this state exists is because it's always hidden by Willard Scott; it's the perfect place to stand in front of a map of the country to point to his left to tell us what's happening in Texas, from there to do a quick 180 and tell us what's happening on the left coast.