Connecticut River vs the States

Connecticut River and the States both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
Connecticut River	Yes	No	No	No
the States	Yes	No	No	No

Connecticut River (noun)	the States (noun)
a river in the northeastern United States; flows south from northern New Hampshire along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont and through Massachusetts and Connecticut where it empties into Long Island Sound	North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776