East vs the States

East and the States both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
East	Yes	No	No	No
the States	Yes	No	No	No

East (noun)	the States (noun)
the countries of Asia	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
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Ohio River and to the east of the Mississippi River