St. Lawrence River vs the States

St. Lawrence River and the States both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
St. Lawrence River	Yes	No	No	No
the States	Yes	No	No	No

St. Lawrence River (noun)	the States (noun)
a North American river; flows into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the North Atlantic	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