the States vs Connecticut River

the States and Connecticut River both are nouns.

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

the States (noun)	Connecticut River (noun)
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	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