Sentence:  Nomia melanderi can be found in tremendous numbers in certain parts of the <WSD>United</WSD> States west of the Great Plains , for example , in Utah and central Washington . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  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