The continental United States is a term referring to the United States situated on the North American continent. Depending on usage, it can mean either: World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Animated, colour-coded map showing the various continents. ...

• the 48 contiguous states plus the District of Columbia; or
• the 48 contiguous states plus the District of Columbia and Alaska.

The first definition is more traditional, back to before Alaskan statehood, and is the more commonly used definition. The second definition is the technically correct definition because Alaska is also in North America, northwest of Canada. In both senses, Hawaii – an archipelago southwest of North America in the Pacific Ocean – is excluded. Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties/Parishes/Boroughs, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... Nickname: Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2: Jack... Official language(s) none Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ...

Similar terms

To avoid confusion, people often use the term continental United States when including Alaska, and one of the following when excluding Alaska, i.e., referring to only those 48 states situated in central North America: Official language(s) none Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ...

• contiguous United States
• contiguous United States|conterminous states
• lower 48 states
• CONUS (a military abbreviation)

The term "the lower 48 (states)" arose before Hawaii became a state, and is no longer accurate since Hawaii is the southernmost U.S. state. If interpreted literally, the term would refer to all states except Alaska and Minnesota, the two northernmost states. Regardless, "the lower 48" is understood to mean the contiguous U.S. in toto, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... Official language(s) none Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... This page lists direct English translations of common Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. ...

Although the District of Columbia is not a state, it is considered correct to count it as part of the continental United States or contiguous United States, as long as "United States" is capitalized, because it is an official part of the country named "the United States". ...

Use in Alaska and Hawaii

Some places, because of their own location relative to the contiguous United States, have their own unique labels for it:

• In Hawaii and overseas American territories, the term "the Mainland" or "U.S. Mainland" is used to refer to the continental United States (either including or excluding Alaska).
• In Alaska, the term "lower 48" often used to refer to the contiguous states. However, "continental United States" is almost never used when referring to just the contiguous states, since Alaskans consider it a slight to excluded them from the continent. Long-time residents often simply call this area "Outside", as in "My brother went Outside to have heart surgery".

An insular area is United States territory that is neither a part of one of the fifty states nor a part of the District of Columbia, the nations federal district. ...

Use in federal law

As the language of the Alaska Omnibus Act of 1959 makes apparent, the term was in use in U.S. federal law prior to then. It presumably dates from after the acquisition of Alaska in 1867, and probably from after the Spanish-American War and the annexation of Hawaii brought the United States its first off-continent possessions, both in 1898. Whatever else these terms may be, "continental United States" is a term defined in various federal laws, in different ways in different time periods; it is also defined in different ways at the same time, depending on whether or not the context was the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, during at least a period that began with Alaska statehood. Combatants United States Republic of Cuba Philippine Republic Spain Commanders Nelson A. Miles William R. Shafter George Dewey Máximo Gómez Emilio Aguinaldo Patricio Montojo Pascual Cervera Casualties 3,289 U.S. dead (432 from combat); considerably higher although undetermined Cuban and Filipino casualties Unknown[1] The Spanish–American... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... This article is about law in society. ... . The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the tax laws. ...

See also

• Mainland
• Oceania

This article is about the geomorphological/geopolitical term; MAINLAND is also a cheese brand owned by Fonterra, a New Zealand dairy company. ... World map exhibiting a common interpretation of Oceania; other interpretations may vary. ...

External links

• Definition of continental.
• Definition of contiguous.
• Definition of conterminous.
• Definitions of continental United States and contiguous United States as used by United Airlines.