North America > United States > Geography

View full size

Area > A note includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Area > Comparative about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; almost two and a half times the size of the European Union
Area > Comparative to US places about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union
Area > Land	9,161,923 sq km		[4th of 238]
Area > Land (per capita)	30.155 sq km per 1,000 people		[60th of 227]
Area > Note includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Area > Total	9,826,630 sq km		[9th of 250]
Area > Total (per capita)	32.343 sq km per 1,000 people		[62nd of 231]
Area > Water	664,707 sq km		[2nd of 239]
Area > Water (per capita)	2,187.798 sq km per million people		[20th of 225]
Capital city with population Washington, D.C. - 606,900
capitals and largest cities > Countries > Cities larger than the capital New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and seventeen others (Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area ranks 4th)
Climate mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Coastline	19,924 km		[14th of 271]
County > Overview > Number	3141
Elevation extremes > Highest point	Mount McKinley 6,198 m
Elevation extremes > Lowest point	Death Valley -86 m
Forested Land	24.7%		[109th of 193]
Geographic coordinates	38 00 N, 97 00 W
Geography > Note world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent
highest towns > Town/City	Leadville, Colorado
Irrigated land	223,850 sq km		[3rd of 196]
Irrigated land (per capita)	769.747 sq km per million people		[26th of 167]
Land area > sq. km	9,161,920 km²		[3rd of 206]
Land area > sq. km (per capita)	30.91 km² per 1,000 people		[54th of 206]
land border lengths > T-V > Number of neighbours	2		[14th of 16]
land border lengths > T-V > Total Borders	12,034 km		[1st of 16]
Land boundaries > Border countries Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km
Land boundaries > Total	12,034 km		[7th of 166]
Land boundaries > Total (per capita)	39.608 km per million people		[146th of 164]
Land use > Arable land	18.01%		[62nd of 258]
Land use > Other	81.78%		[152nd of 258]
Land use > Permanent crops	0.21%		[165th of 258]
Largest city	New York
Largest city population	16,332,000		[4th of 174]
Largest city population (per capita)	0.055 per capita		[151st of 174]
Largest city with population	New York City - 8,168,338
Location North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Map references North America
Maritime claims > Contiguous zone	24 nautical mile		[65th of 83]
Maritime claims > Continental shelf	not specified
Maritime claims > Exclusive economic zone	200 nautical mile		[102nd of 123]
Maritime claims > Territorial sea	12 nautical mile		[74th of 191]
Natural hazards tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
Natural resources coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber; note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world's total
northernmost point > Latitude	71°23'N
Population density	29.77 people per sqkm		[168th of 256]
Population density > people per sq. km	32.35 people/m²		[151st of 204]
Precipitation	1,201 mm		[25th of 95]
Rural population density > rural population per sq. km of arable land	32.62 people/km² of arable lan		[71st of 188]
Surface area > sq. km	9,632,030 km²		[3rd of 206]
Surface area > sq. km (per capita)	32.496 km² per 1,000 people		[54th of 207]
tallest mountains > Mountain	Mount McKinley
Terrain vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii

Related links:

• Forum discussion > Geography
• Searching for Geographic Information about American States? Try StateMaster
• Stay updated with current stat feeds! Subscribe to the Geography RSS / Atom feeds
•  Subscribe to our popular Geography factoids RSS / Atom feeds
• Save this page on  del.icio.us / furl / your bookmarks

More facts and figures on United States