Geography of the United States
| Continent | North America (except Hawaii and territories) |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°N 100°W / 40°N 100°W |
| Area | Ranked 3rd/4th |
| • Total | 9,833,517 km2 (3,796,742 sq mi) |
| • Land | 93.02% |
| • Water | 6.98% |
| Coastline | 153,646 km (95,471 mi) |
| Borders | 12,002 km (7,458 mi) Canada: 8,891 km (5,525 mi) Mexico: 3,111 km (1,933 mi) |
| Highest point | Denali/Mount McKinley 6,190.5 m (20,310 ft) |
| Lowest point | Badwater Basin (Death Valley), −86 m (−282 ft) |
| Longest river | Missouri River, 3,767 km (2,341 mi) |
| Largest lake | (shared) Lake Superior 53,348 km2 (20,598 sq mi) (U.S.) (internal) Lake Michigan 57,757 km2 (22,300 sq mi) |
| Climate | Diverse: Ranges from warm-summer continental in the far north to tropical in the far south. West: mostly semi-arid to desert, Mountains: alpine, Northeast: humid continental, Southeast: humid subtropical, Coast of California: Mediterranean, Pacific Northwest: cool temperate oceanic, Alaska: mostly subarctic, Hawaii, South Florida, and the territories: tropical |
| Terrain | Vast central plain, Interior Highlands and low mountains in Midwest, mountains and valleys in the mid-south, coastal flatland near the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, complete with mangrove forests and temperate, subtropical, and tropical laurel forest and jungle, canyons, basins, plateaus, and mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; intermittent hilly and mountainous regions in Great Plains, with occasional badland topography; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii and the territories |
| Natural resources | Coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber, arable land |
| Natural hazards | Tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; severe convective thunderstorms and tornadoes in the Mideast, Great Plains and Southeast; mud slides in California; forest and brush fires in the west and central regions, especially; flooding; dust storms in western and central regions; permafrost in northern Alaska |
| Environmental issues | Environmental issues Deforestation, energy irresponsibility, pollution, nuclear waste, Severe water shortages, air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada |
| Exclusive economic zone | 11,351,000 km2 (4,383,000 mi2) |
The term "United States," when used in the geographic sense, refers to the contiguous United States (sometimes referred to as the Lower 48, including the District of Columbia not as a state), Alaska, Hawaii, the five insular territories of Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and minor outlying possessions. The United States shares land borders with Canada and Mexico and maritime borders with Russia, Cuba, the Bahamas, and many other countries, mainly in the Caribbean, in addition to Canada and Mexico. The northern border of the United States with Canada is the world's longest bi-national land border.
The state of Hawaii is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania. U.S. territories are located in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.