EDUCATION | Driving tomorrow’s achievements
07 April 2008
Geography: USA Facts
U.S. is the fourth largest country in the world
(The following information is taken from the U.S. Department of State publication, USA Map with Facts in Brief.)
GEOGRAPHY
The United States is the fourth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, and China. It consists of 48 contiguous states, located in the central portion of North America, plus the states of Alaska and Hawaii.
Area: 9,628,382 square kilometers
Size Comparisons: The United States is ... about one-half the size of Russia, three-tenths the size of Africa, one-half the size of South America, two and one-half times the size of Western Europe, and slightly smaller than China.
Boundaries: 48 states: Canada on the north; Atlantic Ocean on the east; Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico on the south; and Pacific Ocean on the west. Alaska: Arctic Ocean on the north; Canada on the east; Pacific Ocean on the south; and Arctic Ocean, Chukchi Sea, Bering Sea, and Bering Strait on the west. Hawaii: Pacific Ocean.
Rural Land Use (2006) Cropland – 27.1%. Rangeland – 29.1%. Forestland – 29.2%. Pastureland – 8.6%. Other rural land – 6.0%.
Coastline: 19,929 kilometers, including Alaska and Hawaii. Inland Waterways: 41,009 kilometers of navigable inland channels, excluding the Great Lakes. Longest River: Mississippi-Missouri – 5,936 kilometers. Deepest Lake: Crater Lake in Oregon – 580 meters. Highest Point: Mount McKinley in Alaska – 6,198 meters above sea level. Lowest Point: Death Valley in California – 86 meters below sea level. Largest State: Alaska. Smallest State: Rhode Island Northernmost City: Barrow, Alaska. Southernmost City: Hilo, Hawaii. Easternmost City: Eastport, Maine. Westernmost City: Atka, Alaska.
Federally Owned Land (2004) Owned by federal government – 653,299,000 acres (28.8%). Not owned by federal government – 1,618,044,000 acres. Total – 2,271,343,000 acres.
25 Largest U.S. Cities: (2006) 1 - New York, New York: 8,104,079 2 - Los Angeles, California: 3,845,541 3 - Chicago, Illinois: 2,862,244 4 - Houston, Texas: 2,012,626 5 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1,470,151 6 - Phoenix, Arizona: 1,418,041 7 - San Diego, California: 1,263,756 8 - San Antonio, Texas: 1,236,249 9 - Dallas, Texas: 1,210,393 10 - San Jose, California: 904,522 11 - Detroit, Michigan: 900,198 12 - Indianapolis, Indiana: 784,242 13 - Jacksonville, Florida: 777,704 14 - San Francisco, California: 744,320 15 - Columbus, Ohio: 730,008 16 - Austin, Texas: 681,804 17 - Memphis, Tennessee: 671,929 18 - Baltimore, Maryland: 636,251 19 - Fort Worth, Texas: 603,337 20 - Charlotte, North Carolina: 594,359 21 - El Paso, Texas: 592,099 22 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 583,624 23 - Seattle, Washington: 571,480 24 - Boston, Massachusetts: 569,165 25 - Denver, Colorado: 556,835
NOTE: These figures are current as of August 2007, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
