List of states check off
In land area only, the country ranks fourth, behind Russia, Canada, and China, but ahead of Brazil and Australia. However, the total area of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, ranks third or fourth. The contiguous United States, if it were a country, would be fifth on the list of countries and dependencies by area. Officially, 160,820.25 square miles (416,522.5 km 2) of the contiguous United States is water area, composing 62.66 percent of the nation's total water area. Of this area, 2,959,064.44 square miles (7,663,941.7 km 2) is actual land, composing 83.65 percent of the country's total land area, and is comparable in size to the area of Australia. The contiguous United States occupies an area of 3,119,884.69 square miles (8,080,464.3 km 2). is 2,802 miles (4,509 km), between Florida and the State of Washington the greatest north–south line is 1,650 miles (2,660 km). The greatest distance (on a great-circle route) entirely within the contiguous U.S. The related but distinct term continental United States includes Alaska, which is also on North America, but separated from the 48 states by British Columbia in Canada, but excludes Hawaii and all the insular areas in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The colloquial term " Lower 48" is also used, especially in relation to Alaska. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. The term excludes the only two non- contiguous states, which are Alaska and Hawaii (they are also the last two states to be admitted to the Union), and all other offshore insular areas, such as the U.S. states and the District of Columbia of the United States of America in central North America. The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. Contiguous US is near center in pale color. Alaska in red is in the upper part of the map, while Hawaii is the islands also in red to the far left. 48 states of the United States apart from Alaska and HawaiiĪ map showing the contiguous United States and (in insets at the lower left) the two states that are not contiguous Map highlighting Alaska and Hawaii's geographical relationship to the contiguous United States.