| Geography of the United States | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Continent | North America |
| Coordinates | 38.000°N 97.000°W |
| Area | Ranked 4th |
| • Total | 9,629,091 km2(3,717,813 sq mi) |
| • Land | 97.77% |
| • Water | 2.23% |
| Coastline | 19,920 km (12,380 mi) |
| Borders | Canada: 8,893 km (5,526 mi) Mexico: 3,327 km (2,067 mi) |
| Highest point | Mount McKinley, 6,168 m (20,236 ft) |
| Lowest point | Badwater Basin, −86 m (−282 ft) |
| Longest river | Missouri River, 3,767 km (2,341 mi) |
| Largest lake | Lake Superior 31,153 km2 (12,028 sq mi) |
| Climate | 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: tropical. |
| 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 |
| Natural Resources | coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber |
| Natural Hazards | tsunamis; volcanoes; 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 |
| Environmental Issues | air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada |
| Rank | Country | Total in km2 (mi2) | Land in km2(mi2) | Water in km2 (mi2) | % water | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | World | 510,072,000 (196,940,000) | 148,940,000 (57,510,000) | 361,132,000 (139,434,000) | 70.8 | |
| 1 |  Russia | 17,098,242 (6,601,668) | 16,377,742 (6,323,482) | 720,500 (278,200) | 4.21 | Largest country in the world. |
| — | Antarctica | 14,000,000 (5,400,000) | 14,000,000 (5,400,000) | 0 (0) | 0 | 13,720,000 km2(5,300,000 sq mi) (98%) of land area is covered by ice. |
| 2 |  Canada | 9,984,670 (3,855,100) | 9,093,507 (3,511,023) | 891,163 (344,080) | 8.93 | Largest country in the Americas. |
| 3 |  China | 9,706,961 (3,747,879) | 9,569,901 (3,694,959) | 137,060 (52,920) | 1.41 | Largest country situated entirely in Asia. |
| 4 |  United States | 9,629,091 (3,717,813) | 9,158,960 (3,536,290) | 470,131 (181,519) | 2.23 |
