Administrative divisions
56 · First-level (ADM1)Boundaries shown do not imply endorsement.
AlabamaAlaskaAmerican SamoaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoCommonwealth of the Northern Mariana IslandsConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUnited States Virgin IslandsUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Source: geoBoundaries CGAZ (ADM1)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Total area | 9,832,000 km²World Bank WDI [2023] |
| Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) | 11,730,000 km²Marine Regions [2024] |
| Administrative divisions (ADM1) | 56 divisionsgeoBoundaries [2026] |
| Location | North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and MexicoCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Coastline | 19,924 kmCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Land boundaries | 12,002 kmCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Bordering countries | Canada 8,891 km (including 2,475 km with Alaska); Mexico 3,111 kmCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| 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 HawaiiCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| 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; note: many consider Mount McKinley, the highest peak in the United States, to be the world’s coldest mountain because of its combination of high elevation and its subarctic location at 63 degrees north latitude; permanent snow and ice cover over 75 percent of the mountain, and enormous glaciers, up to 45 miles long and 3,700 feet thick, spider out from its base in every direction; it is home to some of the world’s coldest and most violent weather, where winds of over 150 miles per hour and temperatures of -93˚F have been recorded.CIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| 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; note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world's totalCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Highest point | Mount McKinley 6,190 m (highest point in North America)CIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Lowest point | Death Valley (lowest point in North America) -86 mCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Mean elevation | 760 mCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| 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; more than twice the size of the European UnionCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Natural hazards | tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of America coasts; tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development volcanism: volcanic activity in the Hawaiian Islands, Western Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and in the Northern Mariana Islands; Mauna Loa (4,170 m) in Hawaii and Mount Rainier (4,392 m) in Washington have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Pavlof (2,519 m) is the most active volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Arc and poses a significant threat to intercontinental air travel; St. Helens (2,549 m), famous for the devastating 1980 eruption, remains active today; other historically active volcanoes are mostly concentrated in the Aleutian arc and Hawaii, including (in Alaska) Aniakchak, Augustine, Chiginagak, Fourpeaked, Iliamna, Katmai, Kupreanof, Martin, Novarupta, Redoubt, Spurr, Wrangell, Trident, Ugashik-Peulik, Ukinrek Maars, Veniaminof, (in Hawaii) Haleakala, Kilauea, Loihi, (in the Northern Mariana Islands) Anatahan, (in the Pacific Northwest) Mount Baker, and Mount Hood; see note 2 under "Geography - note"CIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm; contiguous zone: 24 nm; exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; continental shelf: not specifiedCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive |
