United States Geography
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Location:
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North
America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean
and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and
Mexico |
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Geographic coordinates:
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38
00 N, 97 00 W |
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Map references:
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North
America |
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Area:
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total:
9,629,091 sq km
land: 9,158,960 sq km
water: 470,131 sq km
note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
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Area - comparative:
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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; about two and a half times the size
of Western Europe |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
12,034 km
border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km
note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba; the base boundary is 29 km
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Coastline:
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19,924
km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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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 |
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Terrain:
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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 |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Death Valley -86 m
highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m
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Natural resources:
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coal,
copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite,
gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten,
zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 19.32%
other: 80.46% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 0.22%
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Irrigated land:
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214,000
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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tsunamis,
volcanoes, and 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, a major
impediment to development |
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Environment - current issues:
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air
pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US
and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter
of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels;
water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers;
very limited natural fresh water resources in much
of the western part of the country require careful
management; desertification |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine
Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
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Geography - note:
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world's
third-largest country by size (after Russia and
Canada) and by population (after China and India);
Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and
Death Valley the lowest point on the continent
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