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Geography and Regional Characteristics of the USA

The USA stretches from the heavily industrialized, metropolitan Atlantic coast, across
the rich farms of the Great Plains, over the Appalachian and the Rocky Mountains to the densely
populated West coast. Alaska and the island state of Hawaii are detached from the main mid-
continental group of 48 states. America is the land of physical contrasts, including the weather.
Most of the USA is the temperate zone with four distinct seasons, while the northern states and
Alaska have extremely cold winters, and the southern parts of Florida, Texas, and California
have warm weather year round.
The area of the United States is 9 629 091 square km.
The United States is the land of bountiful rivers and lakes. The Mississippi River runs
nearly 6 000 km from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The St. Lawrence Seaway connects the
Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. Underground, a wealth of minerals provides a solid base
for American industry. History has glamorized the gold rushes of California and Alaska and the
silver finds in Nevada.

Location:
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between
Canada and Mexico

Map references: North America

Area:
total area: 9,372,610 sq km
land area: 9,166,600 sq km
comparative area: about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about one-
half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly smaller than China; about
two and one-half times the size of Western Europe (note: includes only the 50 states and District
of Columbia).

Land boundaries: total 12,248 km, Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Cuba
29 km (US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay), Mexico 3,326 km

Coastline: 19,924 km

Climate: mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida and 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.

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, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron,
mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber.

Land use: arable land: 20%, permanent crops: 0%, meadows and pastures: 26%, forest and
woodland: 29%, other: 25%, irrigated land: 181,020 sq km (1989 est.)