Geography of America

Geography of America: The mainland United States (also known as the Lower 48), along with Alaska, Hawaii, and five territories: Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

The United States shares land borders with Canada and Mexico, and maritime borders with countries like Russia, Cuba, and The Bahamas, mostly in the Caribbean, along with Canada and Mexico. The border between the United States and Canada is the longest shared land border between two countries in the world.

Geography of America: Overview

Diverse: Ranges from warm-summer continental in the far north to tropical in the far south.

West: mostly semi-arid to desert, Mountains: alpine

1. Northeast: humid continental
2. Southeast: humid subtropical
3. Coast of California: Mediterranean
4. Pacific Northwest: cool temperate oceanic
5. Alaska: mostly subarctic, Hawaii, South Florida, and the territories: tropical

Attribute	Information
Continent	North America
Coordinates	38.000°N 97.000°W
Area Ranking	Ranked 3rd/4th
Total Area	9,826,675 km2 (3,794,100 sq mi)
Land Area Percentage	93.24%
Water Area Percentage	6.76%
Coastline	19,920 km (12,380 mi)
Borders	Canada: 8,864 km (5,508 mi) Mexico: 3,327 km (2,067 mi)
Highest point	Denali 6,190.5 m (20,310 ft)
Lowest point	Badwater Basin −85 m (−279 ft)
Longest river	Missouri River 3,767 km (2,341 mi)
Largest lake	Lake Superior 58,000 km2 (22,394 sq mi)
Climate
Terrain	Vast central plain, Interior Highlands and low mountains in Midwest, mountains and valleys in the mid-south, coastal flatland near the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, complete with mangrove forests and temperate, subtropical, and tropical laurel forest and jungle, canyons, basins, plateaus, and mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; intermittent hilly and mountainous regions in Great Plains, with occasional badland topography; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii and the territories
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
Natural hazards	Tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around the Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast; mudslides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska
Environmental issues	Deforestation, energy irresponsibility, pollution, nuclear waste, Severe water shortages, air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada
Exclusive economic zone	11,351,000 km2 (4,383,000 sq mi)

Geography of America: Area

1. From 1989 to 1996, the total area of the US was listed as 9,372,610 square kilometres (3,618,780 square miles), considering only land and inland water. Then, the total area changed to 9,629,091 square kilometres (3,717,813 square miles) in 1997 when the Great Lakes area and coastal waters were added. This number slightly increased to 9,631,418 square kilometres (3,718,711 square miles) in 2004, then remained almost the same in 2006 at 9,631,420 square kilometres (3,718,710 square miles). In 2007, the total area expanded to 9,826,630 square kilometres (3,794,080 square miles) when territorial waters were included.
2. Currently, the CIA World Factbook reports the total area as 9,826,675 square kilometres (3,794,100 square miles), while the United Nations Statistics Division gives it as 9,629,091 square kilometres (3,717,813 square miles), and the Encyclopedia Britannica as 9,522,055 square kilometres (3,676,486 square miles), excluding coastal waters but including the Great Lakes area. These figures include only the 50 states and the Federal District, excluding overseas territories. The US has the second-largest Exclusive Economic Zone, covering 11,351,000 square kilometres (4,383,000 square miles).
3. Considering total area (both water and land), the United States is either slightly larger or smaller than the People’s Republic of China, making it the world’s third or fourth-largest country. Both countries are smaller than Russia and Canada in total area but larger than Brazil.
4. When considering land area only (excluding water), the United States is the world’s third-largest country, after Russia and China, with Canada in fourth. Whether the US or China is the third largest country by total area depends on two factors: (1) the validity of China’s claim on Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract (both these territories are also claimed by India, so are not counted) and (2) how the US calculates its surface area.
5. Since the initial publication of the World Factbook, the CIA has updated the total area of the United States several times.

Geography of America: Climate

• The climate across the United States varies depending on where you are. In places like Florida and Hawaii, it’s tropical, meaning it’s hot and rainy in summer but warm and dry in winter. Alaska, on the other hand, has a tundra climate, which means it’s cold all year round.
• In many parts of the country, summers are warm and winters are cold. In the northern states, it often snows in winter. Some areas in the western United States, like parts of California, have a Mediterranean climate, which means mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
• The southeastern United States can experience hurricanes, while parts of the south have a subtropical climate, meaning it’s hot in summer and cool in winter. Tornadoes are common in the Midwest.
• The highest temperature ever recorded in the United States was 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius), while the lowest was -80 degrees Fahrenheit (-62 degrees Celsius).

Geography of America: Physical Geography

There’s a simple thumb rule that helps explain why the land in the East is mostly low-lying, while the West has lots of mountains. It is as follows:

For over 100 million years, the Americas have been moving towards the west. This movement has caused the land in the West to buckle up, forming mountains, while the land in the East has spread out, creating mostly flat areas. This resulted in mountain ranges along the western coast and low-lying land along the eastern coast.

The eastern coast is called a “passive margin” because the land is moving away from it, towards the West. On the other hand, the western coast is an “active margin” with mountains, landslides, and volcanoes.

In the East of the US, the only highland is the Allegheny Mountains, which are ancient and worn down. They were once part of a big mountain range called the Appalachian orogeny, which formed about 300 million years ago.

Now, only the worn-down remains of this mountain range are left. You can see these high areas marked in red-brown on the topographical map.

Geography of America: The Five Regions

North America can be divided into five physical regions: the mountainous west, the Great Plains, the Canadian Shield, the varied eastern region, and the Caribbean. Mexico and Central America’s western coast are connected to the mountainous west, while its lowlands and coastal plains extend into the eastern region.

In North America’s different areas, you can find all kinds of habitats where plants and animals live together. These habitats, called biomes, cover large areas with similar weather. North America has many different biomes like deserts, grasslands, icy tundra, and coral reefs.

Western Region

In the west, there are tall mountains like the Rockies, stretching from Canada to New Mexico. These mountains are part of a big group called the Cordilleras. They have many volcanoes and are prone to earthquakes.

Some of the newest mountains are in the Cascade Range, which also has a special kind of forest called temperate rainforest. Deserts like the Sonoran, Mojave, and Chihuahuan are in this region too, known for cacti and hot, dry weather. The West also has a lot of oil and natural gas.

Great Plains

In the middle of North America, there are vast plains with rich soil called the Great Plains. These plains produce a lot of grain and have big deposits of oil and natural gas. The soil here was formed by melting glaciers thousands of years ago. Native grasses dominate these grasslands, which are home to animals like bison and prairie dogs.

Canadian Shield

In the northern part, there’s a flat plateau called the Canadian Shield. It’s rocky and has many lakes. The tundra, with its frozen ground and shallow lakes, is part of this area. Mosses and lichens grow here, providing food for animals like caribou and musk oxen.

Eastern Region

In the east, there are the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coastal plain. The Appalachians have been mined for coal for a long time. The coastal plain has wetlands like the Florida Everglades, home to alligators and many bird species.

Caribbean Region

The Caribbean includes thousands of islands with diverse landscapes. There are beautiful coral reefs surrounding some of these islands, providing a home for colourful fish and other marine creatures.

Natural Wonders

North America has many amazing natural features like deep canyons, high mountains, active geysers, and huge bodies of freshwater like the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.

FAQs on Geography of America

What is the geography of the USA?

The United States has very diverse geography. It consists of four regions: the northeast, midwest, west, and south. It is a large country with mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, and oceanic coasts.

How many regions are in the United States of America?

The U.S. Census Bureau groups the 50 states and the District of Columbia, for statistical purposes, into four geographic regions and nine divisions based on geographic proximity.

What is the difference between the US and North America?

The US is a country and North America is a continent which includes the US sandwiched between Mexico and Canada.

What is the land like in the United States?

The landscape varies across the large country from tropical beaches in Florida to peaks in the Rocky Mountains, from rolling prairie lands and barren deserts in the West to dense wilderness areas in the Northeast and Northwest.

What are some geographic features in the United States?

Some geographic features in the United States include:

• There are meadows and forests on the East Coast,
• The Appalachian Mountains in the east.
• The Great Plains in the middle of the country,
• The Mississippi-Missouri river, in the middle.
• The Rocky Mountains west of the plains.
• Deserts and coastal areas west of the Rocky Mountains.