Geography & environment — United States
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for United States: North America
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
North America
- Geographic Coordinates
38 00 N, 97 00 W
- Total Area
3,794,079 Square Miles 9,826,675 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
3,537,435 Square Miles 9,161,966 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
256,644 Square Miles 664,709 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
7,478 Miles 12,034 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km Note: United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the United States and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km
- Coastline
12,380 Miles 19,924 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
- Vast central plain, mountains in the west, hills and low mountains in the east
- rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska
- rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
- Highest Point
6,194 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Mount McKinley (Denali) 6,194 m (highest point in North America)Note: the peak of Mauna Kea (4,207 m above sea level) on the island of Hawaii rises about 10,200 m above the Pacific Ocean floor; by this measurement, it is the world's tallest mountain - higher than Mount Everest (8,850 m), which is recognized as the tallest mountain above sea level
- Lowest Point
-86 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Death Valley -86 m
- Natural Resources
Coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber Note: the United States has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world's total
- Irrigated Land
102,872 Square Miles 266,440 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC-5 (during Standard Time) time zone note: the 50 United States cover six time zones
- Daylight saving time
+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
Climate
- Climate
Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semi-arid 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 the west, hills and low mountains in the east
- rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska
- rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
- Location
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
- Total Area
3,794,079 Square Miles 9,826,675 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km Note: United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the United States and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
air pollution
large emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels
water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers
declining natural freshwater resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management
deforestation
mining
desertification
species conservation
invasive species (the Hawaiian Islands are particularly vulnerable)
- Environment - International Agreements
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, 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