48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia Alaska Hawaii archipelago Pacific unincorporated Puerto Rico American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Virgin Islands third-largest nation Russia Canada largest the North state North America third-largest states
The 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia occupy a combined area of 3,119,885 square miles (8,080,470 km). Of this area, 2,959,064 square miles (7,663,940 km) is contiguous land, composing 83.65% of total U.S. land area. About 15% is occupied by Alaska, a state in northwestern North America, with the remainder in Hawaii, a state and archipelago in the central Pacific, and the five populated but unincorporated insular territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, and just ahead of Canada. The United States is the world's third-largest nation by land and total area behind Russia and Canada.
