How Wide Is the United States of America? Total Distance Coast-to-Coast

The United States of America is a massive country located in North America. The nation’s estimated population exceeds 335 million people, and these citizens live throughout the landmass. Looking at a Mercator projection map, it’s easy to misunderstand the size of the country. So, how wide is the United States of America, and how large is it compared to other countries? We’re going to show you just how wide the country is along with its size compared to other large nations around the globe.  

How Wide Is the United States of America?

The United States of America is 2,892 miles wide at the widest point between two states in the contiguous U.S. The widest point is found between Point Arena, California and West Quoddy Head, Maine. Although the United States is a very wide country, it is not the widest in the world.

Russia is roughly 6,200 miles wide, making it the widest country in addition to being the largest in terms of overall size. Meanwhile, Canada and China are both wider than the U.S., measuring 3,426 and 3,107 miles wide, respectively. The following chart outlines the width of these countries relative to one another.

The United States is still one of the countries with the greatest width in the world, ranking fourth out of over 190 countries.

The Total Size of the U.S.

The United States is the second-largest country in North America. Canada is bigger, and it is located on the northern border of the U.S. The figures in the chart above were sourced from the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook. However, different measurements for the United States also exist. When asking how wide the United States of America is, though, the answer does not change.

How Many Square Miles Is the United States?

The United States is 3,796,742 square miles in total size. That makes it the fourth-largest country by land measurements. The U.S. is the third largest country overall.

How Many Square Kilometers Is the United States?

The U.S. is 9,833,517 square kilometers in size.

How Many Acres Is the United States?

The United States measures 2,421,217,721.6 acres. Brazil is the next-largest country after the U.S. by land size.

How Does the United States Compare in Size to Other Countries?

The United States is the third-largest country in the world. The only two countries larger than it are Russia and Canada. Russia has almost 3,000,000 square miles more land than the United States, but Canada only has about 60,000 square miles more than the U.S.  

However, it is important to keep in mind that China is larger than the United States by land mass alone. In that regard, the U.S. has 3,531,904 square miles of land while China has 3,600,950 square miles of land. So, it’s fair to list China ahead of the United States in the chart above.

A large reason for this discrepancy stems from the fact that the measurements for China do not include some of the waters that they claim. If these measurements included China’s claimed water territory, the country would be larger than the entire United States area.

As it stands, most sources do not permit all of China’s water measurements, so the country is listed lower than the U.S. Many countries claim the same waters as part of their area as China. Overall, the United States of America is still an exceptionally large county, but it’s not the biggest.

About the USA

The United States of America is a nation in North America that shares a northern border with Canada and a southern border with Mexico. The country is bordered on its east and west coasts by large bodies of water. The Pacific Ocean lies off the western coast while the Atlantic Ocean stretches off the eastern coast.

The U.S. is home to over 330 million people. Many of them live in the vast cities of the country, and others live in rural areas. The populations of five of the largest cities in the U.S. are listed in the following chart based on Census data from 2020.

New York City is the largest city in the country. Not only does the country have a giant land area, but it has a massive population that has recently shrunk due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the city’s economic impact is difficult to overstate as the region has a GDP that exceeds $800 billion.

The largest cities in the country are proof that people can find anywhere to thrive. Phoenix, Arizona was built in one of the hottest states in the entire country, but people still flock to it. The state is known for its low cost of living, business opportunities, and natural areas.

Final Thoughts on the Width of the U.S.

The United States is a large, wealthy country with a great deal of influence on the world stage. The country is one of the biggest, widest nations in the world. The country is easily located on a map. Using the measurements in this article, people can get a much better idea of how large the country is relative to others instead of going by how big it looks on a map or globe.