Country · Americas
United States
United States of America
United States is a country in North America. Its capital city is Washington D.C.. About 326.7 million people live there, in an area of 9 372 610 square kilometres.
Picture credit: David S. Quintin (1818--1905) (Public domain) · Carlquist, Sherwin John, 1930-2021 (CC BY 4.0) · Rhododendrites (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Frank Schulenburg (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is United States?
United States lies in North America, on the continent of Americas.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 4 230 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 19 924 km long.
It shares a border with 2 countries: Canada and Mexico.
How big is United States?
United States covers 9 372 610 square kilometres.
That is about 9.3 times the size of Egypt.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 4th largest.
Spread out evenly, that is roughly 34.9 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in United States?
About 326.7 million people live in United States.
That is the 3rd biggest population in the world.
People here speak English.
They pay with the United States dollar ($).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 77 years.
The land of United States
The land in United States sits on average 760 metres above sea level.
Its coast runs for about 19 924 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 996 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes United States different?
A dish the country is known for: Hamburger, Hot dog and Fried chicken.
Websites from here often end in .us.
United States and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 43 live in United States.
It takes up about 7 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Americas it is the 2nd largest of 35 countries, and the 1st most populated.
That is emptier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
United States and its neighbours
Canada, its largest neighbour, is about 1.1 times bigger.
More people live in United States than in Canada — 326.7 million against 37.1 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 33 live wild in United States: Brown bear, Polar bear, Grey wolf, Red fox, Arctic fox and Nine-banded armadillo and more. The highest mountain we cover here is Denali, at 6 190 metres. The longest river is the Mississippi, running 3 766 km from source to mouth.
Brown bear
Polar bear
Grey wolf
Red fox
Arctic fox
Nine-banded armadillo
Raccoon
Moose
Reindeer
American bison
Bald eagle
Golden eagle
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
Where this country lands in the record lists
Questions children ask
What is the capital of United States?
The capital of United States is Washington D.C.. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in United States?
About 326.7 million people live in United States, which makes it the 3rd most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border United States?
United States borders Canada and Mexico — 2 neighbours in total.
How big is United States?
United States covers 9 372 610 square kilometres, making it the 4th largest country in the world. That is about 9.3 times the size of Egypt.
Which continent is United States in?
United States is in Americas, in the part called North America.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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