Contiguous United States

This map shows the contiguous United States and, in insets at the lower left, the two states that are not contiguous.

The contiguous United States are the 48 U.S. states on the continent of North America that are south of Canada and north of Mexico, plus the District of Columbia.^[1] The term excludes the states of Alaska and Hawaii, and all off-shore U.S. territories and possessions, such as Puerto Rico.^[2][3][4]

Together, the 48 contiguous states and D.C. occupy a combined area of 3,119,884.69 square miles (8,080,464.3 km²). Of this, 2,959,064.44 square miles (7,663,941.7 km²) is land, comprising 83.65% of U.S. land area. Officially, 160,820.25 square miles (416,522.5 km²) is water area, comprising 62.66% of the nation's water area. Its 2000 census population was 279,583,437, comprising 99.35% of the nation's population. Its population density was 94.484 inhabitants/sq mi (36.480/km²), compared to 79.555/sq mi (30.716/km²) for the nation as a whole.^[5] The 2010 census population was 306,675,006, comprising 99.33% of the nation's population, and a density of 103.639 inhabitants/sq mi (40.015/km²), compared to 87.264/sq mi (33.692/km²) for the nation as a whole.^[6]

Other terms

While coterminous U.S. and conterminous U.S. have the same precise meaning as contiguous U.S. (all three adjectives meaning "sharing a common boundary"), other terms commonly used to describe the 48 contiguous states have a greater degree of ambiguity.

Continental United States

Because Alaska is also on the North American continent, the term continental United States, if interpreted literally, should also include that state,^[7] so the term is sometimes qualified with the explicit inclusion or exclusion of Alaska to resolve any ambiguity.^{[8][3][9][10][11]} The term was in use prior to the admission of Alaska and Hawaii as states of the United States, and at that time usually excluded outlying territories of the U.S.^[12][13] However, even before Alaska became a state, it was sometimes included within the "Continental US".^[14]

CONUS/OCONUS

CONUS, a technical term used by the U.S. Department of Defense and General Services Administration, has been defined both as the continental United States, and as the 48 contiguous states.^[15][16] The District of Columbia is not always specifically mentioned as being part of CONUS.^[16]

OCONUS is derived from CONUS with O for outside added, thus referring to Outside of Contiguous United States (OCONUS).^[15]

The lower 48

The term lower 48 may or may not include the District of Columbia (which is not part of any of the 48 states). The National Geographic style guide recommends the use of contiguous or conterminous United States instead of lower 48 when the 48 states are meant, unless used in the context of Alaska.^[17] Otherwise it is avoided as a misnomer, because all the major islands of Hawaii are farther south than the most southern point of the continental states.

Terms used in the non-contiguous states

Both Alaska and Hawaii have their own unique labels for the contiguous United States because of their own locations relative to them.

Alaska

Main article: Outside (Alaska)

Alaska became the 49th state of the United States on January 3, 1959. Alaska is on the northwest end of the North American continent, but separated from the rest of the United States by Canada. In Alaska, given the ambiguity surrounding the usage of continental, the term "continental United States" is almost unheard of when referring to the contiguous 48 states. Several other terms have been used over the years. The term Lower 48 was for many years, and still is, the most common Alaskan equivalent for "contiguous United States". However, since the 1980s newer Alaskans (Cheechakos) have increasingly adopted the term Outside to refer to the rest of the United States. Alaskans will speak of going Outside to vacation or will refer to being born Outside.^[18][19][20]

Hawaii

Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States on August 21, 1959. The Hawaiian Islands are located in Oceania and are about 2,200 miles (3,500 km) from the North American continent. In Hawaii and overseas American territories, for instance, the terms the Mainland or U.S. Mainland are used to refer to the continental United States.

Non-contiguous areas within the contiguous United States

Some parts of the contiguous United States are accessible by road only by travelling on Canadian soil. Point Roberts, Washington, Elm Point, Minnesota, and the Northwest Angle in Minnesota are three such places. Alburgh, Vermont is not directly connected by land, but is accessible by road via bridges from New York and Vermont.^[21]

See also

• Extreme points of the United States
• Mainland
• Metropole
• Metropolitan France

Notes

1. ^ "United Airlines website". http://www.unitedcargo.com/help/glossary.jsp?pageIndex=C. Retrieved 2008-11-25. "Contiguous United States: The 48 adjoining states and the District of Columbia." 
2. ^ continental, adj., "being the part of the United States on the North American continent; also : being the part of the United States comprising the lower 48 states"
   Merriam-Webster, Inc. (2003). Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed.. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc.. ISBN 0877798095. ^{[dubious – discuss]}
3. ^ ^{a b} Random House (1991). Random House Webster's College Dictionary. New York: Random House. ISBN 0679401105. 
4. ^ These maps show the contiguous 48 states and D.C., but not Alaska and Hawaii.
   • "Continental United States Population Map"^{[dubious – discuss]}
   • Military Bases in the Continental United States
   • Indian Reservations in the Continental United States^{[dubious – discuss]}
   • Railroads of the Continental United States
5. ^ "Population and land area from Census of 2000". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P001&-tree_id=4001&-transpose=N&-redoLog=false&-all_geo_types=N&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=04000US02&-geo_id=04000US15&-search_results=04000US15&-_showChild=Y&-format=&-_lang=en&-show_geoid=Y. Retrieved 2008-11-25. 
6. ^ "Resident Population Data - 2010 Census". United States Census Bureau. http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-dens-text.php. Retrieved 2011-01-30. 
7. ^
   • "The continental United States comprises the 48 plus Alaska." National Geographic Style Manual
   • "Continental United States: The 48 adjoining states, Alaska and District of Columbia." UnitedCargo glossary
8. ^ *"National Geographic Style Manual". http://stylemanual.ngs.org/intranet/styleman.nsf/fe865d1098fe36e58525665100675485/5e9222e01432afcb852566980056c49e. Retrieved 2008-11-25. "The continental United States comprises the 48 plus Alaska." 
   • "UnitedCargo glossary". http://www.unitedcargo.com/help/glossary.jsp?pageIndex=C. Retrieved 2008-11-25. "Continental United States: The 48 adjoining states, Alaska and District of Columbia." 
   • "United Airlines website". http://www.unitedcargo.com/help/glossary.jsp?pageIndex=C. Retrieved 2008-11-25. "Continental United States: The 48 adjoining states, Alaska and District of Columbia." 
   • "Alaska Airlines website". http://www.alaskaair.com/as/mileageplan/AwardsUSACanada.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-25. "The Continental U.S. includes the lower 48 states as well as the State of Alaska, unless otherwise specified." 
   • Inland Marine and Transportation Insurance. 1949 <before statehood>. http://books.google.com/books?id=DUaXI1fmrAEC&dq=alaska+%22continental+united+states%22&q=wording+including+excluding+absence+statement+probably+would+regarded&pgis=1. Retrieved 2008-11-25. "In the absence of any such statement, Alaska probably would be regarded as a part of the continental United States." 
9. ^ "U.S. Navy Style Guide". http://www.navy.mil/tools/view_styleguide_all.asp. Retrieved 2008-11-25. "CONUS - "Continental United States" CONUS refers to the 48 contiguous states." 
10. ^
    • '... the term "United States mainland" means the continental United States (not including Alaska).' Internal Revenue Code (2007)
    • 'Such subsection is further amended by striking out "continental United States (including Alaska)" ...' United States Code Annotated (1927)^{[dubious – discuss]}
    • "... for the states and territories Outside of the Continental United States. (Includes Alaska, ...) ..." National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
    • "OCONUS: Abbreviation for Outside the Continental United States. Includes Alaskas and Hawaii." Glossary of Army Terms
    • "... outside the continental United States (includes Alaska and Hawaii, as well as Canada and all foreign countries) ..." Equimax candidate listing
11. ^ "Alaska Airlines website". http://www.alaskaair.com/as/mileageplan/AwardsUSACanada.asp. 
12. ^ "Abstract of the 1900 Census (1904), p.xiii" (PDF). http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/00319143.pdf. "The area ... is continental United States, by which is meant that part of the United States lying on the continent of North America south of the Canadian boundary. It thus excludes Alaska and the recent insular accessions of Hawaii, Porto Rico (sic), the Philippine Islands, Guam, Samoa..." 
13. ^ "... merchandise to foreign countries from continental United states, Puerto Rico, and the territories of Alaska and Hawaii." United States Foreign Trade (1950-1953)
14. ^ "In the absence of any such statement, Alaska probably would be regarded as a part of the continental United States." Inland Marine and Transportation Insurance (1949)
15. ^ ^{a b} "Per Diem Rates (CONUS and OCONUS)". United States General Services Administration. http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/21287. 
16. ^ ^{a b} "U.S. Navy Style Guide". http://www.navy.mil/tools/view_styleguide_all.asp. "CONUS - "Continental United States." CONUS refers to the 48 contiguous states. It is not synonymous with United States. CONUS is acceptable on first reference."  "CONUS" seems to be used primarily by the American military and the Federal government and those doing business with them.
17. ^ "National Geographic Style Manual". http://stylemanual.ngs.org/home/C/conterminous-contiguous-continental. Retrieved 2011-09-22. "Use contiguous, or conterminous, for the 48 states. The continental United States comprises the 48 contiguous, or conterminous, states plus Alaska." 
18. ^ Alaska Answers weblog
19. ^ Speak Alaskan
20. ^ About Alaska
21. ^ Ross, Oakland (3 June 2011). "Orphans of the atlas". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/1002539--orphans-of-the-atlas. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 

External links

• Definition of continental.
• Definition of contiguous.
• Definition of coterminous and conterminous.