The United States is a country in the Western Hemisphere. It consists of forty-eight contiguous states on the North American continent; Alaska, an enormous peninsula which forms the northwestern most part of North America, and Hawaii, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. It also holds several United States territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.

The term "United States",...when used in the geographical sense, means the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands of the United States. The country shares land borders with Canada and Mexico and water borders with Russia, the United Kingdom, and The Bahamas.

By total area including water, the United States is either slightly larger or smaller than the People's Republic of China, making it the world's third largest country. Its rank depends on whether one includes two territories claimed by India but governed by China when calculating China's size. Both China and the United States follow behind Canada and Russia in total area, and are followed by Brazil.

By land area (exclusive of waters), the United States is the world's third largest country, following Russia and China. In total area (including inland water), Russia and Canada are larger than the United States. Ranking for third-largest status is disputed.

Some sources (including Encyclopædia Britannica and all publications of the People's Republic of China), list China as larger than the U.S. Many other sources list the U.S. as larger. The dispute appears to hinge on Taiwan, without which China takes fourth place. Total U.S. area is 3,718,711 square miles (9,631,418 km²), of which land is 3,537,438 square miles (9,161,923 km²) and water is 181,273 square miles (469,495 km²).

Ranked by land area, the top countries in order are Russia, China, the U.S., Canada and Brazil. The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) and Mexico (to the south), and a territorial water border with Russia in the northwest. The contiguous forty-eight states are otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast.

Alaska borders the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Strait to the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north, while Hawaii lies far to the southwest of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

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