In the United States, the area of the smallest state, Rhode Island (1,545 sq mi or 4,000 km); the largest of the contiguous 48 states, Texas (268,601 sq mi or 695,670 km); and less commonly Alaska (656,425 sq mi or 1,700,130 km), the largest of all 50 states, are used in a similar fashion. For example, Antarctica 's Larsen B ice shelf was approximately the size of Rhode Island until it broke up in 2002. Other areas may be described like this, too, like in the 1979 movie The China Syndrome when radiation is expected to contaminate "an area the size of Pennsylvania ". The island of Manhattan (22.83 sq mi or 59.1 km) is a common reference.