USA Geography

Lifeguard tower at Newport Beach, California Photo Gallery Grand Canyon & Skywalk Central Park New York New York, Union Square

Located in North America, the United States of America, is a federal republic made up of 50 states. 48 of these states make up the landmass between Mexico and Canada, while Alaska is separated from the US by Canada and Hawaii is located in the mid-Pacific. The US mainland covers 2,959,064 square miles (7,663,941 km2) and is home to the third-largest population in the world. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, the 50 states of mainland America can be grouped into 11 regions including New England, Mid-Atlantic, the South, Florida, the Midwest, Texas, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, California and the Pacific Northwest.

The region of New England is comprised of the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont and is steeped in American history, home to rugged mountains, winter snowfall, fantastic seafood, gables churches and some of the country's oldest towns. The Mid-Atlantic is comprised of the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and Maryland as well as the federal district of Washington, D.C. and is renowned for its rolling mountains, historic sites, enclaves of American history, seaside resorts, valleys and Pine Barrens as well as a cosmopolitan range of cities.

The South is home to the states of Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee and is known for its hospitality, blues, rock 'n' roll, jazz, country music, downhome cooking, religion, swamps, plantations and mountains. The state of Florida is a region unto itself and is known for its sandy beaches, Everglades, retirement communities and the tropical Caribbean-style city of Miami. In the Midwest, the states of Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri and Ohio are famous for their charming towns, farmland, forests and of course the Great Lakes.

The state of Texas is also a region unto itself and is known for its cattle-ranching as well as mountain and desert terrain, southeastern swamplands and Spanish and Mexican influences. The Great Plains region features the states of North and South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma which offer stunning vast landscapes that begin with forests that give way to prairies, High Plains and expansive shortgrass prairies that hark back to the early frontier days. The Rocky Mountains region home to Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming is known for its snow-capped rugged mountains and as a great place to hike, raft and snow ski.

The Southwest features the states of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah and us home to amazing natural attractions including Death Valley, the Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon and is influenced by Mexican and Spanish culture. California too is a region in itself and offers everything from famous cities to deserts, snowy mountains, rainforests and beautiful beaches and is also influenced by Spanish and Mexican culture. Finally, the Pacific Northwest is home to Oregon and Washington and is an excellent mix of cosmopolitan cities and outdoor pursuits featuring picturesque coastlines, deserts, volcanoes, mountains and even rainforests.