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==Area== From 1989 through 1996, the total area of the US was listed as {{convert|9372610|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} (land and inland water only). The listed total area changed to {{convert|9629091|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} in 1997 (Great Lakes area and coastal waters added), to {{convert|9631418|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} in 2004, to {{convert|9631420|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} in 2006, and to {{convert|9826630|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} in 2007 (territorial waters added). Currently, the CIA ''[[The World Factbook|World Factbook]]'' gives {{convert|9826675|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},<ref name="WF">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/|title=United States|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|date=2009-09-30|access-date=2010-01-05}}</ref> the [[United Nations Statistics Division]] gives {{convert|9629091|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2005/Table03.pdf|title=Population by Sex, Rate of Population Increase, Surface Area and Density|publisher=UN Statistics Division|work=Demographic Yearbook 2005|access-date=2008-03-25}}</ref> and the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' gives {{convert|9522055|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} (Great Lakes area included but not coastal waters).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/616563/United-States|title=United States|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2008-03-25}}</ref> These sources consider only the 50 states and the Federal District and exclude overseas territories. The US has the 2nd largest [[Exclusive Economic Zone]] of {{convert|11,351,000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}. <!--When editing this section, please note the distinction drawn between TOTAL AREA (i.e., including water) and TOTAL LAND AREA (excluding water), as the rankings change.-->By [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area|total area]] ([[Territorial waters|water]] as well as land), the United States is either slightly larger or smaller than the [[People's Republic of China]], making it the world's third or fourth-largest country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Largest Countries in the World by Area |url=https://www.worldometers.info/geography/largest-countries-in-the-world/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Worldometer |language=en}}</ref> Both countries are smaller than [[Russia]] and [[Canada]] in total area but are larger than [[Brazil]]. By land area only (exclusive of waters), the United States is the world's third largest country, after Russia and China, with Canada in fourth. Whether the US or China is the third largest country by total area depends on two factors: (1) the validity of China's claim on [[Aksai Chin]] and [[Trans-Karakoram Tract]] (both these territories are also claimed by India, so are not counted); and (2) how the US calculates its surface area. Since the initial publishing of the World Factbook, the CIA has updated the total area of the United States several times.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.theodora.com/wfb/abc_world_fact_book.html|title=Countries of the World: 21 Years of World Facts|publisher=geographic.org|access-date=2008-08-17}}</ref>
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