Editing Geography of the United States (section)

==General characteristics==
{{See also|Borders of the United States}}
[[File:USA-satellite.jpg|thumb|A satellite image of the [[contiguous United States]], where temperate and [[subtropical]] forests of deciduous, coniferous, broadleaved evergreen, mixed vegetation, [[grassland]]s, montane forests, and croplands prevail are prevalent in the [[East Coast of the United States|east]], transitioning to [[prairie]]s, [[boreal forest]]s, the [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]] in the [[Western United States|west]], and [[desert]]s in the [[Southwest United States|southwest]]. Much of the country's population is centered around the [[Great Lakes]] and [[East Coast of the United States|Atlantic states]].]]
[[File:HawaiiGeography.png|thumb|A satellite image of [[Hawaii]], where [[volcanoes]] prevail on the [[Hawaii (island)|Big Island]]; the islands have rugged coastlines, sandy beaches, and a tropical environment, though temperatures and humidity tend to be less extreme because of nearly constant trade winds from the east.]]

The United States shares land borders with Canada to the north and [[Mexico]] to the south, a [[Territorial waters|territorial water]] border with Russia in the northwest, and two territorial water borders in the southeast between [[Florida]] and [[Cuba]], and Florida and [[the Bahamas]]. The contiguous 48 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 and southwest, the [[Bering Strait]] to the west, and the [[Arctic Ocean]] to the north; [[Hawaii]] lies far to the southwest of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

Forty-eight of the states are in the single region between Canada and Mexico. This group is referred to, with varying precision and formality, as the ''[[contiguous United States]]'', and as the "Lower 48". Alaska, which is included in the term "continental United States", is located at the northwestern end of [[North America]].

The nation's capital city, [[Washington, D.C.]], was established in 1800 after being relocated there from [[Philadelphia]]. It was established as a federal district located on land donated by the state of [[Maryland]]; [[Virginia]] also donated land, but it was returned in 1849. The United States also has [[Territories of the United States|overseas territories]] with varying levels of autonomy and organization, including the [[Caribbean]] territories of [[Puerto Rico]] and the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], formerly known as the Danish Virgin Islands and purchased by the United States at the beginning of [[World War II]], the Pacific territories of [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]] and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], and several [[U.S. Minor Outlying Islands|uninhabited island territories]]. Some of the territories acquired were part of the [[territorial evolution of the United States]] or a product of the nation's effort to gain access to the east.

Nearly all of the United States is in the [[Northern Hemisphere]] with the exception of [[American Samoa]] and [[Jarvis Island]].<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/ref_maps/physical/pdf/standard_time_zones_of_the_world.pdf{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108181645/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/ref_maps/physical/pdf/standard_time_zones_of_the_world.pdf |date=January 8, 2018 }} CIA World Factbook – Standard Time Zones of the World, May 2018. (Map of the world showing the location of the contiguous U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories. Territories south of the "0" horizontal line (the equator) are in the southern hemisphere). Retrieved September 1, 2019.</ref>