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Map of the United States
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A map of the states, boundaries, and capital cities of the United States, along with the bodies of water and other countries surrounding the U.S. Topographic map of the United States showing major landforms and elevation changes. Mountain ranges such as the Rockies, Sierra Nevada, Cascades, and Appalachians are shaded to indicate higher elevations, while plains, plateaus, and lowlands are depicted in lighter colors. Major rivers, lakes, and geographic features are labeled, and Alaska and Hawaii are included in insets. Map of the Northeast, including New England and the Middle Atlantic states Map of the Southeastern United States, including major cities and terrain features Map of the Midwest, including major cities and terrain features Map of the Southwest, including cities and major terrain features Map of the Western United States, including cities and major terrain features
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Map of the United States

Written by
Michael Ray
Michael Ray is an assistant managing editor who has worked at Britannica since 2003. In addition to leading the Geography and History team, he oversees coverage of European history and military affairs....
Michael Ray
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History
A map of the states, boundaries, and capital cities of the United States, along with the bodies of water and other countries surrounding the U.S.
Map showing the states and capitals of the United States

The map of the United States has changed considerably in the 250 years since the country’s founding. From the original 13 colonies on the Eastern Seaboard, European settlements spread west, with the frontier advancing from the fall line to the Appalachians and into the Old Northwest by 1800. In the 19th century the U.S. government acquired vast tracts of land west of the Mississippi—either through purchase or military conquest—and notions of Manifest Destiny and dreams of riches propelled waves of migrants through the Great Plains, over the Rockies, and on to the Pacific Coast. In the 20th century, boundaries expanded beyond the contiguous United States with the addition of Alaska and Hawaii as states.

Physical features

Topographic map of the United States showing major landforms and elevation changes. Mountain ranges such as the Rockies, Sierra Nevada, Cascades, and Appalachians are shaded to indicate higher elevations, while plains, plateaus, and lowlands are depicted in lighter colors. Major rivers, lakes, and geographic features are labeled, and Alaska and Hawaii are included in insets.
Map of the United States showing physical features, including mountains, rivers, and lakes

A major characteristic of the United States is the great variety of its physical environment. The land ranges from the Arctic to the subtropical, from the moist temperate forest to the arid desert, from the rugged mountain peak to the flat prairie. Mountain ranges include the Appalachians, Ozarks, Rockies, Cascades, and Sierra Nevada. The lowest point is Death Valley, California. The highest point is Alaska’s Mount McKinley (Denali); within the conterminous states it is Mount Whitney in California. The chief rivers are the Mississippi system, the Colorado, the Columbia, and the Rio Grande. The Great Lakes, the Great Salt Lake, Iliamna Lake, and Lake Okeechobee are among the largest lakes.

Regions of the United States

Map of the Northeastern United States

Map of the Northeast, including New England and the Middle Atlantic states
Map of the Northeast, including New England and the Middle Atlantic states
states of the Northeast date of admission population
Delaware December 7, 1787 (2025 est.) 1,059,952
Pennsylvania December 12, 1787 (2025 est.) 13,059,432
New Jersey December 18, 1787 (2025 est.) 9,548,215
Connecticut January 9, 1788 (2025 est.) 3,688,496
Massachusetts February 6, 1788 (2025 est.) 7,154,084
Maryland April 28, 1788 (2025 est.) 6,265,347
New Hampshire June 21, 1788 (2025 est.) 1,415,342
New York July 26, 1788 (2025 est.) 20,002,427
Rhode Island May 29, 1790 (2025 est.) 1,114,521
Vermont March 4, 1791 (2025 est.) 644,663
Maine March 15, 1820 (2025 est.) 1,414,874

Map of the Southeastern United States

Map of the Southeastern United States, including major cities and terrain features
Map of the Southeastern United States, including major cities and terrain features
states of the Southeast date of admission population
Georgia January 2, 1788 (2025 est.) 11,302,748
South Carolina May 23, 1788 (2025 est.) 5,570,274
Virginia June 25, 1788 (2025 est.) 8,880,107
North Carolina November 21, 1789 (2025 est.) 11,197,968
Kentucky June 1, 1792 (2025 est.) 4,606,864
Tennessee June 1, 1796 (2025 est.) 7,315,076
Louisiana April 30, 1812 (2025 est.) 4,618,189
Mississippi December 10, 1817 (2025 est.) 2,954,160
Alabama December 14, 1819 (2025 est.) 5,193,088
Arkansas June 15, 1836 (2025 est.) 3,114,791
Florida March 3, 1845 (2025 est.) 23,462,518
West Virginia June 20, 1863 (2025 est.) 1,766,147

Map of the Midwest

Map of the Midwest, including major cities and terrain features
Map of the Midwest, including major cities and terrain features
states of the Midwest date of admission population
Ohio March 1, 1803 (2025 est.) 11,900,510
Indiana December 11, 1816 (2025 est.) 6,973,333
Illinois December 3, 1818 (2025 est.) 12,719,141
Missouri August 10, 1821 (2025 est.) 6,270,541
Michigan January 26, 1837 (2025 est.) 10,127,884
Iowa December 28, 1846 (2025 est.) 3,238,387
Wisconsin May 29, 1848 (2025 est.) 5,972,787
Minnesota May 11, 1858 (2025 est.) 5,830,405
Kansas January 29, 1861 (2025 est.) 2,977,220
Nebraska March 1, 1867 (2025 est.) 2,018,006
North Dakota November 2, 1889 (2025 est.) 799,358
South Dakota November 2, 1889 (2025 est.) 935,094

Map of the Southwest

Map of the Southwest, including cities and major terrain features
Map of the Southwest, including cities and major terrain features
states of the Southwest date of admission population
Texas December 29, 1845 (2025 est.) 31,709,821
Oklahoma November 16, 1907 (2025 est.) 4,123,288
New Mexico January 6, 1912 (2025 est.) 2,125,498
Arizona February 14, 1912 (2025 est.) 7,623,818

Map of the Western United States

Map of the Western United States, including cities and major terrain features
Map of the Western United States, including cities and major terrain features
states of the West date of admission population
California September 9, 1850 (2025 est.) 39,355,309
Oregon February 14, 1859 (2025 est.) 4,273,586
Nevada October 31, 1864 (2025 est.) 3,282,188
Colorado August 1, 1876 (2025 est.) 6,012,561
Montana November 8, 1889 (2025 est.) 1,144,694
Washington November 11, 1889 (2025 est.) 8,001,020
Idaho July 3, 1890 (2025 est.) 2,029,733
Wyoming July 10, 1890 (2025 est.) 588,753
Utah January 4, 1896 (2025 est.) 3,538,904
Alaska January 3, 1959 (2025 est.) 737,270
Hawaii August 21, 1959 (2025 est.) 1,432,820
Michael Ray