This is a complete list of the United States’ largest states and territories, organised by total area, land area, and water area. Inland, coastal, Great Lakes, and territorial waters are all included in the water area figures. Land area includes glaciers and intermittent water features.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States in terms of land area. It is located in the northwest corner of North America, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait. The Anchorage metropolitan area is home to approximately half of Alaska’s 710,231 residents (as of the 2010 United States Census). Alaska is the most sparsely populated state in the United States. Alaska has the most land area in the United States, with 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 km2), more than twice the size of Texas, the next largest state. Except for 18 sovereign countries, Alaska is the largest state in the United States.
Texas
Texas is the second-largest state in the United States in terms of both area and population, as well as the largest state in the contiguous United States. The name, based on the Caddo word “Tejas,” which means “friends” or “allies,” was given by the Spanish to both the Caddo and the region of their settlement in East Texas. Texas is located in the South Central United States and is bounded to the south by Mexico, to the west by New Mexico, to the north by Oklahoma, to the northeast by Arkansas, and to the east by Louisiana. Texas has a land area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km2) and a population of 25.1 million people, which is growing.
California
California is a state in the United States located on the West Coast. It is by far the most populous state in the United States and the third-largest in terms of land area (after Alaska and Texas). California is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north by Oregon, on the east by Nevada and Arizona, and on the south by the Mexican state of Baja California. It is the third-largest state in the United States in terms of area, after Alaska and Texas, with an area of 160,000 square miles (414,000 km2). If California were a country, it would be the 59th largest in the world in terms of land area.
Montana
Montana is a state in the United States’ West. There are numerous mountain ranges in Montana’s western third. Smaller “island ranges” can be found in the state’s central third, for a total of 77 named Rocky Mountain ranges. This geographical fact is reflected in the name of the state, which is derived from the Spanish word montaa (mountain). Montana is slightly larger than Japan and slightly smaller than Paraguay, with a land area of 147,046 square miles (380,850 km2).
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the United States’ southwest and western regions. New Mexico is also known as one of the Mountain States. New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely populated state in the United States, with a population density of 16 people per square mile. The total area of the state is 121,412 square miles (314,460 km2). New Mexico’s eastern border with Oklahoma is along 103° W longitude, and its western border with Texas is three miles (5 km) west of 103° W longitude.