United States Geography

The contiguous United States spans a continent's worth of terrain -- the Appalachian Mountains running along the east, the vast Great Plains at its center, the Rocky Mountains dividing the interior from the Pacific coast, and desert basins across much of the Southwest.

The Mississippi River, the country's longest, drains most of the interior and has historically shaped settlement and trade. The Great Lakes, shared with Canada, sit along the northern border, anchoring the historically industrial cities of the Midwest.

The West is defined by dramatic elevation change -- the Grand Canyon, Yosemite's granite cliffs, and Death Valley, the lowest and hottest point in North America, all within a few hundred kilometers of each other.