| Revision as of 02:12, 21 January 2008 editBefore My Ken (talk | contribs)42,112 edits I asked you to please take it to talk, but you seem uninterested in that. This version is inferior, unfocused. badly written, repetitve. Why not fix the current version instead of reverting?← Previous edit | Revision as of 02:42, 21 January 2008 edit undoCorticopia (talk | contribs)5,613 edits I did take it to the talk, and you edition is definitely not a fax: discuss changes beforehandNext edit → | ||
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| The '''continental United States''' (]: '''CONUS''') is a term referring to the ] situated on the ]n ]. Depending on usage, it can mean either: | |||
| __NOTOC__ | |||
| * the 48 contiguous ] plus the ]; or | |||
| The '''continental United States''' is a term referring to the part of the ] situated on the ]n ], and most commonly refers to the 48 contiguous ] plus the ] – in other words, the U.S. excluding ] and ].<ref>Because Alaska is also on the North American continent, it would be more strictly correct that the phrase "the continental United States" would exclude only Hawaii, but in fact it is rarely used in that manner.</ref> The 48 states and D.C. have together an area of 3,119,686 square miles (8,079,461 km²). | |||
| * the 48 contiguous states plus the District of Columbia and ]. | |||
| The first definition is more traditional, back to before Alaskan statehood, and is the more commonly used definition. The second definition is the technically correct definition because Alaska is also on the North American continent, northwest of ]. In both senses, ] – an archipelago southwest of North America in the ] – is excluded. | |||
| Some equivalent terms are: | |||
| __TOC__ | |||
| == Similar terms == | |||
| To avoid confusion, people often use the term ''continental United States'' when including ], and one of the following when excluding Alaska, i.e., referring to only those 48 states situated in central North America: | |||
| * '''contiguous United States''' | * '''contiguous United States''' | ||
| * |
* '''conterminous United States''' | ||
| * '''lower 48 states''' (see below) | |||
| * '''lower 48 ''' <ref>The term "lower 48 states" to exclude Alaska and Hawaii is not strictly accurate, since Hawaii is further south than all other states. The ], while not a state, is generally understood to be included in the "lower 48".</ref> | |||
| * '''CONUS''' (a military abbreviation) | * '''CONUS''' (a military abbreviation) | ||
| The term '''lower 48 (states)''' describes the states on the North American mainland from the perspective of Alaska. If literally interpreted, Hawaii is further south than several states, and so the term would refer to all states except Alaska and ], the two northernmost states. This phrase is not used in that manner, however, and "the lower 48" is understood to mean the whole contiguous United States, without Alaska and Hawaii. These 48 states have together an area of 7.902.634 km². | |||
| ⚫ | ==Alaska and Hawaii== | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| The ], while not a state, is generally understood to form part of the ''continental United States'' or ''contiguous United States'', as it is legally incorporated into the territory of the country. | |||
| In Alaska, the term "continental United States" is almost never used when referring to just the contiguous 48 states, perhaps because some Alaskans consider it a slight to exclude them from the continent. Instead, the term "'''Lower 48'''" is sometimes used, but more often, long-time residents use "'''Outside'''" or "'''Stateside'''".<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> The latter is often used by military personnel, dating from the time when for most branches of military service Alaska duty stations were considered Overseas posts. The usage passed from the military to the general populace. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Use in Alaska and Hawaii== | ||
| Some places, because of their own location relative to the contiguous United States, have their own unique labels for it: | |||
| ⚫ | * In Hawaii and ], the term "'''the Mainland'''" or "'''U.S. Mainland'''" is used to refer to the ''continental United States'' (either including or excluding Alaska). | ||
| * In Alaska, the term "'''Lower 48'''" is sometimes used to refer to the contiguous states. However, more often, long-time residents often simply call this area "'''Outside'''", as in "My brother went Outside to have heart surgery". . | |||
| * In Alaska, another term often used in reference to the contiguous 48 States is the word "'''Stateside'''" which is often used by military personnel and which has been adopted by the larger populace. For most branches of military service, Alaska duty stations were considered Overseas posts, hence the reference. | |||
| The term "'''continental United States'''" is almost never used when referring to just the contiguous states, perhaps because some Alaskans consider it a slight to exclude them from the continent. | |||
| ==Use in federal law== | ==Use in federal law== | ||
| As the language of the ] of 1959 makes apparent, the term was in use in U.S. federal law prior to then. It presumably dates from after the acquisition of Alaska in 1867, and probably from after the ] and the annexation of ] brought the United States its first off-continent possessions, both in 1898. Whatever else these terms may be, "continental United States" is a term defined in various federal ], in different ways in different time periods; it is also defined in different ways at the same time, depending on whether or not the context was the ], during at least a period that began with Alaska statehood. | As the language of the ] of 1959 makes apparent, the term was in use in U.S. federal law prior to then. It presumably dates from after the acquisition of Alaska in 1867, and probably from after the ] and the annexation of ] brought the United States its first off-continent possessions, both in 1898. Whatever else these terms may be, "continental United States" is a term defined in various federal ], in different ways in different time periods; it is also defined in different ways at the same time, depending on whether or not the context was the ], during at least a period that began with Alaska statehood. | ||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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Revision as of 02:42, 21 January 2008
The continental United States (abbr: CONUS) is a term referring to the United States situated on the North American continent. Depending on usage, it can mean either:
- the 48 contiguous states plus the District of Columbia; or
- the 48 contiguous states plus the District of Columbia and Alaska.
The first definition is more traditional, back to before Alaskan statehood, and is the more commonly used definition. The second definition is the technically correct definition because Alaska is also on the North American continent, northwest of Canada. In both senses, Hawaii – an archipelago southwest of North America in the Pacific Ocean – is excluded.
Similar terms
To avoid confusion, people often use the term continental United States when including Alaska, and one of the following when excluding Alaska, i.e., referring to only those 48 states situated in central North America:
- contiguous United States
- conterminous United States
- lower 48 states (see below)
- CONUS (a military abbreviation)
The term lower 48 (states) describes the states on the North American mainland from the perspective of Alaska. If literally interpreted, Hawaii is further south than several states, and so the term would refer to all states except Alaska and Minnesota, the two northernmost states. This phrase is not used in that manner, however, and "the lower 48" is understood to mean the whole contiguous United States, without Alaska and Hawaii. These 48 states have together an area of 7.902.634 km².
The District of Columbia, while not a state, is generally understood to form part of the continental United States or contiguous United States, as it is legally incorporated into the territory of the country.
Use in Alaska and Hawaii
Some places, because of their own location relative to the contiguous United States, have their own unique labels for it:
- In Hawaii and overseas American territories, the term "the Mainland" or "U.S. Mainland" is used to refer to the continental United States (either including or excluding Alaska).
- In Alaska, the term "Lower 48" is sometimes used to refer to the contiguous states. However, more often, long-time residents often simply call this area "Outside", as in "My brother went Outside to have heart surgery". .
- In Alaska, another term often used in reference to the contiguous 48 States is the word "Stateside" which is often used by military personnel and which has been adopted by the larger populace. For most branches of military service, Alaska duty stations were considered Overseas posts, hence the reference.
The term "continental United States" is almost never used when referring to just the contiguous states, perhaps because some Alaskans consider it a slight to exclude them from the continent.
Use in federal law
As the language of the Alaska Omnibus Act of 1959 makes apparent, the term was in use in U.S. federal law prior to then. It presumably dates from after the acquisition of Alaska in 1867, and probably from after the Spanish-American War and the annexation of Hawaii brought the United States its first off-continent possessions, both in 1898. Whatever else these terms may be, "continental United States" is a term defined in various federal laws, in different ways in different time periods; it is also defined in different ways at the same time, depending on whether or not the context was the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, during at least a period that began with Alaska statehood.
See also
External links
- Definition of continental.
- Definition of contiguous.
- Definition of conterminous.
- Definitions of continental United States and contiguous United States as used by United Airlines.