List of extreme points of the United States

This is a list of points in the United States that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location in the country. Also included are extreme points in elevation, extreme distances and other points of peculiar geographic interest.

Northernmost points

Southernmost points

Easternmost points

Westernmost points

Interpretation of easternmost and westernmost

There are three methods for reckoning the eastern and western extremes of the United States.

One method is to use the Prime Meridian as the dividing line between east and west. This meridian running through Greenwich, London, is defined as zero degrees longitude and could be called the least eastern and least western place in the world. The 180th meridian, on the opposite side of the globe, is therefore the easternmost and westernmost place in the world.

Another method is to use the International Date Line as the easternmost–westernmost extreme. On the equinox, the easternmost place would be where the day first begins, and the westernmost is where the day last ends.

Still another method is to first determine the geographic center of the country and from there measure the shortest distance to every other point. All U.S. territory is spread across less than 180° of longitude, so from any spot in the U.S. it is more direct to reach the easternmost point, Point Udall, U.S. Virgin Islands, by traveling east than by traveling west. Likewise, there is not a single point in U.S. territory from which heading east is a shorter route to the westernmost point, Point Udall, Guam, than heading west would be, even accounting for circumpolar routes. The two different Point Udalls are named for two different men: Mo Udall (Guam) and Stewart Udall (Virgin Islands), brothers from the Udall family of Arizona who both served as U.S. Congressmen.

Highest points

Lowest points

Other points

Islands

Lakes

Rivers

Extreme distances

  • Greatest distance between any two points in U.S. territory: 9,514 miles (15,311 km), from Point Udall, Guam, to Point Udall, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (formerly known as Orote Point and East Point, respectively).
  • Greatest distance between any two points in the 50 United States: 5,859 miles (9,429 km), from Kure Atoll, Hawaii, to Log Point, Elliott Key, Florida.
  • Greatest east–west distance in U.S. territory [?]: 5,823 miles (9,371 km), from Kure Atoll, Hawaii, to Riviera Beach, Florida.
  • Greatest minimal driving distance between points in the contiguous 48 states (via U.S. highway system): 3,689 miles (5,937 km), from Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West, Florida, to Cape Flattery, Washington.
  • Greatest distance between any two points in the contiguous 48 states: 2,901 miles (4,669 km), from North Farallon Island, California, to Sail Rock, east of West Quoddy Head, Maine.
  • Greatest distance between any two mainland points in the contiguous 48 states: 2,892 miles (4,654 km), from Point Arena, California, to West Quoddy Head, Maine.
  • Greatest east–west distance in the 48 contiguous states: 2,800 miles (4,500 km)
  • Greatest north–south distance in the 48 contiguous states: 1,650 miles (2,660 km).
Some map projections make diagonal lines appear longer than they actually are. The diagonal line from Kure Atoll, Hawaii, to West Quoddy Head, Maine, is 5,797 miles (9,329 km); and the diagonal from Cape Wrangell, Attu Island, Alaska, to Log Point, on Elliott Key, Florida, is 5,505 miles (8,859 km).

See also

  • Borders of the United States
    • Border irregularities of the United States
  • Geography of the United States
  • Extreme points of the Earth
    • Extreme points of the Americas
      • Extreme points of North America
        • List of extreme points of Canada
          • Extreme points of Canadian provinces
          • Extreme communities of Canada
        • Extreme points of Greenland
        • List of extreme points of Mexico
        • Extreme points of the United States
          • List of extreme points of U.S. states and territories
          • Extreme points of New England
        • Extreme points of Central America
        • Extreme points of the Caribbean
          • Extreme points of Cuba
      • Extreme points of South America

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