General Characteristics:
The United States consists of fifty states, with the majority located on the North American continent, 
positioned between Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The country stretches approximately 
2,572 kilometers from north to south, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, it spans 4,517 
kilometers. Two states are outside the continental U.S.: Hawaii, located in the central Pacific, and 
Alaska, situated in the northwest corner of North America. The U.S. also boasts extensive coastlines, 
including the Atlantic (3,330 km), the Gulf of Mexico (2,625 km), and the Pacific (12,270 km). The 
country is also interlaced with an expansive network of waterways