US Physical Map

About US Physical Map

The above US physical features map is embedded with the physical relief of the United States and also shows all states with their boundaries and abbreviations. This physical map highlights major rivers, mountain ranges, and mountain peaks, along with the national capital, Washington, D.C. The varying elevations and color shading clearly distinguish plains, plateaus, mountains, and green areas across the United States.

US Physical Features

The United States of America occupies about 3.8 million square miles, which makes it the third largest country in the world. The climate, economy and way of life are also different because the geography is diverse and includes mountains, plains, rivers, lakes, deserts and coastal areas.

Mountain Ranges

The United States has several major mountain ranges. The Rocky Mountains run from Canada right down through the western United States, and through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. This range with its peaks over 14,000 feet determines the weather and is a great place for wildlife. The Appalachian Mountains are in the eastern part of the country and run from Alabama to Maine. Even though they are not as high as the Rockies (the highest peak is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina at 6,684 feet) they are some of the world's oldest mountain ranges. The Sierra Nevada, in California and Nevada, has Mount Whitney as the highest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,505 feet. In the Pacific Northwest, the Cascade Range is renowned for its volcanic activity, including the famous 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Great Plains and Interior Lowlands

The Great Plains stretch from Texas up through North Dakota and into Canada. This vast region, noted for its relatively flat and rolling grasslands, is also the location of extensive agricultural activities, particularly in the growing of wheat and corn. The Interior Lowlands are to the east of the Great Plains and include parts of the Midwest. The soil in this region is very rich and the Interior Lowlands are the location of large-scale farming and industrial development.

Major Rivers and Lakes

The United States has a vast number of rivers that are significant waterways and water supplies. The Mississippi River is the second longest river in North America at 2,340 miles and it runs from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico draining 31 states. The Missouri River, a tributary of the Mississippi, is the longest river in the country, 2,341 miles. Some other rivers are the Colorado River, which created the Grand Canyon and provides water to the southwestern arid states, and the Columbia River, which is a key waterway in the Pacific Northwest.

The world’s biggest group of freshwater lakes are the Great Lakes which include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. These lakes shared between Canada and the United States contain about 21% of the world’s freshwater supply. Including Lake Superior, the largest of the five, it is the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area.

Coastal Regions

The United States has a long coastline on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. New York and Miami are major ports and sandy beaches and barrier islands are characteristic of the East Coast. California, Oregon and Washington have coastal mountains, rugged cliffs and heavy tectonic activity — the San Andreas Fault runs through much of the third and fourth rows of the West Coast. The Gulf Coast, which runs from Texas to Florida, is warm, has a high frequency of hurricanes because of its location in the path of tropical storms coming from the Atlantic Ocean.

Deserts and Plateaus

The southwestern United of America has several deserts, amongst them the Mojave, the Sonoran, and the Chihuahuan. Death Valley in California and Nevada is part of the Mojave Desert and is the hottest place in North America with temperatures sometimes more than 130°F. The Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico portion of the Colorado Plateau is characterized by striking rock formations and deep canyons—like the Grand Canyon, which is 277 miles long and more than a mile deep.

Islands and Archipelagos

The United States comprises several island territories and states, including Hawaii and Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Hawaii is in the central Pacific Ocean, and its islands are volcanic, with Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano, is one of them. The Aleutian Islands, which are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and which experience frequent seismic activity, stretch from mainland Alaska to Russia.