Extreme points of the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of the extreme points of the United States, the points that are farther north, south, east, or west than any other location in the country. Also included are extreme points in elevation.
- There are a number of different interpretations for "easternmost" and "westernmost"; see below for full treatment.
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[edit] Northernmost
- Point Barrow, Alaska (71°23'N) — northernmost point in all of US territory
- Barrow, Alaska — northernmost town in all of US territory and most northerly community on the North American mainland.
- Northwest Angle, Minnesota (49°23' 4.1"N) — northernmost point in the 48 contiguous states
[edit] Southernmost
- Rose Atoll, American Samoa (14°34'S) — southernmost point in all of US territory
- Ka Lae, Hawaii (18°55'N) — southernmost point in the 50 states
- Naalehu, Hawaii — southernmost town in the 50 states
- Kaalaulu, Hawaii - southernmost town/city in the 50 states
- Ballast Key, Florida ( ) — southernmost point in the 48 contiguous states continuously above water
- Key West, Florida — southernmost city in the 48 contiguous states
- Cape Sable, Florida (25°7'N) — southernmost point on the US mainland
[edit] Easternmost
- Point Udall, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands (64°34'W) — easternmost point in all of US territory, by direction of travel
- Sail Rock (66° 56' 52.08"W), just offshore of West Quoddy Head, Maine (66°57'W) — easternmost point in the 50 states, by direction of travel
- West Quoddy Head, Maine (66°57'W) — easternmost point on the US mainland
- Lubec, Maine — easternmost town in the 50 states
- Pochnoi Point, Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska (179°46'E) — easternmost point in all of US territory, by longitude
- Wake Island (166°39'E) — first sunrise (at equinox) in all of US territory
[edit] Westernmost
- Udall Point, Guam ( ) — westernmost point in all of US territory, by direction of travel
- Peaked Island, offshore from Cape Wrangell, Attu Island, Alaska (172°26'E) — westernmost point in the 50 states, by direction of travel, and last sunset (at equinox) in all of US territory
- Adak, Alaska — westernmost town in the 50 states, by direction of travel
- Amatignak Island, Alaska (179°6'W) — westernmost point in all of US territory, by longitude
- Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska (168°7'W) — westernmost point on the North American continent
- Bodelteh Islands offshore from Cape Alava, Washington (124°46'W) — westernmost point in the 48 contiguous states
- Cape Alava (during low tide) and tie between Cape Alava and Cape Flattery (during high tide) - westernmost point on the U.S. mainland (contiguous)
- Ozette, Washington — westernmost town in the 48 contiguous states
[edit] Extremes in Elevation
- Mount McKinley, Alaska (20,320 feet / 6,194 meters) — highest point in all of US territory
- Mount Whitney, California (14,505 feet / 4,421 meters) — highest point in the 48 contiguous states
- Winter Park, Colorado (12,060 feet / 3,676 meters) — highest town in all of US territory
- Alma, Colorado (10,355 feet/3,156 meters) — highest town with permanent residents above 10,000 ft.[1]
- Leadville, Colorado (10,152 feet / 3094 meters) — highest city in all of US territory
- Badwater Basin (Death Valley), California (-282 feet / -86 meters) — lowest point in all of US territory
- Calipatria, California (-184 feet / -56 meters) — lowest city in all of US territory
[edit] Other
- Most remote point in all of US territory — Ipnavik River, National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, : 120 miles (195 km) from nearest habitation
- Geographic center of the 50 states — approximately 20 miles (34 km) north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, at
- Geographic center of the 48 contiguous states — approximately 4 mi (6 km) west of Lebanon, Kansas, at
[edit] 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, England is defined as 0 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 most eastern and most western place in the world.
Another method is to use the International Date Line as the most eastern/western 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 US territory is spread across less than 180° of longitude, so from any spot in the US it is more direct to reach Point Udall, US Virgin Islands, by travelling east than by travelling west. Likewise, there is not a single point in US territory from which heading east is a shorter route to Udall Point, Guam, than heading west would be, even accounting for circumpolar routes.
[edit] References
- ^ Rippold, R Scott (2007). High on Alma. The Gazette (Colorado Springs). Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
[edit] See also
- Geography of the United States
- Extreme points of the world
- Extreme points of North America
- Extreme points of the Americas
- Extreme points of New England
- Extreme points of U.S. states (each state's extreme points)
- Geographic centers of the United States
[edit] External links
- Text of congressional resolution designating Udall Point, Guam
- Map of Orote Point, Guam, now Point Udall
- Map of Ballast Key, FL
- Detailed US coastline maps
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| Sovereign states |
Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama* · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · St. Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago* · United States |
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| Dependencies and other territories |
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| * Territories also in or commonly reckoned elsewhere in the Americas (South America). | ||
