In Our Neighbors: Canada and Mexico you found the three big countries of North America. Now zoom in on the middle one: the United States. Where exactly is it, and what is around it?
Key idea
The United States is in North America. Canada is to the north, Mexico is to the south, the Atlantic Ocean is to the east and the Pacific Ocean is to the west. Alaska is in the far northwest, and Hawaii is out in the Pacific.
Why it works
Why use neighbors to describe a place? A location is easiest to remember when you tie it to things around it. "Between Canada and Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific" tells anyone in the world where to look, even without a map. This is called relative location.
Worked example: Describe the location
A pen pal in Japan asks where the United States is. What could you say?
- Start with the continent: North America.
- Name the neighbors: Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.
- Name the oceans: the Atlantic to the east and the Pacific to the west.
- Add the two far-away states: Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii in the Pacific.
Answer: "The United States is in North America, between Canada and Mexico, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific."
Common mistake
Many U.S. maps put Alaska and Hawaii in small boxes near Mexico, just to save space. That makes some people think Alaska is a small island near Mexico. It is not. Alaska is joined to North America in the far northwest, next to Canada, and it is the largest state. Check the inset: if a map has boxes, read them as "moved here to fit."