-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [ Seeking The True Land Area of the USA, If It Exists]
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2003 14:40:04 GMT
From: [log in to unmask]


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Dear Mr. Bach,

The National Geographic website says "area," not "land area."  It
appears to include territorial waters (the 3-mile limit, not the 12-mile
limit).  In 1990, the U.S. Bureau of Census announced the area of the 50
states and District of Columbia as

9159125398000 square meters of land plus
 650306038000 square meters of water for a total of
9809431436000 square meters.

(source www.census.gov, gazetteer page)

For 2000, they announced it was:

9161923119956 square meters of land plus
 664706489036 square meters of water for a total of
9826629608992 square meters.

(same source)

The 1990 total is equal to 3787427.502 square U.S. survey miles (very
close to Goode's number).
The 2000 total land is equal to 3537424.143 square U.S. survey miles,
but 3537438.293 square U.S. international miles.  (the 2000 number you
are using).

The CIA number would appear to be land only (I am certain their
methodology is classified), and the NGS number appears to be land and
water inside the 3-mile limit, but I'm not sure why it is off by 60,000
square miles compared to Census.

Joe McCollum
Information Technology Specialist
USDA Forest Service
Knoxville, TN  37919