The United States is a vast country with a large amount of land. Many states are as large as entire countries. The state of Alabama has roughly the same amount of land as England while the state of Oregon has approximately the size land area as the United Kingdom as a whole. Show What’s the Difference Between England and the UK?Many people use the terms “England” and “United Kingdom” or “UK” interchangeably, but there’s a difference. The UK is a nation made up of four territories: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. England is the largest of these territories of the UK, and it shares the island of Great Britain with Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland shares the island of Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. England and Alabama are roughly the same size. England has an area of 50,337 square miles while Alabama is a little larger, with a land size of 50,645 square miles. Alabama’s population is much sparser than that of England. Alabama has 4,779,736 people as of the 2010 U.S. census while England’s population was 55,977,178 as of 2018. England and Alabama share a few things in common. Residents of both areas primarily speak English as a first language and, coincidentally, both have a prominent city named Birmingham. Many of the first settlers of Alabama during the early history of the US hailed from the British Isles as well. Alabama’s HistoryNative American tribes lived in Alabama prior to the arrival of European settlers, and for centuries, the state was largely agricultural. The state was initially part of Georgia and the Mississippi Territory before it became a territory of its own in 1817. Alabama became a state in 1819. Today, Alabama has emerged as a more diverse state economically, with industry and technology sectors taking their place alongside agriculture. Alabama has a few concentrated urban areas and plenty of wide-open, rural space. How Does Oregon Compare with the UK?Oregon occupies a similar amount of land as the UK as a whole. While the UK has a land area of 94,525 square miles, Oregon occupies 95,988 square miles of land. The UK has a population of 66,435,550 as of 2018 while Oregon had 3,831,074 residents as of the 2010 census, so the UK has a much denser population. Oregon and the UK have similar coastal climates, and the proximity to northern oceans affects the climate of both areas. Oregon’s HistoryEarly American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark visited Oregon on their trek across North America in 1804. The Oregon Trail brought settlers to the area in the 1840s. Oregon was a territory of Great Britain until 1846, when the US acquired it as part of its rapid expansion during that decade. Seven years later, the US divided the territory into the Oregon and Washington territories, and Oregon became a state in 1859. Today, residents and tourists flock to Oregon for its natural beauty, mountains, and coastline. The state has a diverse economy and population. What States Correspond With Other Parts of the UK?Other parts of the US compare somewhat in size with the rest of the territories in the UK. Wales takes up 8,018 square miles, and New Jersey is the closest state in size at 7,354 square miles. Scotland has a land size of 30,415 square miles while South Carolina comes closest at 30,060 square miles. Northern Ireland has 5,452 square miles, and Connecticut, America’s third-smallest state, is closest with a land size of 4,842 square miles. Two Nations With a ‘Special Relationship’The comparison in size between states in the US and parts of the UK is fun because the two nations enjoy a “special relationship.” Each country considers the other an extremely close ally, and both nations work together to achieve common goals.
Following on from the theme of a recent post, about the size of different countries, I thought it would be interesting to compare the size of the United Kingdom to other parts of the world. The UK covers an area of about 243,000 square km., which is quite big in some ways, but not so big in others (ask any Canadian). It's all a matter of perspective. Some maps and facts below, with the UK superimposed on different parts of the world. Click the maps to see them in full size.
NOTES: I've used an equal area projection so there is a bit more map distortion than I'd like but this was just a bit of fun to make a point and remind myself of the relative size of the UK. For the USA I've shown the continental US and Alaska on separate maps. I've not shown Hawaii this time.
If you found this article useful, my YouTube series, Distant Words, will take you to a happy place. Click play to get started.
United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 sq km, while United States is approximately 9,833,517 sq km, making United States 3,937% larger than United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the population of United Kingdom is ~65.8 million people (266.9 million more people live in United States). This to-scale map shows a size comparison of United Kingdom compared to United States. For more details, see an in-depth quality of life comparison of United States vs. United Kingdom using our country comparison tool. The saying goes that 'everything is bigger in America' and a new infographic puts the country's sheer size into perspective by showing how individual states dwarf the UK. In total there are 11 U.S. states that are bigger than Britain, including Alaska, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California and Michigan. According to the map, Alaska is more than seven times the size of the UK, which covers 93,627.8 square miles and comprises four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mapped out: In total there are 11 U.S. states that are bigger than Britain, including Alaska, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California and Michigan Oil-rich Texas is almost three times the size of the UK, while sunny California is almost twice as big. Montana is 56 per cent larger, New Mexico 29 per cent and Arizona 21 per cent. Another sizable state in America's west is Nevada, which is 17 per cent bigger than the UK.
Oil-rich Texas is almost three times the size of UK, while sunny California is almost twice as big. Meanwhile, Montana is 56 per cent larger
According to the map diagram, Alaska is more than seven times the size of the UK, which covers 93,627.8 square miles and comprises four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland The mountainous state of Colorado is 11 per cent bigger than Britain, while Oregon - which is the only state that has an official state nut (the hazelnut) - covers less ground at 4 per cent. Wyoming, home to Yellowstone National Park, is three per cent bigger than the UK, as is the lake-ridden easterly state of Michigan. The new infographic created by travel site Globehunters overlays each American state on top of the UK to highlight the size difference. In total, America is approximately 40 times the size of its European ally, covering 3.8 million square miles.
New Mexico is 29 per cent larger than the UK and Arizona 21 per cent. Another sizable state in the west of America is Nevada, which is 17 per cent bigger, while the mountainous state of Colorado is 11 per cent
Oregon, which is the only state that has an official state nut (the hazelnut), is four per cent bigger than Britain. Wyoming, home to Yellowstone National Park, is three per cent bigger than the UK, as is the lake-ridden easterly state of Michigan |