Cornell University Library E 159.G19 's of the mann oe “HENRY GANNETT — ‘eros (GOVERNMENT, ‘PRINTING orrroE _ gs Bulletin No, 302 Series F, Geography, 53 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DiREcTOoR THE AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES, THE STATES, AND THE TERRITORIES BY fe i HENRY GANNETT WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1906 @ EIS7 rg ILLUSTRATION, Piate I. Map of the United States, defining the adopted limits of the gross U.S.GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO.302 PL.! 120° Is - aw wae 7 ae Sa — bro Y _ ofemey = ns lemon Ne | fs = MAP OF THE UNITED STATES, DEFINING THE ADOPTED LIMITS OF THE GROSS AREA JULIVS BIEN &CO.LITH Ny Scale 1906 THE AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES, THE STATES, AND THE TERRITORIES, By Henry GANNETT. In 1881 the Census Office published in an extra bulletin tables show- ing the areas of the United States and of the several States and Terri- tories. The measurements and computations upon which these tables were based were made with care, according to methods described in the bulletin, and the results probably represented the areas as closely as they could be determined from the maps and charts of that time. In 1899 the General Land Office printed similar tables, which were also prepared with great care and thoroughness. The tables presented in these two publications differ from each other. Most of the differences are trifling, amounting to only a few square miles or a small fraction of 1 per cent, being well within the limits of error of the planimeter and of the maps used. Some of them, however, are considerable, and a few are explained by the fact that more recent maps, which changed the position of boundaries between States, had been used by the Land Office, and its measurement was, therefore, more nearly correct. Other discrepancies arose from differ- ences in ‘determining the coast lines; as an example of this, the Land Office measurement of the State of Washington included half of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, while that of the Census Office did not, involv- ing a difference in area of 1,500 square miles. Realizing the desirability of the Government issuing but one state- ment of areas of the States and Territories, the offices concerned, through their representatives, Mr. Frank Bond, chief draftsman of the General Land Office, Mr. C. S. Sloane, geographer of the Census Office, and myself, representing the Geological Survey, have been at work for several months in the endeavor to come to an agreement on these figures, and in the course of our discussion many new measurements have been made from the most recent and best maps. An agreement has been reached, the results of which are set forth in the accompany- ing table. 5 6 AREAS OF STATES AND TERRITORIES. By this adjustment the area of the United States proper 1s increased over the Census Office figures by 1,188 square miles, or about three one-hundredths of 1 per cent. : The question, “What constitutes the area of the United States is by no means a simple one. Jurisdiction extends to a line 3 nautical miles from the shore, but this strip of sea can not properly be regarded as a part of the country. Supposing our country to be restricted to the sea and lake coast, there remains a question regarding the bays and estuaries. To what extent should the coast line be fol- lowed strictly, and where should we begin to jump across the indenta- tions made by the sea? In this matter one can only follow his own judgment, making in each case as natural a decision as possible, as no definite criterion can be established. This applies also to those States bordering the sea and the Great Lakes. The method of measurement may be characterized in a few words. The areas of all square degrees included entirely within a State or the United States are taken from tables of such areas. Where a square degree is crossed by a boundary line, so that only part of it is included, both the part included and that excluded are measured from the best maps by planimeter, and the correctness of the measurement is tested by comparing their sum with the tabular area of the square degree. The entire boundary of the United States has now been mapped or charted with accuracy, so that, aside from uncertainties due to the interpretation of the coast line, there can be little or no question as to the correctness of the measurement of the country as a whole. The situation as regards the individual States is not so satisfactory, however, although the boundaries of most of them are now well mapped. Certain States are bounded by parallels and meridians, and the ascertainment of their areas is merely a matter of reference to tables of areas of square degrees, assuming that the boundary lines were accurately run and marked in accordance with the statute. The boundaries of a few of the States, however, have not been accu- rately mapped, and it is probable that changes will be made in the computed areas of these States. The area of Alaska, measured in this office from the large Coast Survey chart, is subject to considerable modification in the future as the position of the coast line becomes better known. The area given for the Philippine Islands is that determined by the Coast Survey of that archipelago, prepared at the instance of the Philippine Census and published in that report. It also is subject to modification as accurate charts of the archipelago are made. The areas of Hawaii and Porto Rico are probably subject to only slight change, as the charts from which they were measured are quite accurate. Q? AREAS OF STATES AND TERRITORIES. 7 The areas givén for the other small possessions of the United States—Guam, Samoa, and the Panama Canal strip—will probably be changed in the future as their limits become more correctly defined. Areas, in square miles, of the States and Territories. State or Territory. Land surface. ae Total area. Ala bani thcic ae nate cyee Cotes Bastaune eles eee 51, 279 719 51, 998 ATIZOHS 53 ose as Seta sc nepal Caen e es ome 113, 840 116 113, 956 Aran SASS2 opi ara a Eon tle a 52, 525 810 53, 335 Calif Onn aieog a aide menenaib te occ dsialcleid fesaetnot eens 156, 092 2, 205 158, 297 Colorado ters oe 2s ot cenydceel nd F222 aaomtaoaee 103, 658 290 103, 948 Contiecticut. (0.2) jcisiicnciee dete oe aocwbueecoeates 4, 820 145 4, 965 Welt waTr6spacss. ayes 8S pana a ceoeieiatealanters ase edetstle 1, 965 405 2, 370 District of Columbia. .......2....222..2.-2-.----- ‘60 10 70 Moridarsisiscies fix Steere eesee se =< seve eetes's 54, 861 3, 805 58, 666 Georgit. 2 cree ce ss es ee seen seen oa ee ce Heusen 58, 725 540 59, 265 Tale .25.: eaceiseye sme Seysiaene aeanes Se veneed 83, 779 534 84, 313 ANNNGIS 3: 2558s 32 A Polya saye ceo eee comenice 56, 002 663 56, 665 ADEN Aas ccs.ccctecare x5 nae aiceereen cee in ee ons x ele dees et 35, 885 469 36, 354 Indian Territory... ......2.22..0. 0022-2 eeee ee eee 30, 790 419 31, 209 LO W.Bisee's efetthen was a crete na ceca cere neue 55, 586 561 56, 147 Kansas os oassce sce skate alec teed: Be te 81, 774 384 82, 158 Kentucky... .....- SUseaa uaa ae as 2 ASR acta 40, 181 417 40, 598 DOiistanas 2.062 dae ot baskiancedat as ahancasaceee: 45, 409 3, 097 48, 506 Maines 22 oo cco adh ettetoi ce oo Sede ateeke 29, 895 3, 145 33, 040 Maryland sg ae: ioe chtiaece ate ie vec ieee aeaein: 9, 941 2, 386 12, 327 Massachusetts..-....--------------------2ee e+e : 8, 039 227 8, 266 MRA ccc seo see teamleiewe 2 eee a ee seimanie | 87, 480 500 | 57, 980 MintiesOtih.c 2s occ cercanks soos aca cemeeeee | 80, 858 3, 824 84, 682 Mississippi... . - Pass Gate pay is leu tin spare Sia cep pee 46, 362 503 46, 865 Miss0Uirl 62.22 Sect peemomewed na eos tote Ss plerbussdes udu 68, 727 693 69, 420 Montana; vaisinshes oe ecow te tsi ad Qasoscicac 145, 776 796 146, 572 Nebraska «ups ceisn oeaniue een eae ceeds | 76, 808 712 77, 520 NeVidas..auc~ os ee seewseeeet ls gts yh ieeieecnseeie: | 109, 821 869 110, 690 Nig: Hagnishiine. cannon se eo aeceateenn os 9, 031 310 9, 341 NeWderS0y’. . 2 .ca:cecicen oct s4 ee eeeekeesewve ee 7, 514 710 8, 224 New M6x1C0:2.2.5. aiccnecaeneisee ets eenee eeeRe ee ees 122, 503 131 122, 634 New” Yorks. 72: aasccaaeecinst ca.acdetsieaeeeee eee 47, 654 1, 550 | 49, 204 North Carolina......--.--------------2---+----- 48, 740 3, 686 . 52, 426 Noli Tipiintes. an asaeu aoe ro-annmsldaeses< 70,183 654} 70,837 Cie ales eae econ ges | 40,740 300 41, 040 Oklahoma Territory ,.--...--------------+------! 38, 624 224 38, 848 8 AREAS OF STATES AND TERRITORIES. Areas, in square miles, of the States and Territories—Continued. State or aanttben. Land surface. eee. Total area. Oregon's aac sss Aste easennasesac acess: 95, 607 1, 092 96, 699 Pennsylvania... .......-.------+---+---+-0-+-+% fest 44, 832 294 45, 126 Rhode: Islatid’. sso aes eos 1, 067 181 1, 248 South Carolina.................-------2-2-2- +2 +> 30, 495 494. 30, 989 South Dakota..............2--------2---- 22 ++ 76, 868 747 77, 615 Tennessee oc ects ce cree ala cle e Manse wacac see 41, 687 335 _ 42,022 WOKS way. 2 sees oi ac sdoks ae atee eae SACRA 262, 398 3, 498 265, 896 TU, ea gaa he eta oh ce ceataraate ake cae any ae ohne era ee 82, 184 2, 806 84, 990 AWG TT ON tates Sree pe eee Seen eye ee ey retina i a apa 9, 124 440 9, 564 NAP PUN ie Soe ele ete vin see Aye oe aca hoa i 40, 262 2, 365 42, 627 Washington... ...-2..--20cce cece ee eeeeeeeeee ; | 66, 836 2, 291 69, 127 West: Virginidece se ccce i ccc ceaaveeceden ieee cede 24, 022 148 24, 170 Wisdom ace nos ee eel a 55, 256 810 56, 066 Woytoming =: seae-e--s sas adeidrciatieneey 97, 594 320 97, 914 | 2, 974, 159 | 52, 630 | 3, 026, 789 Aleisha ic ciasestc sinisieetecisae a Sema eae eee ee | sgewiamaate te aaeaneeed 590, 884 Guia Sie uate Boda de caas wae Gamma waar celeedar menawacoeee | Panen en eee 210 Hig Wall-e Ba, bed eaexieteye Sec beacons near noeeeenae te eT AA ae taht tah os 6, 449 Panama Canal Zone..........-...-------------- ga wees eon | Racal aye tan geet 474 Philippine: Islands. suie5:.i'sicaie eel gs Bap cat auee vee Ade aus e tv selass 2k 115, 026 Porto Ric0ceguceonmue sce dt ee: aeeveaeeseee! | sidelines, Lived osteo wie ees 8, 435 Tutuila Group, Samoa. acveusesss sacs veastnerces|easecsesccesl esccueeds 77 Total eejbeec etree lee ee aot te acalleSelaclee eda | del 3, 743, 344 Owing to their location adjoinmg the Great Lakes, the States enumerated below contain approximately an additional number of square miles as follows: TNinGis:, sah ee 'ox sees s eeeeneciese 1,674 square miles of Lake Michigan. Indiatig ox sous exec ees Saas 230 square miles of Lake Michigan. 16,653 square miles of Lake Superior. Michigan...........--.-.-----e- 12,922 square miles of Lake Michigan. 9,925 square miles of Lake Huron. 460 square miles of Lakes St. Clair and Erie. Minnesota..-......-.......-.-.- 2,514 square miles of Lake Superior. New OPK pease eve eee hs gk sane 3,140 square miles of Lakes Ontario and Erie. OOiceee net eee siete sees oe 3,443 square miles of Lake Erie. Pennsylvania.........--..-..... 891 square miles of Lake Erie. Wimsaisiidai tee ko acres: | 2,378 square miles of Lake Superior. 7,500 square miles of Lake Michigan. AREAS OF STATES AND TERRITORIES. 9 In addition to the water areas noted above, California claims juris- diction over all Pacific waters lying within 3 English miles of her coast; Oregon claims jurisdiction over a similar strip of the Pacific Ocean 1 marine league in width between latitude 42° N. and the mouth of the Columbia River; and Texas claims jurisdiction over a strip of Gulf water 3 leagues in width, adjacent to her coast between, the Rio Grande and the Sabine River. CLASSIFICATION OF THE PUBLICATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. - [Bulletin No. 302.] The publications of the United States Geological Survey consist of (1) Annual Reports; (2) Monographs; (3) Professional Papers; (4) Bulletins; (5) Mineral Re- sources; (6) Water-Supply and Irrigation Papers; (7) Topographic Atlas of United ' Statex—folios and separate sheets thereof; (8) Geologic Atlas 0. United States—folios thereof. The classes numbered 2, 7, and 8 are sold at cost of publication; the others are distributed free. A circular giving complete lists may be had on application. Most of the above publications may be obtained or consulted in the following ways: La A limited number are delivered to the Director of the Survey, from whom they may be obtained, free of charge (except classes 2, 7, and 8), on application. 2. A certain number are delivered to Senators and Representatives in Congress, for distribution. 3. Other copies are deposited with the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C., from whom they may be had at prices slightly above cost. +. Copies of all Government publications are furnished to the principal public libraries in the large cities throughout the United States, where they may be con- sulted by those interested. The Professional Papers, Bulletins, and Water-Supply Papers treat of a variety of subjects, and the total number issued is large. They have therefore been classified into the following series: A, Economic geology; B, Descriptive geology; C, System- atic geology and paleontology; D, Petrography and mineralogy; E, Chemistry and physics; F, Geography; G, Miscellaneous; H, Forestry; I, Irrigation; J, Water stor- age; K, Pumping water; L, Quality of water; M, General hydrographic investi- gations; N, Water power; 0, Underground waters; P, Hydrographic progress reports. This paper is the fifty-third in Series F, the complete list of which follows (all are bulletins thus far except Professional Paper 45): fo ds. 49. 50. 70. 72, 76, 115. lib. 117. 118. . Results of primary triangulation, by Henry Gannett. 1894. 412 pp., 17 pls. (Out of stock.) 123. 154. SERIES F, GEOGRAPHY. . Dictionary of altitudes in United States, by Henry Gannett. 184. 325 pp. (Out of stock; sce Bulletin 274.) . Elevations in Dominion of Canada, by J. W. Spencer. 1884. 43 pp. (Out of stock. ) . Boundaries of United States and of the several States and Territories, with historical sketch of territorial changes, by Henry Gannett. 1885. 135 pp. (Out of stock; see Bulletin 226.) On form and pésition of sea level, by R. S. Woodward. 1888. 88 pp. (Out of stock.) Latitudes and longitudes of certain points in Missouri, Kansas, and New Mexico, by R. 8. Wood- ward. 1889. 133 pp. Formulas and tables to facilitate the construction and usv of maps, by R. S. Woodward. 1889. 124 pp. (Out of stock.) Report on astronomical work of 1889 and 1890, by R. 3. Woodward, 1890. 79 pp. Altitudes between Lake Superior and Rocky Mountains, by Warren Upham, 1891. 229 pp. Dictionary of altitudes in United States (second edition), by Henry Gannett. 1891. 393 pp. (Out of stock; see Bulletin 274.) Geographic dictionary of Rhode Island, by Henry Gannett. 1894. 31 pp. Geographic dictionary of Massachusetts, by Henry Gannett. 1894, 126 pp. Geographic dictionary of Connecticut, by Henry Gannett. 1x04. 67 pp. Geographic dictionary of New Jersey, by Henry Gannett. 1894. 131 pp. Dictionary of geographic positions, by Henry Gannett. 1895. 183 pp., 1 map. (Out of stock.) Gazetteer of Kansas, by Henry Gannett. 1898. 246 pp., 6 pls. I