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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.

Extreme points in the 50 states: Point Barrow, Ka Lae, Sail Rock, Peaked Island

Extreme points in the contiguous 48 states: Northwest Angle, Ballast Key, Sail Rock, Bodelteh Islands

Extreme points of the U.S. on the North American continent: Point Barrow, Cape Sable, West Quoddy Head, Cape Prince of Wales

Extreme points in all of U.S. territory: Point Barrow, Rose Atoll, Wake Island, Peaked Island (red); Point Udall, Udall Point (green). The International Date Line is shown in yellow.

Northernmost

• Point Barrow, Alaska 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W / 71.38889°N 156.47917°W / 71.38889; -156.47917 (Point Barrow) — northernmost point in all U.S. territory
• Barrow, Alaska 71°20′22″N 156°38′22″W / 71.33953°N 156.63939°W / 71.33953; -156.63939 (Barrow) — northernmost incorporated place in all of U.S. territory, population about 4,000
• Fairbanks, Alaska 64°50′22.94″N 147°43′14.63″W / 64.8397056°N 147.7207306°W / 64.8397056; -147.7207306 (Fairbanks City Hall) — northernmost city of more than 20,000 residents, and northernmost city with public road access
• Anchorage, Alaska 61°13′4.17″N 149°53′33.17″W / 61.217825°N 149.8925472°W / 61.217825; -149.8925472 (Anchorage City Hall) — northernmost city of more than 250,000 residents
• Bellingham, Washington 48°45′19.12″N 122°28′43.54″W / 48.7553111°N 122.4787611°W / 48.7553111; -122.4787611 (Bellingham City Hall) — northernmost city of more than 50,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
• Seattle, Washington 47°36′13.81″N 122°19′48.56″W / 47.6038361°N 122.3301556°W / 47.6038361; -122.3301556 (Seattle City Hall) — northernmost city of more than 500,000 residents in the United States
• Northwest Angle/Angle Township in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota 49°23′04″N 95°09′12″W / 49.384358°N 95.153314°W / 49.384358; -95.153314 (Northwest Angle) — northernmost point in the 48 contiguous states
• Sumas, Washington 49°00′09″N 122°15′06″W / 49.00249°N 122.25162°W / 49.00249; -122.25162 (Sumas, WA) — northernmost incorporated place in the 48 contiguous states (Due to a 19th century surveying inaccuracy, the international border lies slightly north of the 49th parallel here.)
• Alaska has the northernmost geographic center of all the states. North Dakota has the northernmost geographic center of the 48 contiguous states.

Note that maps of the 48 states that are displayed in an equal-area projection (i.e. curved lines of latitude) can give the impression that the state of Maine extends further north than it actually does. The northernmost point in Maine is at approximately 47.46 degrees North latitude. This line of latitude passes through the southern suburbs of Seattle. From there, it is approximately 100 miles (160 km) north to the 49th parallel. A wide swath of land within the 48 states (encompassing portions of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota) is therefore further north than any place in Maine. Included in this area are such places as Spokane, Washington, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Great Falls, Montana, Minot and Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Bemidji, Minnesota. Even Isle Royale and parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (such as the Keweenaw Peninsula) are further north than anywhere in Maine.

Southernmost

• Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica (90°0′0″S 0°0′0″E / 90°S 0°E / -90; 0 (South Pole)) — southernmost point under United States jurisdiction
• Rose Atoll, American Samoa (14°34′11″S 168°9′10″W / 14.56972°S 168.15278°W / -14.56972; -168.15278 (Rose Atoll)) — southernmost point in all U.S. controlled territory
• Ka Lae, Hawaiʻi (18°54′39″N 155°40′52″W / 18.91083°N 155.68111°W / 18.91083; -155.68111 (Ka Lae)) — southernmost point in the 50 states
• Nā'ālehu, Hawai'i (19°3′57″N 155°35′15″W / 19.06583°N 155.5875°W / 19.06583; -155.5875 (Nā'ālehu, HI)) — southernmost town in the 50 states
• Western Dry Rocks, Florida (24°26.8′N 81°55.6′W / 24.4467°N 81.9267°W / 24.4467; -81.9267 (Western Dry Rocks)) — In the Florida Keys - southernmost point in the 48 contiguous states occasionally above water at low tide
• Ballast Key, Florida (24°31′15″N 81°57′49″W / 24.52083°N 81.96361°W / 24.52083; -81.96361 (Ballast Key)) — southernmost point in the 48 contiguous states continuously above water
• Cape Sable, Florida (25°7′6″N 81°5′11″W / 25.11833°N 81.08639°W / 25.11833; -81.08639 (Cape Sable)) — southernmost point on the U.S. mainland
• Key West, Florida 24°32′41″N 81°48′37″W / 24.544701°N 81.810333°W / 24.544701; -81.810333 (Key West, FL) — southernmost incorporated place in the 50 states (Hawaii has no incorporated places.)
• Miami, Florida — the southernmost major metropolitan city in the 48 contiguous states
• Hawai'i has the southernmost geographic center of all the states. Florida has the southernmost geographic center of the 48 contiguous states.

Note that maps of the 48 states that are displayed in an equal-area projection can give the impression that the state of Texas extends farther south than it actually does. The southernmost point in Texas (just southeast of Brownsville) is at approximately 25.84 degrees North latitude. This line of latitude passes through Hialeah, Florida, which is slightly north of Miami.

Easternmost

• Peacock Point, Wake Island 19°16′13.2″N 166°39′26.3″E / 19.270333°N 166.657306°E / 19.270333; 166.657306 (Peacock Point, Wake Island) — first sunrise (at equinox) in all of U.S. territory
• Pochnoi Point, Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska 51°57′42″N 179°46′23″E / 51.96167°N 179.77306°E / 51.96167; 179.77306 (Pochnoi Point, Semisopochnoi Island) — easternmost point in all of U.S. territory, by longitude
• Point Udall, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 17°45′19″N 64°33′54″W / 17.75528°N 64.565°W / 17.75528; -64.565 (Point Udall, St. Croix) — easternmost point in all of U.S. territory, by direction of travel
• Sail Rock 44°48′45.2″N 66°56′49.3″W / 44.812556°N 66.947028°W / 44.812556; -66.947028 (Sail Rock), just offshore of West Quoddy Head, Maine — easternmost point in the 50 states, by direction of travel
• West Quoddy Head, Maine 44°48′55.4″N 66°56′59.2″W / 44.815389°N 66.949778°W / 44.815389; -66.949778 (West Quoddy Head) — easternmost point on the U.S. mainland
• Lubec, Maine — easternmost town in the 50 states
• Eastport, Maine 44°54′12″N 66°59′04″W / 44.903277°N 66.98457°W / 44.903277; -66.98457 (Eastport, ME) — easternmost incorporated place in the 50 states
• Calais, Maine — easternmost city of more than 2500 residents
• Houlton, Maine — easternmost town of more than 5000 residents
• Bangor, Maine — easternmost city of more than 20,000 residents
• Portland, Maine — easternmost city of more than 50,000 residents
• Boston, Massachusetts — easternmost major U.S. city (more than 500,000 residents)
• Maine has the easternmost geographic center of the fifty states.

Note that maps of the 48 states that are displayed in an equal-area projection can give the impression that the state of Florida extends further east than it actually does. The easternmost point in Florida (Palm Beach Shores) is at approximately 80.03 degrees West longitude. This line of longitude passes through (or near) such places as Charleston, South Carolina, High Point, North Carolina, Salem, Virginia, Morgantown, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania – further west than all of New York, New Jersey, and all of the New England states.

Westernmost

• Point Udall, Guam (13°26′51″N 144°37′5.5″E / 13.4475°N 144.618194°E / 13.4475; 144.618194 (Point Udall, Guam)) — westernmost point in all of U.S. territory, by direction of travel
• Peaked Island, offshore from Cape Wrangell, Attu Island, Alaska 52°55′14″N 172°26′16″E / 52.92056°N 172.43778°E / 52.92056; 172.43778 (Peaked Island) — westernmost point in the 50 states, by direction of travel, and last sunset (at equinox) in all of U.S. territory
• Adak, Alaska — westernmost town in the 50 states, by direction of travel and by longitude
• Atka, Alaska 52°17′00″N 174°19′15″W / 52.28337°N 174.32080°W / 52.28337; -174.32080 (Atka, AK) — westernmost incorporated place in the 50 states
• Unalaska, Alaska - westernmost city of more than 2500 residents in the 50 states, by direction of travel and by longitude
• Amatignak Island, Alaska 51°16′7″N 179°8′55″W / 51.26861°N 179.14861°W / 51.26861; -179.14861 (Amatignak Island) — westernmost point in all of US territory, by longitude
• Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska 65°38′32″N 168°7′8″W / 65.64222°N 168.11889°W / 65.64222; -168.11889 (Cape Prince of Wales) — westernmost point on the North American continent
• Umatilla Reef, offshore from Cape Alava, Washington (48°11.1′N 124°47.1′W / 48.185°N 124.785°W / 48.185; -124.785 (Umatilla Reef)) — westernmost point in the 48 contiguous states occasionally above water at low tide
• Anchor Point, Alaska (59°46′N 151°52′W / 59.767°N 151.867°W / 59.767; -151.867 (Anchor Point, AK)) — Westernmost point on the continuous road system of North America ^[1]
• Bodelteh Islands, offshore from Cape Alava, Washington 48°10′42.7″N 124°46′18.1″W / 48.178528°N 124.771694°W / 48.178528; -124.771694 (Bodelteh Islands) — westernmost point in the 48 contiguous states continuously above water
• Cape Alava, Washington (48°9′51″N 124°43′59″W / 48.16417°N 124.73306°W / 48.16417; -124.73306 (Cape Alava)) — westernmost point on the U.S. mainland (contiguous)
• Ozette, Washington — westernmost town in the 48 contiguous states
• Port Orford, Oregon 42°45′15″N 124°30′45″W / 42.754065°N 124.512605°W / 42.754065; -124.512605 (Port Orford, OR) — westernmost incorporated place in the 48 contiguous states
• Brookings, Oregon — westernmost city of more than 5000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
• Eureka, California — westernmost city of more than 25,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
• Corvallis, Oregon — westernmost city of more than 50,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
• Eugene, Oregon — westernmost city of more than 100,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
• Portland, Oregon — westernmost city of more than 500,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states
• Hawai'i has the westernmost geographic center of all the states. Oregon has the westernmost geographic center of the 48 contiguous states.

Note that maps of the 48 states that are displayed in an equal-area projection can give the impression that the state of California extends further west than it actually does. The westernmost point in California (Cape Mendocino) is approximately seven miles east of the westernmost point in Oregon (Cape Blanco), and approximately 14 miles (23 km) east of the westernmost point in Washington (Cape Alava).

Extremes in elevation

• Mount McKinley, Alaska 63°4′10″N 151°0′26″W / 63.06944°N 151.00722°W / 63.06944; -151.00722 (Mt. McKinley) (20,320 feet; 6,194 meters) — highest point in all of U.S. territory
• Mount Whitney, California 36°34′42.89″N 118°17′31.18″W / 36.5785806°N 118.2919944°W / 36.5785806; -118.2919944 (Mount Whitney) (14,505 feet; 4,421 meters) — highest point in the 48 contiguous states
• Mount Evans, Colorado 39°35′16″N 105°38′34″W / 39.58778°N 105.64278°W / 39.58778; -105.64278 (Mt. Evans) (14,120 feet, 4,304 meters) — highest road in the 48 contiguous states^[2]
• Winter Park, Colorado 39°53′34″N 105°45′43″W / 39.89278°N 105.76194°W / 39.89278; -105.76194 (Winter Park, CO) (12,060 feet; 3,676 meters) — highest city limits in all of U.S. territory (However, note that there are no permanent residents in Winter Park above the level of 10,000 ft.)
• Alma, Colorado 39°17′2″N 106°3′46″W / 39.28389°N 106.06278°W / 39.28389; -106.06278 (Alma, CO) (10,355 feet; 3,156 meters) — highest town with permanent residents above 10,000 ft. in all of U.S. territory^[3]
• Leadville, Colorado 39°14′50″N 106°17′30″W / 39.24722°N 106.29167°W / 39.24722; -106.29167 (Leadville, CO) (10,152 feet; 3,094 meters) — highest city and airport runway in all of U.S. territory
• Calipatria, California 33°07′32″N 115°30′51″W / 33.12556°N 115.51417°W / 33.12556; -115.51417 (Calipatria, CA) (−184 feet; −56 meters) — lowest city in all of U.S. territory
• Badwater Basin (Death Valley), California 36°14′23″N 116°50′5″W / 36.23972°N 116.83472°W / 36.23972; -116.83472 (Badwater Basin, CA) (−282 feet; −86 meters) — lowest surface point in all of U.S. territory
• Crater Lake bottom, Oregon 42°57′N 122°5′W / 42.95°N 122.083°W / 42.95; -122.083 (Deepest Point in Crater Lake) (−1,943 feet; −593 meters below surface / 4,230 feet; 1,289 meters above sea level) — deepest point below water surface in the United States^[4]
• Lake Superior bottom, Michigan 46°54′31″N 86°35′52″W / 46.90861°N 86.59778°W / 46.90861; -86.59778 (Deepest Point in Lake Superior) (−1,333 feet; −406 meters below surface / −732 feet; −223 meters below sea level) — deepest point below water surface in the Great Lakes^[5]
• Puget Sound bottom, Washington 47°44.9′N 122°25.7′W / 47.7483°N 122.4283°W / 47.7483; -122.4283 (Deepest Point in Puget Sound) (−949 feet; −289 meters below mean lower low water/ approximately −956 feet; −291 meters below mean sea level) — deepest point below sea level in the interior United States^[6]

Other

• Most remote point in the 50 states: Ipnavik River, National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, 68°45′N 156°41′W / 68.75°N 156.683°W / 68.75; -156.683 (most remote point); 120 miles (195 km) from nearest habitation
• Geographic center of the 50 states: approximately 20 miles (34 km) north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, 44°58′N 103°46′W / 44.967°N 103.767°W / 44.967; -103.767 (geographic center of 50 states)
• Geographic center of the 48 contiguous states: approximately 4 miles (6 km) west of Lebanon, Kansas, 39°50′N 98°35′W / 39.833°N 98.583°W / 39.833; -98.583 (geographic center of 48 contiguous states)
• Closest to the equator: Baker Island is located at 0°11′41″N 176°28′46″W / 0.19472°N 176.47944°W / 0.19472; -176.47944 (Baker Island).^[7][8][9]

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, London, 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 easternmost and westernmost place in the world.

Another method is to use the International Date Line as the easternmost–westernmost 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 U.S. territory is spread across less than 180° of longitude, so from any spot in the U.S. it is more direct to reach Point Udall, U.S. Virgin Islands, by traveling east than by traveling west. Likewise, there is not a single point in U.S. territory from which heading east is a shorter route to Orote Point, Guam, than heading west would be, even accounting for circumpolar routes.

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)
• List of U.S. states by elevation
• Geographic centers of the United States

References

External links

• Text of congressional resolution designating Udall Point, Guam
• Maps of Orote Point, Guam:
  • http://www.guampedia.com/category/33-guampedia-resources/entry/509-maps-of-guam
  • http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/australia/guam_pol_1991.pdf
  • http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/australia/guam_rel_1991.pdf
  • http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/pacific_islands/txu-oclc-10552559-apra_harbor.jpg
• Map of Ballast Key, FL
• Detailed US coastline maps

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Extreme points of North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama1 · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago1 · United States Dependencies and other territories Anguilla · Aruba1 · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Greenland · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Montserrat · Netherlands Antilles1 · Puerto Rico · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Turks and Caicos Islands · United States Virgin Islands 1 Territories also in or commonly considered to be part of South America.