Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Continental United States shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Continental United States offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Continental United States at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Continental United States? Wrong! If the Continental United States is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Continental United States then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Continental United States? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Continental United States and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Continental United States wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Continental United States then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Continental United States site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Continental United States, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Continental United States, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
The
continental United States is a term referring to the
United States situated on the
North American
continent. Depending on usage, it can mean either:
- the 48 contiguous U.S. state plus the Washington, D.C.; or
- the 48 contiguous states plus the District of Columbia and Alaska.
The first definition is more traditional, back to before Alaskan statehood, and is the more commonly used definition. The second definition is the technically correct definition because Alaska is also in North America, northwest of Canada. In both senses,
Hawaii – an archipelago southwest of North America in the
Pacific Ocean – is excluded.
Similar terms
To avoid confusion, people often use the term
continental United States when including
Alaska, and one of the following when excluding Alaska, i.e., referring to only those 48 states situated in central North America:
- contiguous United States
- conterminous United States
- lower 48 states (see below)
- CONUS (a military abbreviation)
The term
lower 48 (states) describes the states on the North American mainland from the perspective of Alaska. If interpreted from a global perspective (which would thus include Hawaii), the term could refer to all states except Alaska and Minnesota, the two northernmost states. This is not generally the case, however, and "the lower 48" is normally understood to mean the whole contiguous United States, and not Alaska or Hawaii. These 48 states have together an area of 7.902.634 km².
The District of Columbia, while not a state, is generally understood to form part of the
continental United States or
contiguous United States, as it is legally incorporated into the territory of the country.
Use in Alaska and Hawaii
Some places, because of their own location relative to the contiguous United States, have their own unique labels for it:
- In Hawaii and overseas American territories, the term "the Mainland" or "U.S. Mainland" is used to refer to the continental United States (either including or excluding Alaska).
- In Alaska, the term "Lower 48" is sometimes used to refer to the contiguous states. However, more often, long-time residents often simply call this area "Outside", as in "My brother went Outside to have heart surgery". .
- In Alaska, another term often used in reference to the contiguous 48 States is the word "Stateside" which is often used by military personnel and which has been adopted by the larger populace. For most branches of military service, Alaska duty stations were considered Overseas posts, hence the reference.
The term "
continental United States" is almost never used when referring to just the contiguous states, perhaps because some Alaskans consider it a slight to exclude them from the continent.
Use in federal law
As the language of the
Alaska Omnibus Act of 1959 makes apparent, the term was in use in U.S. federal law prior to then. It presumably dates from after the acquisition of Alaska in 1867, and probably from after the Spanish-American War and the annexation of Hawaii brought the United States its first off-continent possessions, both in 1898. Whatever else these terms may be, "continental United States" is a term defined in various federal
laws, in different ways in different time periods; it is also defined in different ways at the same time, depending on whether or not the context was the
U.S. Internal Revenue Service, during at least a period that began with Alaska statehood.
See also
External links
- Definition of continental.
- Definition of contiguous.
- Definition of conterminous.
- Definitions of continental United States and contiguous United States as used by United Airlines.
The
continental United States is a term referring to the
United States situated on the North American
continent. Depending on usage, it can mean either:
- the 48 contiguous U.S. state plus the Washington, D.C.; or
- the 48 contiguous states plus the District of Columbia and Alaska.
The first definition is more traditional, back to before Alaskan statehood, and is the more commonly used definition. The second definition is the technically correct definition because Alaska is also in North America, northwest of Canada. In both senses,
Hawaii – an archipelago southwest of North America in the
Pacific Ocean – is excluded.
Similar terms
To avoid confusion, people often use the term
continental United States when including Alaska, and one of the following when excluding Alaska, i.e., referring to only those 48 states situated in central North America:
- contiguous United States
- conterminous United States
- lower 48 states (see below)
- CONUS (a military abbreviation)
The term
lower 48 (states) describes the states on the North American mainland from the perspective of Alaska. If interpreted from a global perspective (which would thus include Hawaii), the term could refer to all states except Alaska and Minnesota, the two northernmost states. This is not generally the case, however, and "the lower 48" is normally understood to mean the whole contiguous United States, and not Alaska or Hawaii. These 48 states have together an area of 7.902.634 km².
The
District of Columbia, while not a state, is generally understood to form part of the
continental United States or
contiguous United States, as it is legally incorporated into the territory of the country.
Use in Alaska and Hawaii
Some places, because of their own location relative to the contiguous United States, have their own unique labels for it:
- In Hawaii and overseas American territories, the term "the Mainland" or "U.S. Mainland" is used to refer to the continental United States (either including or excluding Alaska).
- In Alaska, the term "Lower 48" is sometimes used to refer to the contiguous states. However, more often, long-time residents often simply call this area "Outside", as in "My brother went Outside to have heart surgery". .
- In Alaska, another term often used in reference to the contiguous 48 States is the word "Stateside" which is often used by military personnel and which has been adopted by the larger populace. For most branches of military service, Alaska duty stations were considered Overseas posts, hence the reference.
The term "
continental United States" is almost never used when referring to just the contiguous states, perhaps because some Alaskans consider it a slight to exclude them from the continent.
Use in federal law
As the language of the Alaska Omnibus Act of 1959 makes apparent, the term was in use in U.S. federal law prior to then. It presumably dates from after the acquisition of Alaska in 1867, and probably from after the
Spanish-American War and the annexation of
Hawaii brought the United States its first off-continent possessions, both in 1898. Whatever else these terms may be, "continental United States" is a term defined in various federal laws, in different ways in different time periods; it is also defined in different ways at the same time, depending on whether or not the context was the
U.S. Internal Revenue Service, during at least a period that began with Alaska statehood.
See also
External links
- Definition of continental.
- Definition of contiguous.
- Definition of conterminous.
- Definitions of continental United States and contiguous United States as used by United Airlines.
Continental United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The continental United States commonly refers to the 48 contiguous states located on the central part of the North American continent, plus the District of Columbia, and so does ...
continental United States - definition of continental United States by ...
United States territory, including the adjacent territorial waters, located within North America between Canada and Mexico. Also called CONUS.
Continental Divide of the United States
This is a map layer description page ... Continental Divide of the United States: What this map layer shows: The natural boundary line separating waters that flow into the Atlantic ...
major rivers of the united states map
Over 800 rivers cross the continental (48 states). Most are small branches and/or tributaries of larger rivers. Here we feature information on some of those larger rivers.
The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to ...
A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.
Visible Satellite Images: continental united states
These are visible satellite images for the continental United States. Time period of availability: 0000Z March 12 to 2300Z March 15, 1993.
Continental Congress: United States
As British authority crumbled in the colonies, the Continental Congress effectively took over as the de facto national government, thereby exceeding the initial authority granted ...
Welcome to the 2nd Signal Center (C-TNOSC) - TNOSC199054
National Park Service - We're Sorry
Home page with quick links and highlights ... We're sorry, the content you have requested is not viewable at this time, please try again later.
BioMed Central | Abstract | The identity, distribution, and impacts of ...
Research article The identity, distribution, and impacts of non-native apple snails in the continental United States
